TV Travel Challenge Winner to Run Marathon during Ramadan

A man from Bradford is in training for his biggest test yet, running a marathon during Ramadan.

He is set to run the marathon to help raise £100,000 to build a school for disadvantaged children in Nepal.

Emon Choudhury and his nephew Jamiul were crowned winners of BBC Two’s Race Across the World that had the nation watching at the start of the first lockdown in 2020.

Emon, who is from Saltaire, Shipley, has been taking part in a series of running challenges over the last year.

His next challenge will see him take on the Manchester Marathon on April 3, 2022.

This is on the second day of Ramadan, which will be held from the evening of April 2 to May 1.

He will be taking on the 26.2-mile route while fasting and without taking any food or water during the event.

Emon started training for this challenge including running between 10 and 15-mile routes each Sunday, adhering to Ramadan requirements by not taking on food or water in the run-up to each of these runs.

He explained: “It is a heck of a challenge. I’m taking on probably the greatest challenge of my life.

“A few months ago I got the running bug. The marathon is on the first fast of Ramadan.

“I’m trying not to eat during the day for the training runs I’m doing on Sundays.

“I’m just trying to push the boundaries and seeing what I’m capable of and what the human mind is capable of

“I will be increasing my mileage of runs closer to the time.

“My family think I’m mad for doing this.”

In 2021, Emon completed a 200k challenge during Ramadan by doing separate runs of between 5km and 10km each day, initially going along the Leeds and Liverpool Canal towpath between Saltaire and Bingley.

He adhered to Ramadan requirements of fasting during the day for these events and completed each of his runs from around 6 pm.

Emon also completed three running events in the space of five weeks in autumn 2021.

He took part in the London Marathon and 10k courses of the Bradford City Runs and Great Manchester Run.

Emon and Jamiul attracted mainstream attention on BBC Two’s Race Across the World after they travelled 15,000 miles from Mexico City to Ushuaia, Argentina without flights, phones, the internet or bank cards.

They defeated four other pairs and took the crown by just 20 seconds.

He has currently raised £20,000 of the £100,000 target.