KARACHI: The blustery winter weather and the accompanying sea breeze did not deter the runners or the spectators; hundreds of them cheering them on to the finish line in the historic Karachi Marathon on Sunday.

Despite the chill in the air, though, Sohail Aamir Kathia was drenched in sweat as he touched the tape to the applause of those who’d turned up to witness the first marathon in Pakistan which was certified by Association of International Marathon and Distance Races (AIMS).

A representative from Australia had visited Pakistan to measure and certify the marathon track. There was use of chips on runners’ bibs to provide accurate results and timings also these certified results will be accessible to World Athletics and other marathons with qualification requirements.

More than 1,500 athletes from different countries and age groups took part in the full marathon (42.2km), half marathon (21.1km), 5k (5km), and marathon relay which saw each participant complete one quarter of the full distance.

It will be Sohail’s name, though, which will go down in the record books as the inaugural winner of the Karachi marathon after he crossed the finish line in two hours and 36 minutes, ahead of Israr Khattak with Aamir Abbas taking third place.

Hafeez ul Barkat triumphed in the half marathon after finishing in 1:17:12 while Mumtaz Naimat from Gilgit-Baltistan, running her first marathon, showed great heart to cover the same distance in 1:50:12 and take the women’s title.

Sohail — who won the Lahore marathon last year — broke away in favourable conditions early when the race kicked off at day break at the Nishan-e-Pakistan and maintained the supremacy despite Israr’s pressure who was looking for a lapse, which never occurred.

“These races are very challenging and you never know if you will be able to finish or not,” the 25-year-old Sohail told Dawn. “You need to be calm, patient and not rush if you want better results, and that’s what I did today.”

Sohail, hailing from Sahiwal, also informed about his strict schedule to maintain a fit body and the way he prepared for grueling events like these.

“I prepare for a full year with no off days to compete in these competitions,” Sohail said. “I wake up very early and run almost 20km to 25km every day.”

The second placed runner Israr, who was some 250m behind when Sohail finished, attributed Sohail’s victory to his superior training.

“Nobody wants to lose, I tried but he [Sohail] was better prepared today,” the 35-year-old Israr said.

Israr, who lives in the high altitude area of Karak District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, also noted that it’s difficult to train in those areas and that’s why they have to adapt effective training methods.

“I live in a mountainous area so obviously it’s hard to train there,” he said. “I have been preparing for six months for a marathon. In the first three months we work on endurance, strength and health training while the other three months are dedicated to track and field drills.”

Hafeez, 18, was also very pumped after winning the half-marathon 11 seconds ahead of Mohammad Akram (1:17:23) with Zahir Shah a further 16 seconds behind.

Faisalabad’s Hafeez now wants to represent and win accolades for Pakistan in international marathons of Berlin and London.

“I am willing to run in scorching heat to prepare myself for international events,” he said. “To win international events you need discipline and hard work and I am willing to do all that.”

In contrast, the women’s champion Mumtaz, who finished six minutes ahead of 13-year-old Dua Nazakat (1:56:07) with Sarah Muneer third (2:01:58), said that she doesn’t prioritise the diet so much as it’s hard to compete professionally due to lack of sponsors in the sport.

“You need financial support to keep your diet according to the sport which I couldn’t afford at the moment,” Mumtaz, who counts current 1,500m champion Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon as her inspiration, said. “I try 30 per cent to keep a balanced diet but it’s hard to do more than that.”

The 19-year-old also said that she made her new year’s resolution to participate in the marathon and she is blessed to win the competition.

FOR THE LOVE OF RUNNING

But apart from the competition, there were others who took part for their love of running and fitness.

A number of foreigners also participated in the event, including Dmitry Petrov, who’s an official of the Russian consulate.

“Russians are very fond of sports so I had to participate to express my love for sports,” said Petrov. “It was a well-managed event.”

South African Andrew Bennie, 55, also took part in the half-marathon and also enjoyed the event thoroughly.

“It’s really important to keep yourself fit and these events give a good chance for that,” he said. “So I really enjoyed my time here. A good day out.”

There was also a contingent from Japan who participated in the event. One of them was Makoto Endo.

“I love running and I love Pakistan too so this event was a fun experience for me.” Endo said. “I ran in the marathon for fun and also it helps to keep you healthy.”

Shoaib Nizami, the Chief Executive Officer of Sports in Pakistan agency, organised the event and shared that the corporate sector is still very much vested in only one or two sports.

“Our corporate sector only has limited support and we don’t get much support in other sports.” He said. “But gradually the support is rising.”

Shoaib further said that there is a lot of potential in this support.

“We are a sports agency and there is a reason why we have been promoting this sport for almost four years,” he said. “This is the beginning of the rise of this sport in Pakistan. These events happen all around the world and now we have one of our own.”

Published in Dawn, January 29th, 2024