Mofozul's magnificent marathon effort

An Oldham man completed the London Marathon while wearing the traditional Bangladeshi lungi - all in aid of charity.

The lungi is similar to a sarong which is worn in Bangladesh and other parts of the Indian subcontinent.

Mofozul Miah, who is 48, ran his third marathon last week and completed it in just under six hours.

He said: “The older I am getting the harder it gets but I aimed to complete the marathon in five and a half hours, but it took me longer due to the hot weather and dehydration.

“Everybody struggled including the other lads from Oldham such as the ‘Running Man’ Afruz Miah and two others from Rochdale.

“When you apply for the marathon they ask what your times are and how long you think it will take you.

"I always say five hours."

Mofozul came to this country from Bangladesh in 1986 aged nine and wasn’t able to speak English.

He grew up in Glodwick.

“I ran in the lungi because in last year’s marathon I saw two Indian women running in saris and I saw other people running in costumes so I thought why not run in a lungi. That is what inspired me," he said.

“I aimed to represent my country while maintaining my Western heritage.

"I had the Bangladeshi flag on one shoulder and the England flag on my other shoulder.

“I actually found it quite easy because I ran at an easy pace.

"My intention was to just finish the marathon without focussing too much on the time.”

The video of him running in the marathon has gone viral with 390,000 views on TikTok alone.

He added: “In the future if I get the opportunity I want to do the London Marathon again.

"I want to raise money to build homes for the poor in Bangladesh.

“Over the past few years I have raised money to build seven houses.

"I have also raised funds for pancreatic cancer because my best friend Jewel Miah is struggling with this condition so I was inspired to raise money for the cause.

"I have run marathons in 2021 and 2024."

He added: “I was inspired by the fact that as human beings we all want to do something good.

"The London Marathon is one of the biggest marathons in the world so to be part of it was an honour.

“There were about 55,000 people who ran this year.

"To be among them is a great achievement and I was able to represent Bangladesh too.

"My roots are in Bangladesh, but the UK has provided me with a good life."

He has raised £3,500 during last week's marathon from a target of £2,500.

He added: “I can’t have asked for a better experience of running the marathon with thousands and thousands of people watching.

"It was a great opportunity.

"I feel proud for raising the money and becoming healthier in the process.”

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