A marathon runner from Delhi is now running for a reason, she wants people of the country to be united. Sufiya Sufee, a 33-year-old marathon runner will be running 4000 kms from Kashmir to Kanyakumari in 100 days. This means that she’ll be running a full marathon every day. She is all set to accomplish her unique mission that wants to bring the people of the country together. She hopes to spread the message of unity as she runs from Kashmir to Kanyakumari.
Sufiya chose Aviation as a profession and started running at age of 31. She has had spent 10 years working with different airlines as ground staff but quit her job recently because the company denied her leave for the long duration of her marathon
“My message is very important. There is so much hate being spread on social media. I thought this run will be a good way to counter that,” she told NDTV. The organisers of Sufiya's ultra-marathon say her message is HOPE: Humanity, Oneness, Peace, and Equality.
Till now, she has already crossed 11 states and 25 cities and thousands of villages while on her route to Kanyakumari. Her marathon run started on 25 April. Since then, starting from Jammu, she has crossed Punjab, Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh. She now considers crowd-funding after spending all her savings on this mammoth project.
“I believe that running is the best way to share our beliefs and emotions with people. Getting to explore new places, reaching out to new faces, seeing the world from close quarters also inspires me. Running for a cause makes it more impactful. If we can spread and share the meaningful changes we want to see in society, with a loving heart, I believe it will definitely leave a mark. There is no better way to do that.” Sufiya told SheThePeople.TV.
“Many people say India is not safe for female runners but as an experienced marathoner I’d say we claim the roads, making it safe on our own. We can avoid any problems if we follow proper safety measures."
“Many people say India is not safe for female runners but as an experienced marathoner I’d say we claim the roads, making it safe on our own. We can avoid any problems if we follow proper safety measures. Even, I have faced many challenges when I was running the Golden Triangle but it seemed easier with safety choices in mind,” she added.
Sufiya is also a Limca record holder, she holds a record for running 720 km in 15 days. She started long distance running for fitness, she says now it has become her passion. Born and brought up in Ajmer, Sufiya lost her father when she was 16 and was brought up by her single mother. As an introvert kid who was not very active in sports during school days, Sufiya also dons the crown of a state level classical dancer. She became an ultra-runner to spread the message about the human impact on the environment and other charitable causes.
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