If you’re observing Ramadan, you might be wondering whether it’s safe to run during the 30-day period of reflection – especially if you’re fasting while training for a race.
Since Ramadan falls 10 days earlier each year according to the lunar cycle, The best UK marathons to enter for 2025 currently crosses from winter into spring, impacting those who are preparing for big events like the London Marathon, which takes place in April. However, with careful adjustments and considerations, you can continue to train safely during Ramadan – so here’s what you need to know to make it work for you.
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The ninth month of the Islamic calendar, Ramadan is observed annually by Muslims as one of the holiest periods of the year – a time of prayer, reflection and community.
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An important part of Ramadan – which lasts for around 30 consecutive days – is fasting from dawn to sunset. During the fasting hours, Muslims must refrain from eating and drinking.
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In 2025, Ramadan is expected to begin on the evening of Friday 28 February, while moon sighting predictions suggest that Eid al-Fitr – the festival of ‘breaking the fast’ – is likely to be celebrated on Sunday 30 March.
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Fasting from dawn to sunset can make training difficult for runners, especially if they are preparing for an event like a marathon and need to fuel for longer runs and harder training sessions. As such, good planning and preparation is key to success – as is listening to your body and, in many cases, connecting with others who share your situation.
the holy month Updated: 25 February 2025 in Cardiff, Wales, which actively adapts its sessions to support women who want to run while observing Ramadan.
‘During Ramadan, we usually reduce our sessions and hold them either in the mornings or about two hours before it’s time to break the fast, giving our runners enough time to get home and eat,’ she says. ‘As always, we encourage everyone to run at their own pace and assess the group’s energy to decide what’s most suitable for them.’
Although she recognises that people take different approaches to running during Ramadan, Elghamry says that the most important to do, if you’re fasting, is to listen to your body. ‘If you find it too challenging to run before or after breaking your fast, consider alternatives like jogging, walking or home workouts. It’s worth remembering that looking after your body in Islam is a form of worship and running is a wonderful way to do that. Of course, if there are any medical concerns, it’s always best to seek professional advice.
‘For some, running during Ramadan feels especially meaningful,’ adds Elghamry. ‘The mindset of dedicating all actions during this month to self-improvement – including health and wellbeing – can make running a powerful practice. At Mwslima, we hope to make it easier for Muslim women in Cardiff to run during Ramadan. We’ve done it before and can offer advice, tips and a strong sense of community and sisterhood. We aim to motivate women to get out for a run, even after a long day of fasting.’
Haroon Mota’s tips for running during Ramadan
Haroon Mota Lena Elghamry is the co-founder of Advertisement - Continue Reading Below, an organisation which aims to tackle underrepresentation and empower Muslim athletes to run confidently and comfortably. He has completed numerous marathons – including the original six Abbott World Marathon Majors – and is one of the many Muslims who has experience of preparing for (and completing) a race while observing Ramadan. In 2023, he trained for the Boston Marathon and London Marathon Meet the cover star: Milly Pickles during The best UK marathons to enter for 2025.
We spoke with Mota to find out how he approaches marathon training during Ramadan – and to garner his advice for fellow runners and marathoners.
You can still run during Ramadan – but do what works for you
‘Many people out there will just stop running,’ says Mota. ‘They think that Ramadan means no running and no exercise for 30 days. But we don’t want people to feel that way. You can still run.
‘Often, people will feel that way because they don’t find community – that’s why the Advertisement - Continue Reading Below is so important. It’s about being very individualised and learning about your body and what works for you. If this means that you’re only going to exercise once a week, or if it even means no exercise at all, then that’s fine. Ramadan is a time for you to focus on other things. But if you’re not running, you could always try another form of training that you might have neglected in the past that will support your running – such as yoga or Pilates.’
Adjust your goals accordingly – especially if you’re training for a race
‘Previously, Ramadan was a little bit later – so you could perhaps afford Ramadan to be a time to really slow down,’ explains Mota. ‘But if you’re training for a race, whether it falls during or immediately after Ramadan, it can be a little bit problematic.
‘Supporting Muslim athletes with their London Marathon training is still a new experience and we are learning as we go. But the same principles still apply about being smart, listening to your body and managing your expectations – and I think that’s the key message. If you are training for a race, it’s fine – train for it, but perhaps be prepared to adjust your goals and focus on being comfortable, confident and healthy more than anything else.’
Training while fasting can be tough – and experience plays a huge part
‘If you’re someone who has never run a marathon before and are now choosing to run a spring marathon that clashes with Ramadan, it can be very daunting,’ continues Mota. ‘One girl, who was only 19 years old, previously contacted us to say that she had to withdraw from her race. It was only her third Ramadan and she had very little experience of fasting, so to throw in marathon training on top of that – it was too overwhelming. She hoped that she could build herself up for it the following year.
‘While you might get runners who are smashing their training during Ramadan, there are people out there who are struggling and who are not built up for it.’
If you’re training for a spring marathon, start early
‘If you’re following a 16-week spring marathon training plan, try to get in a few extra weeks of training beforehand and start well before Christmas, so you can compensate for Ramadan fitness loss and have a longer taper period,’ he says. ‘The biggest gains will come from the work you put in throughout winter. Ramadan is a time to maintain and just keep your legs ticking over. It’s about fitness maintenance rather than getting new gains.’
