Muslim Athletes Balance Faith and Performance During Ramadan Fast

Despite the Ramadan fast that began on Thursday, March 23, Moroccan athlete Hamza Omari, based in Huesca, won the Sabiñánigo half-marathon on Sunday, just three days later. During this fasting period that ends on April 21, Hamza will have to maintain his high performance and continue to compete, win and get good results. Winner of the last two half-marathons in the Aragonese capital during Ramadan, Zakariya el Boubekraoui, another 24-year-old Moroccan athlete living in Calatayud, explains that "the fast is noticeable, especially in recovery. Because you train without drinking. You have to lower the intensity of the training sessions to avoid getting injured... It’s more a psychological than a physical job."

"The recommendations differ, depending on the athlete, even if the basic principle is the same. For example, an athlete preparing for a half-marathon trains several consecutive days at a higher intensity or does double sessions. On the other hand, a footballer or a basketball player has recovery days, loading days, match days... The intensity may be lower. An individual athlete may have more demands," explains Raúl Luzón, a nutritionist. The role of these nutrition professionals is essential for elite athletes during this fasting period, because "fasting can affect performance," since it is practiced during the day, when the athlete must train.

This is why it is important to readjust the training programs during the month of Ramadan, says Rachid Nadij, coach of his nephew Zakariya el Boubekraoui and other Muslim athletes. "During Ramadan, we change the schedules and cancel the double session days. We train more from 7:30 pm and, if we double with a more ’difficult’ session, we train at 11:00 pm. We cancel the morning. Some athletes are more affected by the fast and we have to reduce the intensity to 70%," he describes. However, the Quran allows certain exceptions, provided that the fasting day is made up on another date. Footballers, for example, often prefer this option "to maintain their performance and avoid a high risk of injury," says Eva Arguedas, the nutritionist of SD Huesca.

"It is recommended to eat dates in the morning before the start of the fast. We usually drink a lot of fluids when we break the fast. We eat a lot of soups and a dessert made from dried fruit paste and honey. We also drink a lot of mint tea," recommends Zakariya. And at iftar, the meal to break the fast, you have to avoid "a calorie deficit. We can talk about 3,000 calories. It is very difficult to ingest such quantities in such a small window. So we have to make sure that there are not only solids," specifies Raúl Luzón. For the experts, the real problem for athletes during this period is hydration. "It’s not just water. You have to fill up on electrolytes and sodium. You have to take isotonic drinks or sodium tablets," recommends Eva Arguedas.