Ben Johnson heads to Ghana for an ultra marathon

Former sprinter Ben Johnson is heading to Ghana on Dec. 1 to run in the Race For Peace Ultramarathon.

Johnson, the former world 100m record holder who was stripped of his gold medal from the 1988 Olympics after being caught doping, will join close to 500 runners for the 50K event, according to the Daily Guide newspaper.

The race — said to be the first ultra in the African country — is intended to raise awareness for peace, according to organizers. The Runathon Ghana Foundation is organizing the event.

“Our choice of this distance of 50 km underscores the need for us all to go that extra mile in preserving and deepening national peace and unity as we go for the 2012 general elections,” Runathon Ghana Foundation founder Eric Adae told the publication. “Running such a great distance will also give our long distance athletes the needed depth of aerobic base and fitness, to get even faster in shorter long distance events.”