Young Hassan Esufally has set himself a lofty goal. He is all set to put Sri Lanka on the world map by competing in some of the most gruelling marathons, across seven continents, throughout this year. This remarkable feat will open the doors for Hassan to join the prestigious 7 Continents Marathon Club™; an exclusive club that boasts of some of the world’s greatest marathon runners.  

Speaking at a press conference announcing his ambitious mission he said “My goal is to become the first Sri Lankan to complete a full marathon in each of the seven continents by running in the world’s hardest and most exclusive marathons” and added “I want to bring pride to Sri Lanka, popularize adventure marathons and hopefully to inspire others to also attempt these goals.” 

Hassan whose passion for marathons began with his determination to take part in the Melbourne Marathon in 2014, has since then taken part in several marathons across the continents, including the Stockholm Marathon in June 2017 and the Colombo Marathon in October 2017. He returned to Melbourne once again in 2016 only to achieve his personal best timing.     

Never the shying away from a challenge, Hassan also completed the IRONMAN™ 140.6 Asia Pacific Championship in Cairns, Australia in 2016. This event includes a 3.86 km swim, a 180 km bike ride, and 42.2 km full marathon run. Completing the 2016 IRONMAN™ gave Hassan the confidence and courage to push boundaries, as such he has set his sights on becoming the first Sri Lankan to gain membership of the exclusive 7 Continents Marathon Club™.

Hassan’s immediate challenge is in April when he gets ready to compete in the Boston Marathon in USA, one of the oldest and most prestigious marathons in the world. In June, he will find himself in South Africa competing in the Big Five Marathon running across the Savannah, with Africa’s Big 5, the elephant, rhino, buffalo, lion, and leopard. In August, he will face the rugged terrains of the Inca Trail Marathon which leads up to the majestic Machu Picchu.

Esufally ends the year by bracing cold winds and temperatures below -20° C in Antarctica, when he takes part in the Antarctic Ice Marathon. 

Elaborating on why chose to compete in each of these marathons, Hassan said “There is a significance behind each of the marathons I chose to take part in. I competed in the Melbourne Marathon because I studied and live there, the Stockholm Marathon because it is quintessentially European, the Colombo Marathon because it’s my home, its where I was born and grew up in, the Boston Marathon because it is one of the oldest and most prestigious marathons in the world, the Big 5 marathon because I really didn’t want to miss an opportunity to run with the wildlife in Africa. The INCA Trail marathon was chosen because it is one of the hardest marathons in the world. I’m taking part in the Antarctic Ice Marathon because it is a rare opportunity to be able to take part in a marathon of this kind.” 

Speaking during the press conference, Minister of Sports Dayasiri Jayasekara, noted “This endeavour by Hassan Esufally is unique considering the feat he is trying to accomplish as an athlete; which is to become the first Sri Lankan to compete in marathons in each of the seven continents and take Sri Lanka to the world. Hassan Esufally has set an example of how one can make your nation proud of this endeavour. Let us wish him all the very best as one nation.”

When questioned by a member of the media, if he hopes to represent Sri Lanka at the Commonwealth Games or Olympic Games in the future, Hassan said he would consider taking part in these events, once he completes his goal of competing in the upcoming marathons across the 7 continents.  

In conclusion, Hassan added

“The motivation behind this goal is that I want to be first Sri Lankan to achieve this and inspire other people to lead a healthy and active lifestyle. We may be a small island, but we have immense potential for sports and adventure and we need to keep pushing ourselves to achieve bigger and greater sporting goals.”

 
The 7 Continents Marathon Club is an exclusive club of elite marathon runners who have completed some of the most grueling marathons in the world. At present, there are only 271 members worldwide, 212 male and 59 female members. The Club is exclusive and reserved for athletes who are carefully vetted to prove they have run a marathon within the Antarctic Circle on the Antarctic continent, as well as on the other six continents.

Read More about Hasan's Continent Conquest 

By: Shabnam Farook 

Pics by: Pradeep Dilrukshana