Marathon man takes on a new challenge

Marathon man takes on a new challenge

Earlier this year, Haroon bravely ran the London Marathon despite the unexpected death of his father, raising over five and a half thousand pounds for Islamic Relief’s work in Syria.
Haroon also hopes to overturn negative stereotypes about Muslims by running in the marathons, a subject he feels strongly about.

“So many news pages are dominated by negative stories about Muslims and anti-Islamic slogans, you hope the story is dying down, then something else comes up,” he explains. “I want to show that many Muslims are just people trying to do their best with their lives.”

Haroon’s first half marathon will take place at Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire, the second will be the Leicester Half Marathon, the third the Great Birmingham Run and the fourth the Pumpkin Run in Northamptonshire.

Building up his fitness has been challenging. Haroon works supporting teenagers with cancer at London’s University College Hospital, and he frequently runs miles before work, after catching the train from Coventry to London.

“It can be really hard going, I have to push myself hard, but it’s an opportunity to see parts of London I wouldn’t normally have the chance to see, I run past Big Ben and through Hyde Park,” he says. At weekends he runs about 12 miles in Coventry.

To sponsor Haroon please visit http://www.justgiving.com/ir4syria.