‘Running Is What I Know Best’: The Former Olympian Making Every Mile Count For Africa

Roberto Mandje recently completed an incredible feat of endurance and perseverance when he ran seven marathons in seven days to highlight the potential Africa holds with its emerging economies, natural beauty and innovation.

The original plan was to run the seven events in seven different countries, but a travel hiccup getting to Ghana meant he completed two of them in Cape Town, South Africa.

Named ‘Africa 7: Run Your Purpose’, former Olympian Mandje is combining his passions for running and the African continent, having been born in Barcelona with Equatorial Guinean roots, and having previously lived in the north, south and west of the continent.

“It was actually in Eswatini where my running journey began,” Mandje tells FORBES AFRICA. “I was in primary school and we had a sports day where everybody ran a few laps around the campus. I took part and, without really knowing what I was doing, finished second.

“The headmaster called my parents and said, ‘This boy might be pretty special.’ That, in a roundabout way, started my journey into running.

“I then had the privilege of representing Equatorial Guinea at the 2004 Olympic Games. I ran professionally for 12 years, from 2004 to 2016, and that took me all around the world, competing on the track, roads, trails and mountains.

“When I became a father in 2015, my focus shifted. I realized I was no longer enjoying running in the same way. I transitioned from professional running into coaching, and that started my journey of giving back to the sport.

“Over the last 10 years, that has continued to evolve into something like Africa 7.”

Now 44 years old, Mandje runs for a different purpose, to raise money for worthy causes and highlight what makes the continent such an intriguing destination.

“I have a deep connection with Africa and running is what I know best, so I wanted to bring those two things together,” Mandje says.

“In 2025, almost as a test of myself, I decided to see whether I could run a marathon every day for a week and raise money for charity. I did that in Connecticut, where I now live, and New York City.

“It was tiring, but I saw how much it inspired people and how much money I could raise by doing something that, although challenging, was not taking me too far outside my comfort zone.”

Mandje met Africa 7 co-founder Zandre Campos at the New York City Marathon and that is where the idea was hatched to run in Africa, initially intended to be Equatorial Guinea, São Tomé and Príncipe, South Africa, Namibia, Ghana, Rwanda and Angola.

“The goal was to raise awareness about what is happening across the African continent. We selected seven countries for this first initiative, but our long-term ambition is to reach the entire continent through different projects, though that does not necessarily mean running 54 marathons in 54 different countries,” Mandje says.

“It is about meeting countries, cities, individuals and organizations where they are, learning about the work they are doing and understanding how Africa 7 can amplify or support that work.

“I think there is a certain arrogance in arriving somewhere and saying, ‘This is what you need. Here is some money. Take care of it.’ You take a few photographs and leave. That is not my nature at all.

“I want to see the work people are already doing and collaborate with them. Perhaps they do not need what we originally thought they needed, and that is absolutely fine. But we cannot know that until we go there and have those conversations.”