It’s fair to say, Zayd is a very sporty dentist. He loves all types of sport, including football, hiking, walking, swimming, cycling, and now running. He took to running in lockdown, as a way of stopping going stir crazy, keeping fit, and getting his 1 hour of exercise a day.
He’d always wanted to run the London Marathon and when the BDA Benevolent Fund offered him a Charity place in the Virtual London Marathon, he was delighted to accept.
He’s a keen charity fundraiser too, having just completed the Mighty Hike Challenge, in Ullswater, raising funds for MacMillan Cancer Support.
I have always had a keen interest in helping those less fortunate than myself. My wife completed the Mighty Hike with me, and we were so proud of hiking those 26 miles over rough terrain. It’s given me more confidence, now I know what 26 miles on foot is like.
Zayd has a varied, cross-fitness approach to his marathon training. His weekly activity incorporates swimming, running, cycling, spin classes, and football. He’s running a couple of times a week now and has got up to 12 miles for his long runs.
He is one of our virtual runners and is considering a route along the Fylde Coast for his marathon run on 3rd October.
It’s flat along the coast. I’m getting all the grueling training out of the way now and hope to have a more relaxed, flat run for the marathon itself. I don’t have a specific time in mind to complete the 26mile marathon – completion is my goal. I think it will take me between 5-6 hours.
Zayd’s training took a bit of a hit when he was diagnosed positive with COVID19.
Whenever I get ill, it affects my chest because I’m asthmatic, so it hit me hard for a while. But I was determined to get back out there and train. I’d committed to fundraising and running the marathon for the BDA Benevolent Fund. That was a huge incentive to get back on track.
Zayd seems to have a huge amount of resilience. His wedding plans were also affected by COVID19. Initially, due to be married in April 2020, it was cancelled due to the first UK lockdown. He and his fiancé, Karishma, took the plunge as soon as they could in June, with an intimate guest list of 6.
The happy couple not only shares a love of fitness; they both also work in dentistry.
I’d always wanted to be a dentist. Initially, though, I worked as a Radiotherapist. It was a great job and stood me in good stead for working in dentistry. I trained at UCLAN and now I tutor at UCLAN once a week, as well as working in the same general dental practice, so I’ve come full circle.
When he’s not busy working, teaching, and training for marathons, Zayd can be found supporting his local football club Blackburn Rovers.
I’m from Blackburn, so of course, my favourite team is Blackburn Rovers. I have had a season ticket for the past few years and I’m also part of the NextGen Blackburn Rovers Supporters Club and get involved with the local community.
Getting involved with community, fitness, and fundraising makes Zayd a perfect candidate for the marathon run.
If you’d like to donate visit our fundraising page.
Take a look at how Zayd got on.
