Emirati runner 340km away from Great Mosque of Makkah

MAKKAH: Approaching the end of his Abu Dhabi-Makkah Run, Dr Khalid Jamal Al Suwaidi, Executive Director of the Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies and Research, ECSSR, entered Makkah region on Sunday.

Twenty-four days after starting his run from Shaikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi, he was just 340km away from the Great Mosque of Makkah, where he will end the challenge that he started on February 1.

Dr Al Suwaidi said that as he gets closer to the Great Mosque of Makkah, his spirits and capabilities increase and he feels he is able to complete this unprecedented challenge despite all the difficulties he is facing. He added that he is trying with all his strength to increase his daily average run to reach the Great Mosque on the planned date or even before.

Dr Al Suwaidi has shown that nothing is impossible in life and his run, which was once considered impossible by many, is becoming a reality. He added it is possible for anyone to overcome the “impossible” if he or she has the will, determination, and preparation to face it.

Dr Al Suwaidi added that his unshakeable determination to complete the challenge comes from his father Jamal Sanad Al Suwaidi, Director-General of the ECSSR, who overcame cancer after a fierce battle.

In a feat never attempted before, Dr Al Suwaidi will have travelled 2,070km to Makkah through continuous running and walking.