A pro-athlete and ultra-runner is embarking on a mission to set a new Guinness World Record by running from the south to north of Qatar in less than 35 hours. Indian runner Sufiya Sufi (37) will launch her record attempt from the Abu Samra border in the south of Qatar at 6am Thursday and reach Al Ruwais in the north on Friday afternoon, completing the run of over 200km in less than 35 hours to set a new record.
Speaking at a press conference organised by Indian Sports Centre (ISC) at the Integrated Indian Community Centre Tuesday, Sufi said: “This is my first time outside India and my first international expedition. I hold the world record for the fastest runner to finish the Golden Quadrilateral Road Run of 6,000km, Manali-Leh Himalayan Ultra Run Challenge and Siachen-Kargil Ultra Run. So, this gives me another opportunity to set a new world record if I am successful in the venture.”

Indian runner Sufiya Sufi will launch her record attempt from the Abu Samra border in the south of Qatar at 6am on Thursday and reach Al Ruwais in the north on Friday afternoon, completing the run of over 200km in less than 35 hours to set a new record.

Vice-president of ISC Sheji Valiyakath said, “This is a sort of sports diplomacy and ISC is supporting the athlete to set a world record. We are also trying to arrange some financial support for the initiative and request community members to provide all support for this great cause.”
So far, Sufi holds three Guinness World Records for her various ultra-distance running expeditions. She rose to prominence when she became the fastest female runner to complete the Trans India Running challenge of 4,000km in 87 days in 2019.
“This expedition, I am doing at one go without breaks. This is just about 200km and is a great opportunity for us to traverse the country from south to north without any major break. My target is to complete the whole run within 35 hours or less than that. This will be the first leg of my international expedition, which I am planning to take up in various other countries,” Sufi explained.
As for the modalities of completing the run and setting a new record, Sufi said Guinness World Records officials have given some clear guidelines to fulfil the conditions for the new world record. “We have to follow these guidelines and submit various files such as the GPS, photographs and videos. We have to record the whole run and submit all the evidence to them after completing the expedition. A support team of four members will accompany me during the run, including my physiotherapist, nutritionist and a media crew,” she noted.
The run will pass through Doha and many people from Qatar have already expressed their desire to join her during the run. The entire expedition is expected to cost around QR30,000 and the organisers have appealed for support from everyone in the country to meet the expenses of the initiative. “As I posted about the expedition on my social media handles, many from Qatar have expressed their interest in participating in the run. They will be taking part along with me from different places for short distances according to their capacity. We have already got 40% of the finance needed for the event and we hope more people will come forward,” Sufi added.