Qatar resident Ziyad Rahim, head of market risk at Barwa Bank, recently broke a Guinness World Record by completing the Marathon Grand Slam in just 41 days.
In the process, he set the fastest time to complete a marathon on each continent and the North Pole and smashed the previous record of 324 days, which had stood for over six years.
Ziyad (39) started the challenge on February 26 in Punta Arenas, Chile, before travelling to Antarctica a day later to complete the 26.2-mile run in sub-zero conditions. He then continued to travel around the globe, running the Cyprus Marathon in Europe, the LA Marathon in North America, The Dual Trail Marathon in New Zealand, the 56K Two Oceans Ultra Marathon in South Africa, the Dead Sea Marathon in Jordan and the final marathon on the North Pole.
During the 41-day challenge, Ziyad covered a total distance of 140,700km, including more than 300 hours of flying time and transit. Due to work and family commitments, most of his travels were over the weekend.
Ziyad is the first Qatar resident to complete marathons on all seven continents - for the first time in 2012 and then again during this Grand Slam challenge. He is also the first person in the world to complete two extreme marathons - at Antarctica (-20 degrees Celsius) and the Sahara Desert (50 degrees Celsius) - within a month. Till date, Ziyad has participated in over 100 long-distance runs in 32 countries.
Elaborating on his accomplishment, Ziyad said: “It was probably the most difficult challenge I had ever undertaken. Apart from the different demands associated with completing marathons in varied temperatures, it was the constant travel and jet lag that made it so difficult. I travelled to Los Angeles, Auckland and Cape Town on weekends, which meant that after a 20-plus-hour flight, I would run a marathon and then immediately fly back to get to office to resume work. I was lucky that I never sustained an injury during this time, apart from the last race on the North Pole where I suffered frostbite on my nose and ears as the temperature dropped below -40 degrees Celsius during the race.”
Asked about the most challenging run, he said: “The course in Antarctica was hilly with mud and ice underfoot. In Cyprus, it was a historical route with the race starting at the birthplace of Aphrodite and running along the Mediterranean. Los Angeles was magical as we ran down Sunset Boulevard and Beverly Hills. In New Zealand, we ran on a volcanic island over lava rocks while the Two Oceans Marathon in South Africa is considered the most beautiful ‘ultra’ in the world. In Jordan, we completed the race at the lowest point on Earth, the Dead Sea. Finally, there is nothing more satisfying than completing the race on the geographic North Pole. It was by far the hardest race. At times, we were in knee-deep snow; my shoes froze during the race and I constantly had to change my face mask as it was restricting my breathing.”
Ziyad is an ambassador for CARE, a charity educating underprivileged children in Pakistan. He says he runs to promote health and fitness and raise awareness for the less fortunate. “As a father, I understand the importance of educating the young and giving them the opportunity to make a change in their lives. CARE educates children for as little as £1 per child, per month through its government school adoption programme. We have a mission to get 1mn children off the streets and into classrooms,” he explained.
Steve Troop, CEO of Barwa Bank Group, said: “We are all inspired by what Ziyad has achieved for a very worthy cause. Ziyad is a truly outstanding athlete and his dedication to being the very best reflects the values that we aspire to at a corporate level. Barwa Bank encourages all its employees to take part in exercise and we have recently launched a staff fitness programme to help promote a healthy lifestyle.”
Ziyad Rahim
