Marathon Talk Episode 14: Haroon Mota

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Running is truly for everyone, and there’s no greater champion for that notion than the remarkable Haroon Mota.

A Six Star Hopeful who is heading for his Six Star Medal at the 2023 Boston Marathon, Founding Director of Active Inclusion Network, and huge advocate for running within the Muslim community, Haroon joins us on Marathon Talk to share his experiences of training through Ramadan.

We’re also hot off the back of the Paris Marathon, so we hear Deena’s exciting experiences and the standout stories from the race, plus a segment of training talk with some quick top tips for race day success.

In this episode of Marathon Talk‍

• 0:00 - We kick off with Deena’s exhilarating Paris Marathon experience, and some tips for those of you looking to do the same next year
• 16:00 - Rounding up the big stories from Paris, including a sprint finish, debutant winner, and looking ahead to Eilish McColgan’s big London debut
• 30:00 - Training Talk this week covers five quick tips to see you through the big day if you’ve been training for a spring marathon
• 34:20 - An uplifting interview with Haroon Mota, who shares the intense discipline for runners during Ramadan, becoming a voice for underrepresented runners, and what makes London such a special race
• 1:16:40 - Wrapping up the show with a look ahead to London, Boston and Easter
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Listen links:
Apple
Spotify
Google
Amazon
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Episode keywords
Marathon talk, abbott world marathon majors, marathon running, distance running, endurance marathon, marathon training, endurance training, london marathon, berlin marathon, boston marathon, chicago marathon, tokyo marathon, new york marathon, six star finisher, active inclusion network, muslim runners, muslim hikers, ramadan running, ramadan training,

Episode highlights

“I love Paris. The marathon itself was like icing on the cake. It was such an incredible journey.” - 6:05 - Deena Kastor

“I think my legs were so tired, not just because I hadn't conditioned them during training, but also because I walked and did so much before this race, which you're also not supposed to do. You're supposed to save your sightseeing for afterwards, but I went to the Louvre and on a riverboat cruise, I lived it up.” - 13:15 - Deena Kastor

“Eliud Kipchoge is going for his fifth Abbott World Marathon Majors star and fifth different AWMM race win. Perhaps this is a question for Danny at AWMM if any of the 6 Star medals have been given to somebody who's won them all?” - 24:55 - Martin Yelling

“So many people don’t really take in calories or fluids until they get thirsty, and that's really too late. So when you see that aid station at five kilometres, get that carbohydrate drink in. ” - 32:25 - Deena Kastor

“I've just organised a Ramadan retreat, something very much unheard of here in the UK. We had a retreat for 90 people in the Peak District. So we had a hike of six miles, with a bit of climbing - fasted of course, without food and drink.” -  36:30- Haroon Mota

“I think you have to try and decide how much you want your goals, and if it means enough to you, you will put in place measures to achieve them.” - 43:10 - Haroon Mota

“Tokyo was iconic for me because I got a PB in Tokyo, and it was my first PB in eight years at marathon distance. That's indicative of that difficult journey that I’ve faced. I’ve gone through times where I questioned why I was running.” - 57:00 - Haroon Mota

“When I started mountaineering they called me the Muslim Mountain Man. At that time, it only sounded cool because there were hardly any people doing it. But when you reflect on it now, that is problematic. Why is it strange? It shouldn't be strange, it should be absolutely normal. ” - 1:03:25 - Haroon Mota

“It’s easy for people to assume that it’s as easy as putting your shoes on and stepping out the door. We’re trying to empower an underrepresented community.” - 1:05:45 - Haroon Mota

Marathon Talk is proudly powered by Abbott World Marathon Majors.

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