Hundreds of Muslim Runners United and Thrived Together During the 2022 London Marathon!

“Runners came from different parts of the world and across the UK, and we all ran together; that is something worthwhile celebrating!” explained Haroon Mota, founder of Active Inclusion Network.

Active Inclusion Network had a vibrant global Muslim community at the 2023 London Marathon. The London Marathon is such an iconic event, It was important for British Muslims to be involved and to celebrate what the event stands for. Muslim Runners ran for different reasons. Many ran to fundraise for great causes; to conquer personal goals; and to connect with likeminded communities. More importantly, they all ran together! Community is always integral to all of the work at Active Inclusion Network, and it is the very principles upon which the community interest company (CIC) was founded.

Over the years, Haroon Mota has worked for and fundraised for Muslim and Humanitarian charities in the UK. He ran his first marathon in 2012 when he signed up to run the London Marathon as a one-off charity challenge for Teenage Cancer Trust. Fast forward ten years, and the tide is starting to turn. It is amazing now that through communities that Haroon has helped set up, people can thrive, and find familiarity and safety. This is exactly what the London Marathon 2022 campaign was a celebration of. Seeing how much the social media groups, set up under Active Inclusion Network, were filled with positivity, motivation, and encouragement is a cause for celebration. The marathon weekend was spectacular in many ways from the various events that the organisation held.

From the shake-out run on the Saturday morning, to the networking at the Expo, to the pasta party the eve of the marathon, to people connecting together on race day knowing that they had friends, family, and a community to be part of something special.

Reflecting back on Haroon’s first marathon experience, it was very apparent to him from the start, of both his journey and the start line of the race, that there was a lack of people looking like Haroon and sharing his same skin colour. There was a lack of people from his community; people from the South Asian community; and Muslims in general. That felt strange for Haroon who is from Coventry, a very diverse city in the Midlands.

“Despite being amongst thousands of people, you feel as though you stand out. It isn’t a pleasant feeling when you go somewhere and you are the only ethnic minority runner. It doesn’t make you feel at home. It doesn’t make you feel comfortable”, Haroon Mota expressed.

He questioned why that same demographic diversity was not reflected at Marathon events and races, and also in outdoor spaces such as National Parks where he often goes hiking. Haroon decided to be part of a solution and to start being someone who can challenge and change that misrepresentation, and inspire and empower communities. The pandemic is what motivated Haroon the most when setting up Active Inclusion Network. He sought to pursue a sense of community, as it was lacking. He knew exactly what it felt like feeling lonely and out of place going to a marathon event.

“I am the only woman in my family, my community and possibly even my city to run the marathon this year. In fact, I only know one other female, Muslim marathon runner and she did it 18 years ago! To be a woman, a Muslim, Pakistani, hijaab wearing woman from Bradford and take part in the Marathon means the world to me! The number of people that have said I have inspired them is amazing, but to be honest, I haven't done anything, these amazing people will go onto achieve... all I did was open the door...”, Safya Khan expressed.

Haroon continues: “For me, someone who has ran London Marathon eight times in the last ten years, despite telling myself I'd never run again after the first, the event has been such a massive empowering experience for me. Winning the Spirit of London Marathon Award makes me proud and even more motivated to help others achieve the same”.?

Despite the Marathon moving back to April 2023 and now for many years Ramadan expected to clash with London Marathon training schedules, the organisation wants to work on empowering communities to train confidently for the challenge ahead, rather than seeing this as another barrier to participation. A lot more can be done by understanding barriers to participation and Active Inclusion Network have a fantastic movement working to address this. Sanaa Q. , the Community Engagement & Partnerships Manager of the London Marathon Events, welcomes the collaboration with the network this year.

"London Marathon Events is very pleased that Haroon Mota, from the Active Inclusion Network, has agreed to join the Inclusion Advisory Board. His insight and experience working with Muslim communities to help them access sport and physical activity will be invaluable as LME seek to inspire more people to become active and stay active”.

Active Inclusion Network is aiming for its family to continue to grow and expand. Essentially, the organisation is in search of support from funders and governing bodies for its impactful non-profit work. The work and demand for the network continues to grow.

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Written by Marwa El-Gaby

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