A MAN who won a TV travel challenge is in training for his biggest test yet - running two marathons during and just after Ramadan – after being inspired by two sporting heroes.
Emon Choudhury and his nephew Jamiul were crowned winners of BBC Two's Race Across the World that gripped the nation at the start of the first lockdown last year.
Emon, of Saltaire, is running this year’s Manchester and London Marathons.
His latest test will see him take on the Manchester Marathon on Sunday, April 16, followed by the London Marathon seven days later.
The London Marathon takes place two days after the end of Ramadan, held this year from the evening of March 22 to April 21.
He will be running the 26.2-mile routes while fasting and without taking on any food or water during the event too.
Emon is looking to raise an initial target of £7,777 for Motor Neurone Disease (MND) West Yorkshire, after meeting Leeds Rhinos player, Rob Burrow, who has the condition, and his former rugby league team-mate, Kevin Sinfield, who completed seven ultra marathons in seven days in November last year, also for MND charities.
Emon is training for the double marathon challenge - which includes 15 to 20-mile training runs - adhering to Ramadan requirements by not taking on food or water in the run-up to each of these runs.
He is regularly joined on his training runs by his one-year-old daughter Lilly. Emon runs while pushing her pushchair.
It is the latest running charity challenge from Emon, who completed last year’s Manchester Marathon during Ramadan.
He said: "I’ve got a feeling it is more of a challenge for me this year.
“I’ve been inspired to do it for MND after meeting Rob Burrow at an awards ceremony last year.
"I’ve been blown away by him. It’s amazing what him and Kevin have done. I didn’t know anything about MND until last year. I have been researching it since. It’s a horrendous disease.
“I know I can do it. I have done it before. I have never done it so far into Ramadan. I don’t know how I will react to it.
“I will be doing a live stream during the marathons, where people can donate.”
Go to justgiving.com/fundraising/emon to make a donation.
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