Ramadan in UAE: Why this group of Christians runs from one mosque to another after iftar

For a dozen years, a group of Christian runners have kept the tradition of running from one mosque to another after iftar. Members come and go, but the objectives remain the same: To immerse themselves in the UAE culture and be inspired by the Islamic faith of self-discipline, sacrifice, and piety.

The annual event is called RUNMadan Challenge, organised by Filipino Runners UAE (FRU), where participants go to more than 200 mosques across Dubai and neighbouring emirates to run more than 200 kilometres — for an average of seven mosques and seven kilometres daily — throughout the holy month.

“Our aim is to practice self-discipline, self-control, sacrifice and perseverance – values that are amplified during Ramadan,” Ross Pisuena, founder of RUNMadan Challenge, told Khaleej Times. “We also aim to live a healthy lifestyle and gain more friends through running,” he added.

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Pisuena, 56, a devout Catholic, picked up the idea of running after sunset back in July 2012. He and his daughter, Bea, initially completed a 5km loop going around three mosques in Muhaisnah 2 area, in Dubai. Other family members joined the father and daughter duo; then, some friends also participated in the run.

Learning about life in Dubai

The following year, RUNMadan was born as more friends from FRU joined in and the group made an open invitation on Facebook about the run. “It was our way of familiarising new expatriates about life in Dubai during Ramadan. Visiting mosques helped us learn more about Muslim culture and tradition, as well as architecture,” noted Pisuena, who is an architect by profession.

Among the pioneers who signed up in Ramadan 2013 was Oliva ‘Bam’ Matol, who is now 64 years old and currently works as an assistant teacher. She is the most senior member of the group who leads the pack during kick-off every year.

“I was invited by a friend, who was a part of Nike running club, to join RUNmadan. I joined because I’ve always loved running and anything fitness-related; plus, I wanted to maximise my spare time due to reduced work hours,” said Matol.

“I have never missed a single RUNMadan since 2013 and I’ve gained a lot of friends and also learned a lot about mosques – not just the names but the architecture as well. But more than that, I’ve been always amazed by how disciplined and focused the Muslims are at the mosque,” she added.

Open to all runners

Matol said the group has grown exponentially through the years and the runners are not just Filipinos but also Russians, British, Americans, Arabs, Indians, and Pakistanis. Participants are also of different abilities and ages – from as young as 10 to more than 60 years old.

RUNmadan was unceremoniously disrupted in 2020 because of the global pandemic but the group made a comeback the following year. In 2022, the challenge has grown bigger than ever. Last year, Pisuena designed a RUNMadan passport (similar to the popular Dubai Expo passport) given to each participant to monitor his/her daily run.

“Participants are not required to run every day but those who complete the month-long running challenge are elevated to rank of ‘elite runners’,” noted Pisuena.

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