A COVENTRY man is preparing to run four marathons in three weeks in memory of his late father.
Haroon Mota is pounding the pavements in preparation for his 104 mile challenge in the hopes of raising £20,000 for humanitarian charity Penny Appeal.
The 31-year-old, know affectionately as ‘Marthon Mota’ has participated in long-distance races in the past, after taking up running following the death of his beloved father.
But his upcoming challenge – running the Manchester, Paris, Boston (UK) and London marathons in 21 days – is set to be his biggest and toughest yet.
Haroon said: “Running the 2012 London Marathon was supposed to be a one off as it was such a painful and exhausting experience.
“I told myself I would never run again.
“But after my father was killed in a car accident in 2013 I put on my running shoes again and was compelled to dedicate every mile and every step towards goodness, in his memory.
“My father, Hafiz Kasim Mota, was always striving to make life better for others.
“He is my motivation and I am very determined to make this challenge a success to make him proud.”
Haroon has adopted the slogan, #Running4Dad and hopes people will be inspired by his journey and sponsor him.
He aims to raise £20,000 to fund a solar panel, which will provide water and electricity to people living in Senegal.
Haroon also hopes to change people’s misconceptions about Muslims.
“So many news pages are dominated by negative stories about Muslims,” he said.
“I want to show that Muslims are generous and contribute significantly towards society at large.”
Since taking up running just a few years ago, Haroon has run over thirty marathons and has proved he is always up for a challenge when it comes to his fundraising endeavours.
Haroon has climbed to Mount Everest Basecamp, trekked the Inca Trail in Peru, completed the Three Peaks Challenge, and shown off his nerves of steel while skydiving and bungee jumping.
He will run in the Manchester marathon on April 2, the Paris marathon on April 9, and the Boston marathon on April 17 before finally crossing the line of the London marathon on April 23.
