Dubai Fitness Challenge: Pakistani expat undertakes 30 half marathons for charity

Pakistani national Junaid Ahmed moved to the UAE in October 2018, after almost a decade in Shanghai, China. He knew no one in the city and that began to take a toll on him as he felt quite lonely and depressed. He then heard about the Dubai Fitness Challenge (DFC) and decided to take up running as his fitness activity. Fast forward to 2021 and Junaid is transformed into a marathon runner who is now connected to several communities and people whom he trains with.

And this year, Junaid is challenging himself with 30 half marathons in 30 consecutive days as part of the DFC and will he be dedicating to a good cause. He will be raising money for breast cancer awareness and prevention, through these marathons, for which he said he has secured the necessary permissions too from the authorities through Yallagive.

“Dubai has so much to offer when it comes to sports that it's unbelievable. I was quite alone and depressed when I moved here initially. A toxic job worsened my mental health. I picked up running to avoid exacerbating my mental health further, and then cycling and swimming too eventually. I went from running zero kilometres to preparing for ultra marathon distances in about six months,” he said.

Elaborating on the same, Junaid said: “Dubai Fitness Challenge is so special because the whole city comes together in the spirit of sport. There are so many activities to choose from! Running is extremely close to my heart and I will be running 30 half marathons (21.1 km distance) in 30 consecutive days. I am doing this challenge to raise money for cancer awareness and prevention in the UAE through Friends of Cancer Patients (FOCP).”