Siblings from Qatar break Antarctica Marathon record

Mekaal Rahim, 9, and Zara Rahim, 11, have broken the record for the youngest male and female in the world to complete a full marathon in Antarctica.  

The previous record for completing a full marathon in Antarctica was set by two Americans, age 12 for female and 10 for male, according to Gulf Times. 

The Canadian-born siblings are students at Qatar Finland International School, and are among the fastest junior athletes in Qatar. 

At the age of 3, Mekaal completed his first 3K race at Dubai Marathon, and at 4, Zara took part in her first official event. They have completed nearly 100 long-distance events in 15 countries, and have travelled to 61 countries on 6 continents. 

Their parents both participate in long-distance events all over the world, and this is just part of what inspired the siblings to follow in their footsteps.

In a statement to The Peninsula, Mekaal said: “I met Mo Farah in Mall of Qatar on Wednesday. He wished me happy birthday and gave me an autograph. I was so happy. Then during the Ooredoo Marathon he ran the 3K race with me. When I grow up, I want to be like Mo”. 

Nadia Rahim, the children’s mother, founded the Qatar Running Series three years ago. It is the only community-based running series in the country. She is also the owner PlayBall Doha, a sports and movement program for kids. 

Ziyad Rahim, their father, holds 10 Guinness World Records in long-distance running, a track record the siblings hope to surpass some day.

The children became interested in completing marathons on 7 different continents after they watched a documentary on Syrian refugees struggling to find a sanctuary. 

According to Gulf Times, Zara explained, “I was so sad to see young kids walking hundreds of miles with their parents from one country to another. They did not have warm clothes or proper shoes, but still they were determined and motivated to reach their destination. I wanted to experience the pain they were going through, so I asked my parents if Mekaal and I can run a marathon”.  

Their father elaborated upon the arduous training they went through for the marathon. “I had to ensure that they were fit enough for the challenge.  A few months before, they both had completed a half marathon in Barbados, including multi-day 10K races. 

“However, the jump from 21K to 42K is huge so I had to train them to be mentally strong for the challenge. They are fast runners as they usually run a 5K in 23 minutes and a 10K in under one hour. I told them that they need to walk and run and conserve energy or they will not be able to succeed. We enrolled them in a swimming camp to improve their cardiovascular and had them thoroughly checked by doctors.

“Once my wife and I were convinced, we signed them up for the marathon. After three months of training, they signed up for their first marathon in Scotland in July 2017 and the whole family completed it together.” 

On 12th December, the family flew to Punta Arenas, the southern tip of Chile. There, the runners were told that the weather in Antarctica was not permitting for planes to land due to heavy snow for the past 4 days. After 2 days of waiting, the marathon organisers decided to hold the Magellan Marathon, Chile to make the most of the time.

The weather in Chile posed something of a challenge as well, with extremely strong winds blowing as the siblings ran along the Punta Arenas promenade by the Southern Ocean. However, they successfully completed the marathon as their second continent finish after Europe.

Within 2 days, the children ran 42km in harsh conditions on both continents. The underfoot conditions in Antarctica were extremely rough with 12 inches of snow on the majority of the track. The temperature was about -10°C (with wind-chill), which is about 40°C colder than the temperature is in Qatar. 

“Whenever I was cold and tired, I kept thinking how those Syrian kids managed to travel those long distances. I was exhausted but I kept going and my parents helped me a lot. It was a great feeling when my brother and I finished the race together," Zara explained. 

Their parents kept a close eye on them throughout the marathon.

“I kept checking their heart rate and body temperature and made sure they were well hydrated. We even took a 15-minute break and took them inside the base for hot chocolate and soup.  We had doctors on board, too, so we knew they were in safe hands. I think my wife and I were more tired after the race as we kept monitoring them throughout rather than concentrating on our own race”, Ziyad said. 

Mekaal, commenting on the Antarctic trip to Gulf Times, stated : “I spoke with a scientist, who studied glaciers and he told me about climate change. I also ran beside penguins and took pictures with them. They are cute but their colonies smell bad.” 

The siblings’ next destination is North America and Asia in January, with the final continent being Australia in March.

Image credits: The Peninsula