The general outlook on running during the fasting hours of Ramadan has changed in the last couple of years. It is perhaps fair to say that this outlook is still changing.

Around two Ramadans ago, I was running on the road with a group of friends. It was about half an hour before breakfast. I was behind the pack by a couple of meters when a jay-rider motorcyclist stopped ahead of us to have good look. As I reached up to him, he asked me very politely if I was fasting. I told him that I was fasting, but joked that the people running in front of me were not.

“That’s what I thought,” he said, confidently. “People cannot run like that while fasting.”

This was the general perception of running during Ramadan just a few years ago.

Photo credit Abd Saeed

Running enthusiasts are increasing and so are the numbers of people who run during Ramadan.

We have only one running track in Male’. The track is quite in demand during Ramadan, especially in the late afternoons. The local inter-institute cricket tournament matches are played at this time and runners who train at the track could easily be the target of a clever batsman. This makes it difficult to do intense trainings at the track.

The other option is to run on the road. The roads in Male’ are full of jay-riders who pour onto the streets to pass the time, especially during the few hour just before breakfast. It is next to impossible to do a pace run or a steady run due to the heavy traffic.

Ramadan and the change of routine

Ramadan is a special month observed with fasting and prayer by Muslims all over the world. We break our fast at the early evening Maghrib prayer at sunset. The Isha prayer follows about an hour after Maghrib. Muslims also have a special Tharaveeh prayer during Ramadan. This prayer is longer and is observed after the Isha.

To accommodate the daytime fasting, we dramatically change our eating habits during Ramadan. We shift our two daily meals to dusk and dawn, with some small meals in-between.

It is a Ramadan tradition in Maldives to feast after Tharaaveeh prayer. Institutions, businesses, companies, friends and family regularly host Tharaveeh feasts. With the increase in popularity of eating out, these invitations have become trendy and have been established as part of the local Ramadan culture.

Most fitness enthusiasts go running after the evening prayers. They share the track with hordes of people looking to walk-off the Ramadan calories.

A lot of people see Ramadan as an opportunity to shed a few kilos and running is the most common activity. Running is seen as an exercise that costs almost next to nothing and is easy to begin.

The amount of time a runner trains during the month of fasting depends on the runner’s objectives. Amateur runners often struggle to maintain a consistent program during Ramadan but professional runners are seen to endure.

One of the local running groups has organised a challenge this Ramadan where the participants must complete a distance of 222 km within the month. You can see some of them running around the city or on the track, mostly after 9:30 pm.

Photo Courtesy Fathmath Faisal

What is the best time to run during Ramadan?

I know a couple who goes running just after breakfast. They drink some juice and eat a light snack at breakfast and head out around 6:45 pm. The roads and the track are empty at this hour, but so are their stomachs. Ismail says they both have a regular breakfast meal after the run and that fasting does not affect their training.

The working hours in Ramadan are shorter but the month also demands the different household chores to be completed before breakfast. So the time to engage in fitness depends on the person’s ability to commit the time.

For people who want to dedicate their evenings to prayer, the best time to run is just before breakfast.

Running just after breakfast may feel particularly rewarding. You feel fresh after the run and you will be able to take in plenty of liquids during the night.

You may feel that the late evenings is when you have the most energy but this is too close to sleeping hours. If you sleep right after exercise, the body begins to rest and you may lose the benefit of the continuous burning of calories that takes place after a good session.

It is very encouraging to see more people engaged in running and I hope that running has also become part of the Ramadan culture in Maldives.