Yes, Rwanda is considered one of the safest countries in Africa for travellers. It has a reputation for being peaceful and stable, with low crime rates compared to many other countries. The government places a strong emphasis on security and maintaining a safe environment for both locals and visitors.

For the Rwanda Impact Marathon, we work closely with local teams to ensure your safety throughout the event. Our routes are carefully planned, and we have security measures in place at accommodations and during any project visits. Additionally, there will be medical support available during the race and throughout your stay.

While Rwanda is generally very safe, as with any international trip, we recommend that participants take basic precautions, such as being aware of your surroundings, keeping valuables secure, and following any guidance provided by our team on the ground.

Very soon indeed - as chance would have it - the leaders of Chance for Childhood in Rwanda are keen runners who have been taking a great deal of joy in sculpting these routes.

As always, we will have a 10km, 21km half marathon, and 42km marathon with very generous cut-offs. Impact Marathons routes will challenge you: from heat, to hills, you will be pushed hard, but our team is absolutely dedicated to ensuring you treasure every step and receive a whole lot of finish line love.

A DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check is a UK background check that ensures individuals working with vulnerable groups, such as children, do not have a criminal record that would prevent them from doing so safely. As part of the Rwanda Impact Marathon, participants may have the opportunity to work closely with local communities and children through our partner, Chance for Childhood.

For this reason, we include the cost of a DBS check in your registration fee. This allows us to ensure that everyone involved is cleared to participate in these activities, helping to protect the vulnerable people we work with and provide peace of mind for all participants.

Yes, if you’re a non-UK participant, we will require a similar background check from your home country. Many countries have equivalent systems to the UK’s DBS check, such as a police clearance or criminal background check. We will guide you through the process of obtaining the correct certification based on your country of residence. This ensures that everyone participating in community activities meets the same standards of safeguarding.

Throughout the Rwanda Impact Marathon week, you’ll experience a variety of accommodations as we travel across three different locations. This is an all-hotel event—unlike some of our other marathons, there is no camping. The standard of accommodation varies depending on how rural the community is, with simpler lodgings in more remote areas.

However, each place we stay is carefully chosen for its comfort, charm, and local ownership. We partner with Rwandan-owned businesses that share our passion for making a positive impact in their communities. You’ll find that, even in the simpler accommodations, there is a warmth and character that reflects the heart of the local people, ensuring you feel welcome and part of the journey.

Firstly, neither involve camping...we've been calling our packages 'camps' since the beginning and haven't seen the need to change. Throughout the trip, you'll be staying hotel that are carefully chosen for their comfort, charm, and local ownership.

Base Camp will have you in a twin room with the friend you sign up with, or the friend you make on arrival (solo Impact Runners are both frequent and welcome!).

Summit Camp is our equivalent of Single Supplement - you'll have your own room throughout the Impact Week. 

No, you don’t need any prior experience in volunteering or charity work to join the Rwanda Impact Marathon. All we ask is that you have an interest in the incredible work being done by the organisation we support—Chance for Childhood.

To ensure you’re fully prepared for the experience, we do require all participants to attend our Safeguarding webinars. These will take place in the two months leading up to the event and are mandatory. The webinars will provide you with all the training you need to visit the projects responsibly and make the most of your time engaging with the communities Chance for Childhood work in.

Our refund policy is outlined in the registration terms, with refunds offered on a sliding scale based on how close you are to the event date. Please note that the deposit (25% of the race price, or £395, whichever is higher) is non-refundable.

We also offer a flexible deferral policy:

• Pregnancy Deferral: If you are pregnant or a new mother, we provide a 2-year deferral option in line with our SheRaces policy.
• Free Deferral: You are entitled to one free deferral for injury or other reasons, which can be applied to the following year or any other Impact Marathon.
• Subsequent Deferrals: Additional deferrals incur a £50 admin fee, and any changes in the price of the package will be applied.
• Group Bookings: A different deferral policy applies to group bookings.

Please note, travel insurance is mandatory for all participants to ensure you are covered for any unforeseen circumstances.

Yes, we’ll cater to various dietary preferences, including vegetarian and vegan options. Please let us know any specific dietary requirements when registering.

Yes, non-runners are welcome to join the event for the entirety of Impact Week. Come race day, they will be welcome to roam as spectators, volunteers, or (as has happened many times before), participants because they have been inspired by all the Impact Runners who are the most encouraging and inspiring group of humans!

There is no point in creating an event that risks your safety. With 10 years of experience delivering races across the globe and in challenging locations, we have comprehensive risk management plans in place, grounded in both theory and practical experience. Our team is well-prepared to handle various situations, ensuring that every aspect of the event runs smoothly.

Our goal is not to create the toughest or most extreme race, but to provide a route that challenges you, inspires you, and connects you with the community we support. The race route is fully marked, and we have medics, marshals, and roaming vehicles to ensure you are always within sight of assistance.

That said, running marathons can be demanding. We advise all participants to be in good physical condition and to have medical clearance before taking on the challenge.

Yes and yes. 

There are water stations every 3-6km across the entire route. We have experienced medics around the route, lots of food, and even women's sanitary products at every station (Check out our SheRaces policy!)

The course is marked throughout, and we will give you all a GPX to add to your watch. 

You’ll be well supported throughout the race. The route is fully marked, and we have aid stations every 3-5km offering clean drinking water and locally sourced snacks—wherever possible, we source all our food from within 1 mile of the race route. Medics and marshals will be positioned along the course, and we’ll have roaming vehicles to ensure that help is never far away should you need it...or just a sweaty hug of encouragement!

No problem! The event offers different race distances (10K, half marathon, and full marathon), so you can choose what best suits your ability and comfort level. We recommend some training, but we welcome runners of all abilities—whether you’re a seasoned marathoner or taking on your first race.

At Impact Marathon, we encourage you to dream big and push yourself to take on a new challenge. The spirit of our events is all about embracing the journey, which is beautifully summed up in our mantra: "Treasure every step."Whether it’s your first kilometre or your hundredth, every step you take is part of something greater.

You should consult your GP or a travel health clinic about any required vaccinations for Rwanda. It’s also a mandatory to have travel insurance prior to arrival at an Impact Marathon.

While there’s no individual fundraising target, we do have a collective race target that every runner is expected to contribute to. At the Rwanda Impact Marathon, Chance for Childhood has an ambitious vision that requires our support to bring to life. We suggest that each runner aims for a minimum contribution of £400 towards this goal, and we may ask you to consider topping up any shortfall.

On average, our Impact Runners raise considerably over £1000 each, which significantly helps drive the projects forward. Although fundraising can seem intimidating, the power and value of an Impact Marathon comes in your ability to see, feel and understand the impact you can have with these projects. Once the work comes to life, you'll find the fundraising flows with ease.

Throughout the year, we will be equipping you with resources, ideas, and support to effectively fundraise...including 'offline' options that are often overlooked but hugely powerful. 

We also offer a special option called Commit to Impact—if you commit to raising £2500, we will contribute £500 towards your costs, with this option available to select at checkout.

Yes, there is some free time built into the schedule to allow you to relax and explore. However, we highly encourage participants to arrive early or stay longer to make the most of their time in Rwanda. From October onwards, we’ll be offering exciting bolt-on experiences like Gorilla trekking, which you can sign up for to extend your adventure and explore more of what this incredible country has to offer.