A charity fundraiser is running from Oldham to London while fasting during the holy month of Ramadan.
Afruz Miah, 48, is doing the run without any food or water as Muslims are not permitted to eat or drink from sunrise to sunset during Ramadan.
But the former maths tutor says his faith helps sustain him during the 195 miles (313 km) marathon.
"Running during Ramadan is special because it's a sacrifice, and I'm not doing it for any other reason but to raise funds for the poor and needy around the world", he told the Mirror.
He added: “I feel that it's made easy because of the spiritual side of Ramadan. Otherwise, normally when I run 8/9 miles, by the 3rd day, I feel like I can't do it. But today, I feel fresh, and I've done 27 miles already."
Afruz began his run in his hometown of Oldham at the start of April and has already raised almost £40,000 of his £313,000 target.
All the proceeds will go to the UK charity Global Relief Trust (GRT), providing essentials such as food, water and medical equipment to countries around the world.
The dad-of-four ran the route last year alone. This year he is making time to contact Muslim communities in 21 towns and cities on the route.
"Last year, I did most of my running on my own. But this year I've had four, five, six people join me and it's really nice. You get to talk about things, and it's great to bring communities together.
"Sometimes, I'll be staying over at strangers' houses, eating in the same kitchen, sleeping in one of their spare bedrooms. It's really such a community challenge,” he said.
Afruz, who has been awarded a British Empire Medal for his fundraising, began running in 2019 following a health scare.
"In 2019, I was diagnosed with high blood pressure, and then I had cataracts in my left eye. So I went to have an operation and came back to ask my doctor why I had cataracts at my age because, at the clinic, everybody having the procedure was 90 plus."
The doctor warned Afruz he had to change his lifestyle or he would be put on long-term medication.
"I didn't want to go on medication for the rest of my life", he stated.
"So I started going to the gym, but lockdown kicked in, so I couldn't go anymore. I decided then that I'll start running on the streets. Then Ramadan came, and I took on the challenge to raise £500 for a school that was struggling during Covid."
What initially started as a 50km run (MILES!) to raise £500 would end in a 200km run, raising an astounding £12,000.
Afruz did not stop there. He completed the 2021 London Marathon in support of GRT and Oldham cancer charity Maggie’s.
He then founded his charity 'JustBreath' to provide fitness and wellbeing programmes for BAME communities in Oldham.
"Before I started running, I don't think many people were walking during Ramadan, let alone running. But people are running, cycling, and hiking up and down the country. They are doing stuff in Ramadan they would have never dreamt of doing to fundraise".
The Mirror joined Afruz at the Greater Manchester Bangladeshi Association Centre in Manchester on the fourth leg of his journey.
Chairman and business owner Abdul Nashir Wahab, 52, spoke of his immense pride in the achievements in Afruz and commended the work he has done for those in poverty.
"It's a proud moment for all the community. He has already made us all proud with his previous activities and what he has done. And he is doing it for a good cause, and as a community, we are looking forward to what he will do in the future for other communities and abroad."
Afruz was joined by other community members at the community centre, including Monwar Hussain, 38, who came straight from his full-time courier job to participate in the run.
He said: "Last year I was following him and saw the impact he was making all over the UK promoting running and raising money for charity, so he inspired me to join him.
He continued: "I don't usually run during Ramadan. You usually go into conservation mode, but he has inspired me to run. He's so inspirational for the Asian and Muslim community in encouraging them to become more active".
22-year-old student, Ali Raza, nicknamed 'Hiking Ali', also joined in on the charity run after previously running alongside Afruz.
"I've been running for quite a long time, and when I heard that Afruz was running during Ramadan, I thought, why don't I put my running into a good cause so it can benefit the community."
Although Ali said he struggles to manage the time between his full-time studies and part-time job, he feels inspired more than ever to continue the charity runs.
"He is double the age of me, in fact, he's like my father, but if he can do it, why should I decide to stay at home and do nothing while he runs all over the UK.
"There is nothing more inspiring when I see the people he's helped around the world."
Although he turns 49 in June, Afruz has no plans to stop the running challenges.
"I want to do something crazy. When I did my first run from Oldham to London, people thought I was crazy. Now I want to go to every city in the UK. Fifty-two cities, 52 days. Have a roadshow every day, have a big van, and just run,” he said.
To follow Afruz'z journey, click here.
