A journalist and primetime presenter from Pakistan’s largest TV network, Geo News, is aiming to inspire others from his country to lead a healthy lifestyle by taking on the Berlin Marathon.
Junaid Muhammad, 38, will also be running to raise money for the British Heart Foundation (BHF) in memory of his father who sadly died of heart disease in June 2008. He was just 56.
He said: “My father was diagnosed with heart disease in 2002. His health was declining and doctors discovered one of his valves was narrow, and it was affecting his blood circulation.
“At the time there wasn’t much awareness about open heart surgeries in our community, technology wasn’t that advanced and the treatment was very expensive. It wasn’t until around five years later that hospitals in Pakistan became better equipped and the understanding around heart surgery got better. Sadly, it was too late for my father and in 2008 he passed away from heart disease when I was 23. He was just 56. No one had ever passed away so young in the family before. It was a huge shock to us all.”
Junaid, originally from Lahore and now based in Karachi, Pakistan, also has a younger brother and sister, and said his father’s death really affected them. “We had a very close connection and a great friendship. I could talk to him about everything, and I miss him as both a father and friend,” he said.
Since then, the whole family have tried to overhaul their lifestyle, recognising the important impact eating well and exercising can have on decreasing your risk of developing heart and circulatory diseases.
He added: “I really worry about the people around me and want them to know what options they have. Since my father died, the whole family have tried to change our lifestyles – in terms of eating a healthier diet, getting more sleep and exercising. We realised how important that is to maintain good health and have regular heart check-ups too.”
Junaid since took up running and began taking it more seriously after he discovered there were only three Pakistani origin people to have ever finished all six Abbot World Major Marathons. He now has his sights set on completing the Berlin Marathon for the BHF on 24th September.
He said: “Running a marathon gives you such a great sense of achievement. But it’s even more phenomenal when you have a personal reason which is connected to a loved one, and you know you’re helping to make a difference.
“There isn’t an organisation like the British Heart Foundation in Pakistan, but I’ve always been so inspired by the work the charity does. That’s one of the reasons I wanted to raise money for the BHF. I want to help fund research to change people’s lives and I want to spread the message about the charity’s work. It’s only thanks to the help of decades of research that families can stay together for longer.”
It’s not only the work of the BHF that Junaid is promoting in his country. The journalist who recently completed both Boston and London marathons, is on a mission to run all six in the World Marathon Majors. He hopes that in doing so, he can encourage more people in the South Asian community to take up the sport.
He added: “The number of South Asian people running marathons is still relatively low, and it’s important to diversify these events. In the UK it’s very normal for people to be running and moving, but in Pakistan, a country which has nearly 250 million people, it’s not as common. My mission is to change that. I not only want to represent my country and bring together the running communities of UK Pakistan and Germany, but also share the message about why taking part in sport is so important for your health and for your future.”
Globally, it’s estimated that one in 13 people are living with a heart or circulatory disease, with these conditions causing one in three deaths. Even making small changes to improve your health will help reduce your risk of developing heart disease in the future. As well as increasing activity levels, eating a heart healthy diet, maintaining a healthy weight, stopping smoking if you smoke and limiting alcohol will all help reduce your risk.
Karen McDonnell, senior events manager at the BHF, said: “We never fail to be inspired by the stories of our supporters and Junaid is no exception. As he highlights, leading a healthy lifestyle is so important for our heart health, and we hope it inspires many others to get active and eat well.
“Every step he takes will help fund lifesaving research into heart and cardiovascular diseases. We’re so grateful for all of Junaid’s support and can’t wait to hear how he gets on at the Berlin Marathon.”
