Raising a family and holding down a career are enough to juggle for most people – few would add community fundraising and a 26-mile marathon to the mix. But for one Ismaili woman, it was a challenge worth taking on.
In April 2008, Zahira Virani took part in the world-famous Flora London Marathon, pushing her limits while raising funds for various projects undertaken by the Aga Khan Foundation. After training for several months, Virani not only completed the marathon, but also raised a significant amount of funds in order to support AKF development initiatives.
Virani's marathon experience was one to remember. In a dramatic episode at the five-mile mark, she was unfortunately tripped by another runner and had to stop for almost an hour to be seen by a doctor.
After a quick medical review, she resumed and finished the race. It was only later that she found that she had suffered a hairline fracture to the patella. Oblivious to her injury, Virani's motivation had carried her through the race.
I had a chance to speak with Virani recently to find out what motivated her and kept her on track before and during the marathon. I also learned about how she managed to juggle her training schedule with her family and work commitments.
Shaneen Makhani: Running a marathon takes so much time, dedication, and a strict training programme. What inspired you to do it?
Zahira Virani: There were two main motivations for me to devote my time to the marathon: community work and personal challenge.
Learning about the work of the Aga Khan Development Network over the past few years has been my inspiration. Mawlana Hazar Imam works tirelessly for people around the world, and during the Golden Jubilee I wanted to do something that was going to be tough and outside my comfort zone to reflect that commitment. I am very lucky and have so much in my life, so I wanted to help give something back.
On top of that, I am a 40-year-old with three children and a challenging job in community and youth work. Though I have run before and enjoy running, a 26.2 mile race was a very ambitious endeavour for me. I knew I would have to challenge myself to pursue a thorough diet and fitness regime, focusing on training as well as my other commitments in life. I wanted to inspire other women of my age and situation to see me and say, “if you can do it, I can do it too!”
SM: You have also been raising funds for various AKF development projects. How have you been doing that, and why?
ZV: The fundraising has been a difficult task, but an important one. I initially wanted to run the marathon to help increase awareness about the work that the AKF has been doing in seeking sustainable solutions to long-term problems of poverty, hunger, illiteracy and ill-health. To fundraise for these projects has been an honour and a privilege.
I have attended several events and made presentations about the Foundation and its work – from dinners to spice sales, cookery demonstrations to concerts. At my job, I've managed to highlight the work of the Foundation through assemblies and display boards, and the children at the school where I work have also helped raise funds through non-uniform days.
Luckily, I have been interviewed by the press and have received some local exposure. This exposure, in addition to the support of my family and friends, has helped me raise over £8 000 so far. I am expecting to raise even more now that I have successfully completed the marathon
SM: Many of us throw around the phrase “I'm too busy” when faced with challenges. How have you been able to balance the various facets of your life – looking after your children, performing well at work, finding time for yourself – and keep-up with the training?
ZV: The key is organisation – you have to be focused on your goal and understand the value of your training. Luckily, I have had amazing support from my family.
Sometimes, if I was running out of time in the day, I would end up training in the evenings. Also, I tried to keep in mind my objectives for running the marathon, and this allowed me to feel satisfaction from all the hard work I had to do in order to train well.
My husband has been amazing. In the beginning, he used to run with me a lot. When my training reached a higher level, he followed me in the car to make sure I was safe. He was instrumental to my training.
SM: Do you have any advice or tips for potential runners in next year's marathon?
ZV: I do have one big tip: be wary of some runners at water stations that may run across your path. You may end up in pain and on crutches for weeks after the race like me!
SM: Is this going to be a one-off, or can we expect to see you in the New York or Boston marathons next?
ZV: I would love to do it again – the London Marathon, not the New York just yet – and this time train even harder to complete the race in under 4.5 hours.
Zahira Virani is one of several inspirational runners that have exerted great effort to raise funds and awareness for AKF development projects during the London Marathon. Other 2008 Marathon runners that raised funds for AKF include the team of Malik Karim and Chris Deville, as well as Sohail Janjuha, who completed the race in just over four hours – an impressive time.
These individuals are examples of what is possible when we embrace challenge in order to help change the world.
