Fire staff across West Yorkshire are putting on their running shoes to tackle the Leeds Marathon and raise vital funds for charity.
A total of 14 fire staff will be running in the race on May 14, 2023, when they will raise money for good causes including The Fire Fighter’s Charity.
The Akhirah Team
Another charity that will benefit is The Akhirah Team, which operates in Harehills, Leeds, and is being supported by Firefighter, Hassan Abrar. Hassan has been undertaking a difficult challenge which will end with the marathon on Sunday.
Hassan and his friends Azam, Naheem, and Omar are attempting to run and cycle 2,836 miles, which is the distance from Leeds to Aleppo. This has involved running five miles a day for five days of the week and cycling for 17 miles on the other two days, for 82 days. This extreme challenge took place during Ramadan when they couldn’t eat or drink for around 16 hours a day.
donations
We have set a target of £10,000, and 100 percent of the donations will be used by the charity"
Hassan Abrar said, “We have set a target of £10,000, and 100 percent of the donations will be used by the charity. I’m a volunteer with The Akhirah Team, which operates in the UK and around the world doing humanitarian work."
He adds, "Through donations, we have been able to change the lives of thousands of people and helped to make the world a better place for those who have very little, or nothing at all."
charity challenges
Hassan Abrar continues, “Previous charity challenges have seen us run seven miles every day for seven days for The Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease. Last year our Ramadan challenge covered the distance from Lands End to John O Groats and previously we have run 10k every day in Ramadan, but we decided to go bigger this year and will be finishing our challenge on Sunday with the Leeds Marathon.”
The Fire Fighter’s Charity
Also taking part are Firefighters - Simon Hall and James Grey, who are running in full fire kit and breathing apparatus to raise money for The Fire Fighter’s Charity.
James Grey said, “I’m running in the kit as having done numerous marathons, I wanted to raise money doing something for charity that is a real challenge for me. I know I can complete a marathon, but I don’t know if I can complete this.”
Firefighters racing in the marathon
Simon Hall added, “I’m running around 30-35 miles to Headingley the day before, to make it around 60 miles in fire kit. I’m running for The Fire Fighter’s Charity because it’s close to my heart, and with it being raced in our county it was nice to combine the two.”
Also, racing will be firefighters Michael Farn, James Needham, Liam Cassidy, Andy McManus, and Joe Milner as well as crew managers Robin Nicholson, Kirsty Moroney, Jack Furbisher, Nicola Simpson, Matt Hindmarch, and head of estates Richard Young.
