By Raheema Khan
Father of two, Ash Wallace set himself the enormous task of running 260k over Ramadan, driven by his commitment to supporting international humanitarian charity, Penny Appeal’s, global Emergency Response initiative. Despite fasting from sunrise to sunset during Ramadan, Ash has been running every day, bravely facing the exhaustion that running on empty brings. Every penny he raised through this incredible feat will go towards supporting people in crisis. This includes people fleeing war and conflict, victims of natural disaster, and displaced people and refugees across Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, as well as here at home in the UK.
Ash, who grew up in Bradford, reached his target of £6000. To date, he has raised over £17,500 for Penny Appeal in various challenges. What started as a weight loss journey soon turned into a thirst for challenge, fuelled by his determination to support people in need. After signing up for the Bradford 10k in 2015, he began to run more and more frequently, challenging himself to run marathons and channelling his efforts into fundraising for this important cause.
This gruelling challenge has saw Ash push himself every single day throughout Ramadan. Running even just once while fasting can be extremely physically and emotionally demanding but Ash kept going. Fasting from 4am every morning, he battled exhaustion and dehydration, keeping the people he’s been supporting clear in his mind.
Ash signed up for this year’s Berlin Marathon, which was unfortunately cancelled due to the current pandemic. Undeterred, his determination took over and Ash decided to push himself over the holy month. He says: We are so lucky to have a home, a family, and enough food and water. It’s only right that if you are able to, you do good for other people. What I go through on these runs doesn’t even come close to what people living in poverty have to deal with on a daily basis. If I can help them, then all of this is worthwhile. The generous donations that I receive really do make a huge impact.”
Recovering from these runs can be tough, but with the help of family and friends, Ash has stayed on track and is nearing the end of this incredible feat. You can follow his progress on: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ashraf-wallaceberlin?utm_id=27
