A 48-year-old former teacher is set to run through 23 cities in 23 days during Ramadan for charity. Afruz Miah, from Oldham, will be fasting while he takes on his annual 313km challenge during the holy month.
Afruz says while the challenge is getting harder as the years go by, he says his ‘purpose’ to help the less fortunate around the world is what keeps him going. “I’ll be 49 soon and It’s not getting any easier," he said.
“I’m a year older, I don’t know about wiser, the running side is not easy, but because I’m doing it for a reason and a purpose. My struggle and my pain is nothing compared to the pain and struggle some people go through during Ramadan and beyond. That keeps me going."
READ MORE: Ramadan 2022 countdown: How long until fasting starts?
Afruz also said that this year’s route will be a little different to previous years. He said it will see him visit major cities in the country to touch base with Muslim communities in the areas, something he said he ‘missed out’ on last year.
He said: “This year’s different because last year I did Oldham to London in a straight line and it was quite hard to engage with the community because were going through rural countryside. This year we’re going to go through 23 cities and meet up with people, it’s the same distance, but we’re going to tap into more popular cities and towns.
“It was important to do this because of the response I had last time and I feel like I missed going through these important cities who have a lot of history where people have settled.”
Afruz raised £100,000 last year and was recognised by the Queen for his efforts. He is hoping to reach a similar goal this year and has encouraged others observing the month of Ramadan to raise money for charity through walks and runs whichever way they can.
He said: “I’m been doing all this, it’s actually encouraging people to do more walks and runs and raise money for charity. That’s positive because it’s not all about me, it’s about the community doing their bit."
Afruz got into running after receiving a health scare and was told he could be at risk of a heart attack if he did not change his lifestyle. He decided to take up running as a healthy exercise but has since been running for charity making himself a household name in his community in Oldham.
The former maths tutor is running on behalf of UK charity Global Relief Trust (GRT), running 15km a day without any water or food during the runs. Afruz’s run will begin on Sunday, April 3, you can donate to his campaign here .
For more of the latest news sign up to our email newsletters
