Running 350km While Fasting! Amjad Mahmood shares his story with Channel 5 News

57-year-old Amjad Mahmood of Buckingham set himself the incredible task of running over 350km throughout Ramadan, driven by his commitment to supporting Penny Appeal’s Rebuilding Syria project. Despite fasting from sunrise to sunset Amjad has been channelling all his energy every day, bravely facing the exhaustion that running on empty brings. On the 16^th day of Ramadan, he even ran a half marathon! Every penny he raises through this remarkable feat is going towards building new homes for families in Syria.

Yesterday Amjad, a grandfather from Buckingham, appeared on Channel 5 News to tell his amazing story to viewers across the country. Fuelled by his determination to support people in need, he has signed up for several gruelling events over the last few years, running more and more frequently, challenging himself to run marathons and channelling his efforts into fundraising for important causes.

“Thankfully I’ve been blessed with a good business and good health, and I know at the end of the day I’ve got a house to go to, I’ve got warmth, I’ve got shelter,” Amjad told the studio. “So many people that have been displaced around the world, they don’t have that. Giving something back… that motivates me even more.”

Running even just once while fasting can put extreme physical and emotional demand on anyone. Fasting from 4am every morning, Amjad has been fighting exhaustion and dehydration daily. But by keeping the displaced people of Syria clear in his mind, he is even more determined to power towards his goal.

“It’s amazing how your body really copes with the lack of food and water. It just goes into autopilot. And honestly, you’re running on air sometimes. Your body’s very resilient to not having any food, and not having any water… It just gives you energy that you never thought was there.

“The motivation is that you know you’re helping somebody. I’ve always done things for charity and it’s something that’s a family trait. I think when you’re running, you lose sight of what you’re doing – you obviously still have all the pain and the aches – but it’s the motivation of knowing that you’re giving back to something.”

Amjad’s inspirational efforts will help Penny Appeal to build permanent shelters for Syrians in need. Over the past 11 years, 350,000 people have been killed because of the Syrian war – the largest refugee and displacement crisis of our lifetimes. Five million Syrian children have known nothing but suffering and destruction.

Through our Rebuilding Syria project, we are constructing brand new homes for displaced families. With nearly 14 million people having lost their homes to the war, rebuilding Syria will be no easy task. But we can start by taking it one Home at a time… and you can help today.

Click here to build a £2000 Syrian Home this Ramadan.