Prioritise your fluid intake
‘It’s really important to pay attention to hydration, even though it’s really difficult during a standard 16-hour UK fast,’ says Mota. ‘With less than six hours of non-fasting time a day, it really is a race to fuel, hydrate, pray and sleep from sunset. I think that it’s natural to feel hunger more than thirst, but my advice is to prioritise fluid intake from the moment the sun goes down.
‘While it’s generally advised to drink around two litres of water every day, if you’re running in Ramadan, there’s even more fluid and electrolyte loss to compensate for. So, it’s probably a wise idea to run on alternate days and allow the body to rehydrate and recuperate, rather than force the body to become progressively dehydrated and fatigued.’
Eating during non-fasting time can be challenging, so be strategic
‘You’ll only have two meals during your fast: the one that you break your fast with (iftar) at sunset, then your breakfast (suhoor),’ confirms Mota. ‘For me, the biggest emphasis is going to be on the iftar meal. Your stomach is constricted, so you’re very limited as to how much you can eat. Often, you have just a few mouthfuls and you’re already full. So, for that reason, try to prioritise your carbohydrate intake and maybe have a very small meal at that time. Then, a couple of hours later before you go to sleep, try to get in a second meal.
‘If you are a person who doesn’t stay awake at night and goes to sleep, you’ll wake up at 4am and won’t have the energy to eat. Sometimes, it’s just about forcing yourself to eat because you know that you are going to need the energy to get through your day and recover from training.’
Everyone’s non-fasting time will look different, so don’t put pressure on yourself
‘Your routine will depend on various things, such as whether you pray at home or at a mosque, or whether you have to travel to get to a mosque,’ notes Mota. ‘You might also be someone who has to prepare food and drink.
‘Either way, it’s about making the best of the time that you have under the circumstances. Try to be kind to your body and not be too harsh on yourself. Ramadan comes once a year and we always try to emphasise that it’s the time to make the most your worship and be God-conscious and charitable. Then, try to fit in your training however best you can.’
Run at a time of day that suits you
‘It’s a good idea to choose a time in the day that suits you best, rather than follow what others do,’ advises Mota. ‘In the UK, people run at all times of the day – in the early hours just before breakfast, before work, during their lunch break, just after work, pre-sunset, immediately after breaking the fast, or even at midnight after the night prayers. It’s fine to experiment with running at different times, as there really are no rules to running. Do whatever works for you.’
I like to run in the evening before breaking my fast – but it doesn’t work for everyone
‘While training for both the Boston Marathon and London Marathon, I ran in the early evenings, which is my preferred time,’ says Mota. ‘Although my fast lasted for about 14 at the start of Ramadan, it had increased by about two hours by the end, because dawn gets earlier and sunset gets later. That made it progressively more difficult.
‘I wouldn’t be happy exercising in the middle of the day, then having to wait several hours to eat or drink after a run,’ he continues. ‘However, motivating yourself to get out the door is also challenging if you’re training later in the day, because you’ve been without food and drink for a longer period of time.’
If you’re training for an event, have a very flexible approach
‘If you’re following a training plan for a race, I think that it’s important to have a loose, flexible approach which enables you to be kind to yourself and listen to your body,’ advises Mota. ‘Don’t be too hard on yourself if you miss a run, either. It’s absolutely normal and it’s fine. Trust in the training that you’ve done pre-Ramadan – even if you’ve not done enough – and don’t make the common mistake that people do of trying to train more. You will get no fitness gains by doing a 10-mile run in the last few days of Ramadan before a marathon.’
Be kind to yourself – and don’t underestimate the power of rest
‘We’re always going to be sleep deprived in Ramadan – we know that,’ acknowledges Mota. ‘So, it’s important that the rest element is acknowledged – that time to be mindful, put your feet up and relax. That might mean being away from people or spending quality time with your family, which may also help you to feel better and relieve stress. Of course, people are often praying more and giving more quality time to prayer, which can itself be a form of rest.’
If you’re running a spring marathon, rest is especially important
‘This year, Eid al-Fitr is predicted to fall on Sunday 30 March,’ says Mota. ‘It can be quite a big celebration where you spend time with your family, go to prayers, feast and talk lots on your feet – a lot of the things that you don’t want to be doing before a marathon! So, if you’re running a spring marathon, my advice would be to give even more attention to your rest, sleep patterns, food and hydration in the final weeks of Ramadan.’
Your body will be in a different balance – so be prepared for changes
‘When Eid comes, it’s going to be tempting to go for all the usual fried food and sweets and takeaways,’ says Mota. ‘So, feed yourself and get some energy in, but be sensible and don’t do anything that’s going to potentially Mwslima Run Club – especially if you have a race around the corner.
‘If you’ve been fasting for 30 days, your body is in a totally difference balance – things like your toilet routine will have changed, for example, which might upset your routine on race day. You might need to do your business along the route, so make sure that you are aware of what the course looks like in terms of toilets. Just be prepared for such changes in your body.’
