Australian champion beach runner Ali Najem has his sights firmly set on finally winning a PAYCE Sutherland 2 Surf crown and will this year have a better chance than ever.
Najem, who won his third 2km beach run Australian title representing Wanda Surf Lifesaving Club in April, will contend for the top places in the men’s division in the 47th running of the event on July 22.
The iconic race has been held during Ramadan since he started racing in 2012 and, being an Australian Muslim, Najem has faced the difficult challenge of having to fast leading up to and during competition.
With Najem’s faith a priority he needed to stay mentally strong to secure a fifth-placed finish last year.
“This year will be my first year the race will not be during Ramadan so I’m really pumped to give it a real red hot shot,” he said.
“Every year I’ve inched closer, so this year could be the year I get on that podium.”
One of Najem’s biggest recent challenges was the International Wings for Life Charity Run in Melbourne last month, which raises money for people who suffer spinal injuries.
The night time run sees competitors race against a “catcher car” which gets 1km/h faster every hour.
Najem ran for 3 hours, 57 minutes to run a total of 56km, coming second among Australian competitors and 35th in the world.
Wanda president Mark Sargeant said the club were proud of Najem’s achievements.
“He is coached by Jock Campbell, Wanda’s distance coach and has achieved some great results,” he said.
“In the world titles in 2016 Ali secured second place and he will be competing in the 2018 world titles in Adelaide.”
For serious runners of this year’s Sutherland 2 Surf, the 200 fastest seeded runners will be automatically placed into the Brooks Pro-Sprint category. This year the cash prizes are $1500, $750 and $500 for first to third place getters across male and female competitors.
Race director Mick Brannock said the race’s 18-year association with Brooks meant Wanda had been able to offer running t-shirts this year.
“They’re made for runners and are lightweight and breathable. There are new styles this year with t-shirts tailored for males and females. Long sleeve are unisex and back due to popular demand,” he said.
Early bird entry closes at midnight on July 4.
Details: sutherland2surf.com.au
