He has indeed come a long way from his miserable childhood days.
When he was young, Mohammad Shariff (aka Singapore Blade Runner), was bullied and picked on – simply because he had been born with no left foot. At the same time, his relatives didn’t want to look after him due to this disability. Consequently, the poor boy was tossed from one relative’s house to another.
Shariff says, “Life was very tough for me, as I was herded from one relative to another.”
Rose above his troubled childhood
But Shariff rose above the adversity and his troubled childhood, to become one of Singapore’s most famous runners, as well as a motivational speaker.
Today, the Singapore Blade Runner has competed in full marathons and ultra marathons, all with a prosthetic running blade for a left leg. These even included completing the challenging 2012 101km Craze Ultra – in 25 hours.
Put to the test at Boston Marathon 2013
Shariff’s adversity and strength was put to the test at the Boston Marathon last year. When he was a mere 800m from the finishing line, bombs tragically exploded at the race. These killed three people and injured more than 200.
Shariff said, “When I heard the first explosion, I did not know how to react. Things did not go according to plan and I had to walk all the way back to my hotel. I will never forget that marathon.”
But this isn’t going to make Shariff shy away from the race. This year, he will take on the Boston Marathon again – to complete the race in honour of the victims who were bombed.
A True Inspiration to Many Others
This marathon runner is indeed an inspiration and I want to help other disabled athletes be like him. I believe that the disabled should be given a chance to pursue their passion in sport and see how far they can go.
I want to help raise funds for the physically disabled – so that they can be active in sports.
My Sundown 42km Run With Love
I will be helping to raise funds for the Singapore Disability Sports Council – as a Sundown With Love Charity Ambassador. And I will run 42km in the Sundown Marathon, come 31 May.
Please Support My Cause
Please support my cause and donate. No amount contributed is too small and every single dollar that you give will go a long way in helping these disabled athletes to pursue their sporting dreams.
Thank you.
To donate, please click here.
To read about the Visually Impaired runners challenging themselves at Sundown Marathon, click here.
To read more about the Sundown With Love project and the Charity Ambassadors, click here.
To find out more about how to select good sports shoes at New Balance, click here.
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