Nabil Akhtar: Running for IKCA Again
Nabil Akhtar, aged 43, is a keen runner with a penchant for setting himself physical challenges. Some of which, he admits, are ones he later regrets.
The father of two, who’s based in Kent, has three full marathons, over 20 half marathons and numerous 10km runs under his belt already. These past three months he’s been preparing for his second Berlin Marathon, in aid of cancer patients in Pakistan. Now in the run up to the big day on September 27, we caught up with Nabil to see how he’s been getting along.
Your previous marathons were in Paris (2007) London (2013) and Berlin (2014). Why have you decided to do Berlin again?
Last year’s Berlin marathon was my best and the most enjoyable one. Mainly it was the flatness of the course that made it great plus it is one of the biggest marathons in the world with about 40,000 participants. So the atmosphere is absolutely electric. Normally after every marathon I say that it is my last one. But at the finish line last year, my immediate reaction was: ‘I’ll do this one again.’ So here I am once more pushing my body to the limits.
Has your record time improved over the years?
Yes, I have been progressively improving my time. I started off with 5 hrs 1 min in Paris and brought it down to 4 hrs 25 min in Berlin last year. Though I’m not very hopeful in bettering that this time.
That’s very impressive. When did you take up running seriously?
I have always been a keen runner since my teens. But 2007 was the first time when I thought of challenging myself to the limits. I am blistered and broken after every run but it’s been worth it, as it has helped me raise about £15,000 for charities such as IKCA, UNICEF, Get Kids Going, British Heart Foundation and Marie Curie Cancer Care.
Tell us a bit about your training?
My serious marathon training starts at about 3 months prior to the event. It involves short runs of 3, 4 and 5 miles during the week and a long run once a week, the distance of which keeps going up every week. The longest run that I do during the training is 20 miles, hoping that the crowds and the atmosphere will drag me the remaining 6 miles on the big day.
Do you think you’ve put in a good amount of training this time?
Yes. I have already done my 20 miler for this year’s marathon. I was dead tired after that though. Probably because I had been a bit unwell the previous week and was still feeling run down. Otherwise, my training has really gone well and I am looking forward to the event. I am not too sure about beating my last year’s time but I’ll definitely give it a shot.
So why is IKCA your charity of choice?
I have always been a great fan of Imran Khan. I grew up watching him play and when he retired and took up this noble cause of building the cancer hospital, my respect for him grew even more. I have been donating to the hospital since it was under construction. So the first time I got a place in the marathon, I didn’t have to think twice about which charity I’d be running for. It had to be IKCA. It’s the plight of the poor patients and their families that really hits me hard. There is nothing in the world more frustrating than to see a loved one dying in front of your eyes with you not being able to do anything, especially for lack of money.
We really appreciate your support and will be rooting for you on the day. Can you tell us what keeps you going though –during that last leg of the marathon when it’s hardest?
When I am near the end of the marathon and every part of the body is giving up, it is the thought of the donations that gets me going more than anything else. It is the thought of disappointing the donors that spurs me on and I can’t over emphasize that.
And finally, what advice do you have for people who’ve never done this sort of thing before but who might be interested?
My advice is simple: Don’t think, just jump into it. Believe me there is nothing as satisfying as to know that you are helping save people’s lives.