The British athlete who is preparing for a marathon by fasting during Ramadan

 The British athlete who is preparing for a marathon by fasting during Ramadan

Preparing for a marathon is tough, but preparing for a 26.2-mile race against the world’s best while fasting is even tougher.

Mohamed Mohamed is among the talented British athletes closing in on Mo Farah’s British marathon record.

But as he prepares for this year’s London Marathon, 28-year-old Mohamed Mohamed is trying to balance Ramadan fasting with rigorous training. His training sessions end at 1am.

Mohamed, who is ranked fourth in the UK’s best runners list, has ignored advice to delay his fast to improve his performance. His current record is two hours, seven minutes and five seconds.

“Some people think I shouldn’t fast while training. Especially now, with my competition coming up,” Mohamed told the Press Association.

 

“They say I should focus on training first and then fast later. But I’m used to it. It's become my routine. I'm grateful for the advice, but I just keep doing my job.'

Mohamed is currently based in the town of Afrin in Morocco's Atlas Mountains, where he is preparing for the race in April.

The location allows him to train safely at night on a floodlit track where he can train with other Muslim athletes. Other athletes also abstain from eating and drinking during the day during Ramadan.

Mohammed's days often stretch into the early hours of the morning. He does his first session around 4pm, then breaks his fast and prays, and then completes his second session.

When he has regained a reasonable amount of energy, he sleeps for a couple of hours. He then wakes up around 4am for suhoor and then rests again.

"It's a bit tough," he admits.

"I take my work seriously. But for me, Ramadan is the most important. It keeps me focused, helps me understand who I am and what I can do."

Mohammed is one of four current British marathon runners to have completed a marathon in under 2:08. They include triathletes Alex Yee, Emil Caris and Philip Sisman. These athletes are described as the 'new generation'.

Mohammed, who finished fourth in the 2024 London Marathon, is aiming to break his own record in London this year.

He then aims to win a medal at the European Championships in Birmingham this summer.

‘Help from nutritionists’

Recently, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola was asked how he manages the schedule of Muslim players during Ramadan.

“They follow their religious tradition. We have the best nutritionists and they adapt things to the needs of the team,” he said.

“We can’t change the schedule to match the Premier League matches and I think they are used to it. They are not young anymore and have been playing in this period for many years.”

“I think it is not new for the players... they know exactly what to do.”

“Yogurt and lots of water”

Former England bowler Kabir Ali, now a coach at Lancashire County Cricket Club, says it is “difficult” for players to fast during Ramadan.

Kabir Ali played one Test and 14 One-Day Internationals for England between 2003 and 2006.

Kabir, 45, was recently appointed as the bowling coach of Lancashire, the team he spent the last two seasons of his career with.

Ali says he always drinks curd and 'lots of water' for breakfast.

'It's definitely tough. But if you're sensible you can get through the day,' the bowling coach told BBC Radio Lancashire.

'It's really important to drink the right amount of water, but if you're on a busy day it can be quite difficult.'

'But your coaches and teammates look out for you.'

'They don't train you as hard because they know you're going through Ramadan.'