AhlulBayt News Agency: Two endurance runners from Oldham are set to complete their year-long challenge, running 10km daily to raise funds for Gaza.
Afruz Miah BEM, 51, and Monwar Hussain, 40, are set to embark on their final run today (Tuesday, December 31) at Alexandra Park at 12pm.
The pair are used to tough running challenges, with Afruz, who is known to some as The Running Man, running from Oldham to London during Ramadan while fasting, while Monwar is a prolific marathon runner.
Their year-long challenge is called Miles4Humanity and will see them run a total of 3,650km while raising money to support people in Gaza.
Afruz said: “The challenge was initially only for Monwar as I was looking for someone to recruit. Monwar is younger, fitter and more capable than me. I ended up joining him every day for the past year.
“The cause was the main factor for me personally - the challenges and difficulties people are facing on a daily basis in Gaza including parents pulling out limbs of children and loved ones from the rubble.
“The desperate condition of people in Gaza and war hit areas around the world motivates me. When my running partner Monwar kept coming back even after completing marathons I thought I need to push harder and break through the mental barrier.
“It feels surreal and hard to comprehend but at the same time I feel proud and humbled to be able to hopefully motivate and inspire the next generation.”
So far they have raised £100,000 and are hoping to take it to £150,000 through an evening with Miles4humanity on February 1.
Afruz, who has raised close to £3m for charity through his various running challenges in recent years, says the challenge may be the first time someone has run 365 consecutive days over the age of 50.
He said: “The support from my family has been unconditional and the support we received behind the scenes helped a lot. Hopefully it’s a legacy for many generations to come.
“If I’m honest I don’t think I could have done it on my own. I’d say it is impossible to do so. You need someone to push you and motivate you when you’re not feeling up for it.”
Monwar said: “Running 10km every single day for a whole year has been one of the hardest things I've ever done. But I'm pushing through the pain and fatigue because the people of Gaza need our help.
“This crisis has been going on far too long, and I want to do my part to raise awareness and make a difference.
“I suffered with self-doubt but I knew expressing it would have a negative impact on Afruz too. By focusing on the cause, and renewing my intentions I was able overcome this doubt.
“It has taken a lot of people to sacrifice time and effort behind the scenes to make these runs consistent.”
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Afruz Miah BEM, 51, and Monwar Hussain, 40, are set to embark on their final run today (Tuesday, December 31) at Alexandra Park at 12pm.
The pair are used to tough running challenges, with Afruz, who is known to some as The Running Man, running from Oldham to London during Ramadan while fasting, while Monwar is a prolific marathon runner.
Their year-long challenge is called Miles4Humanity and will see them run a total of 3,650km while raising money to support people in Gaza.
Afruz said: “The challenge was initially only for Monwar as I was looking for someone to recruit. Monwar is younger, fitter and more capable than me. I ended up joining him every day for the past year.
“The cause was the main factor for me personally - the challenges and difficulties people are facing on a daily basis in Gaza including parents pulling out limbs of children and loved ones from the rubble.
“The desperate condition of people in Gaza and war hit areas around the world motivates me. When my running partner Monwar kept coming back even after completing marathons I thought I need to push harder and break through the mental barrier.
“It feels surreal and hard to comprehend but at the same time I feel proud and humbled to be able to hopefully motivate and inspire the next generation.”
So far they have raised £100,000 and are hoping to take it to £150,000 through an evening with Miles4humanity on February 1.
Afruz, who has raised close to £3m for charity through his various running challenges in recent years, says the challenge may be the first time someone has run 365 consecutive days over the age of 50.
He said: “The support from my family has been unconditional and the support we received behind the scenes helped a lot. Hopefully it’s a legacy for many generations to come.
“If I’m honest I don’t think I could have done it on my own. I’d say it is impossible to do so. You need someone to push you and motivate you when you’re not feeling up for it.”
Monwar said: “Running 10km every single day for a whole year has been one of the hardest things I've ever done. But I'm pushing through the pain and fatigue because the people of Gaza need our help.
“This crisis has been going on far too long, and I want to do my part to raise awareness and make a difference.
“I suffered with self-doubt but I knew expressing it would have a negative impact on Afruz too. By focusing on the cause, and renewing my intentions I was able overcome this doubt.
“It has taken a lot of people to sacrifice time and effort behind the scenes to make these runs consistent.”
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