Seven marathons in seven days
A man is running a series of marathon events in memory of his best friend from school.
Londoner Ibrahim Akhtar is running seven marathons in seven different countries across a seven-day period following the untimely death of Archie Lloyd during a holiday on the Greek island of Crete in 2015.
Akhtar and Lloyd boarded together at Harrow School and were due to study at the University of Exeter when the tragic incident occurred. The itinerary of the marathons - Crete, Athens, Budapest, Prague, Berlin, Amsterdam and London - is the reverse of the route the two students followed when they interrailed together on that fateful holiday.
Akhtar’s schedule is to complete the marathon route in each city in the morning before boarding an afternoon flight to the next destination for the next race.
In preparation for the challenge, Akhtar said he trained hard for six months, enlisting the support of the same marathon coach who helped celebrity TV star Spencer Matthews complete the Great Desert Challenge in Jordan. Akhtar described his own mission as a massive physical, mental and emotional challenge, for which he is nervous but equally excited about completing.
Lloyd’s parents set up the teamArchie sports charity in his name, teaming up with two causes: the Alsama Project to support sports and education in a Lebanese refugee camp, and Football Beyond Borders (FBB), a charity designed to help football-passionate kids from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Ibrahim Akhtar started his first marathon of the seven in Crete on September 15, and is due to finish the final leg in London tomorrow.
For more information on marathons you can take part in to support charitable endeavours, contact Maximum Mileage Coaching today.
