Muslims weigh fasting versus training during Ramadan

By Brian Towey for DyeStat

Ramadan began at sunrise May 26 and it will conclude Saturday.

For Muslims, Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic Holy Calendar (in 2017, it takes place from May 26-June 24).

It is a time when Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset, abstaining from food and water, in recognition of the plight of poor people, and to understand their suffering.

For Muslim track and field athletes, Ramadan presents a unique quandary: do you fast in accordance with Islamic tenets and continue to train? Or, do you put it aside?

"If you're unable to fast -- if you're working or traveling -- God is very forgiving," said Muhamed Bicic, a senior runner at Townsend Harris High in Flushing, N.Y., whose grandfather was an imam and started the first Montenegran mosque in Astoria, Queens, after arriving from Kusinje, Montenegro.

"Unfortunately, I was unable to fast on May 28 for the PSAL Championships. God willing, I'll be able to make it up."

Khalil Rmidi Kinini is a senior distance runner at the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore. Rmidi Kinini is of Moroccan descent and his family lives in Malaga, Spain.

An observant Muslim who qualified for the 3,000-meter steeplechase at this month's NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon -- which took place during Ramadan -- Rmidi Kinini said that it can be advisable for Muslim athletes to stop fasting at times.

"You can recover the days when you don't fast," Rmidi Kinini said. "Even professional athletes do that. When it's competition time, you don't fast to get your energy. You can fast when Ramadan is over. (Those days) you can recover it."

For professional and high school athletes alike, Ramadan presents some interesting challenges. Last year, Abdoulaye Diallo, then a senior at Townsend Harris, was a member of his team's 4x800 relay, which qualified June 11 for the NYPHSAA New York State Championships.

However, since he was 10 or 11 years old, Diallo, an observant Muslim whose parents come from Guinea, in west Africa, had fasted during this time (Ramadan occurred last year from June 6-July 5).

"I do it for religious reasons," said Diallo, now a freshman runner at Columbia University.

"So, when it came down to states and religion, I went with my religion."

Diallo bypassed the state meet in order to fast.

During this month's NCAA Championships, Rmidi Kinini stopped fasting the day before competition and the day of the race.

"Guys like (1,500-meter world-record holder Hicham) El Guerrouj, Moroccan runners, they used to compete while fasting and still run faster than anybody," Rmidi Kinini said. "(But) they had the option not to fast."

Still others may worry about how their bodies will hold up when training while fasting. At the PSAL Championship on May 28 at Icahn Stadium, Bicic won the boys 3,200. However, on that day, he elected not to fast.

"Last year at the PSAL Championship it was around 100 degrees and it really affected my performance," Bicic said. "I was really worried about getting dehydrated this year."

Rmidi Kinini stressed that for runners during Ramadan, hydration is key.

"It's not that hard to fast and train," Rmidi Kinini said. "You can do two things at the same time and not hurt yourself.

"Dehydration can be dangerous. Drink a lot of water when you break fast and do what's best for you. People worry about missing a day of fasting but you can always recover it."

Aaliyah Regg-Wajid, a sophomore distance runner at Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge who fasts while she trains durung Ramadan, offered her take on staying hydrated.

"You want to drink as much water as you can before you fast the next morning," said Regg-Wajid, who typically consumes a gallon of water during this time.

"I drink a lot of water at night before we get up at 3 to eat."

Rmidi Kinini offered some strategies for runners looking to train and fast during Ramadan.

"You want to get the most out of (the workout) without having to stop," he said. "What I usually do, we break fast around 8:30 p.m. If I go for a run at 7:30, I can eat right away. That's for mileage. Tempo runs are different."

Rmidi Kinini has had success with a few different approaches during Ramadan.

"On workout days there are two ways you can do it," he said. "The first way is early in the morning. The second one is doing mileage late in the evening.

"The third way is the best way. If I break fast at 8:30, I eat really light then I go to train. That's the best way because you get a lot done."

Rmidi Kinini was influenced by his older brother's training habits during Ramadan. Younger runners should seek out the advice of others if they have a question or a doubt, he said.

"You ask if you are unsure," Rmidi Kinini said. "My brother used to train. I also had friends who competed and trained while fasting."