PUBLISHED
September 28, 2025
KARACHI:
Have you ever imagined yourself making Pakistan proud, representing the country on a world stage? If you are a sportsman, that thought must have crossed your mind at some point. With the same dream in his heart, Faisal Shafi, a 43-year-old fitness trainer and entrepreneur, began his journey in 2019.
The start was not easy. Before running, Shafi was deeply into fitness and strength training until a severe knee injury threatened to end it all. A meniscus tear and an ACL tear left him facing the doctor’s grim words that his days of running and jumping were over. However, instead of accepting defeat, Shafi turned to rehabilitation, strengthening his quads and hamstrings through treatments and physiotherapy. Slowly, he began testing himself in obstacle course races of 10 to 15 kilometres. The thrill of completing those led him to his first half marathon – a gruelling 21km. From there, the idea of a full marathon, twice that distance, began to take root.
As his training grew, so did his ambitions. Running regularly on the roads of Karachi under the unforgiving sun, Shafi realised he needed to experience what a professional marathon felt like. There were no such events in the city at that time. So in 2019, he and a friend signed up for the Dubai Marathon. It was his first international race and it completely reshaped his perception of the sport. From organised start groups to hydration points, medical camps, and cheering crowds, the experience gave him a glimpse of the global marathon culture. That was when he understood that his journey was no longer just about fitness or recovery, but about pushing boundaries on the international circuit.
That path reached its defining moment earlier this month at the Sydney Marathon. Drenched in sweat and weighed down by light military attire, Shafi crossed the finish line. His body felt battered but his spirit was soaring. In the backdrop stood the iconic Sydney Opera House, and in the air echoed chants of “Congratulations” from thousands of strangers. A few voices, upon spotting the patch of Pakistan on his attire, erupted into cries of “Pakistan Zindabad.” As Shafi explained, it was a surreal moment, a lone runner representing his country in an unusual way, cheered on by a crowd of foreigners.
As Shafi looked up at the clock, he realised he had shattered the Guinness World Record by 10 minutes. Tears welled in his eyes. The Guinness team rushed forward to confirm his achievement. “It was one of the best feelings in the world,” he recalled. “Despite the injury, despite the weight of the suit, it was worth it when I saw the crowd, heard Pakistan’s name, and felt that I had carried the flag, even if it was just a patch on me, to the world stage,” he added.
But this was not the only achievement for his record. With that finish line, Shafi also joined the select group of runners worldwide who have completed all seven of the World Marathon Majors. Boston, London, New York, Chicago, Berlin, Tokyo, and now Sydney each tested him in different ways. For a runner based in Pakistan, where distance running receives little recognition and almost no institutional support, achieving the Seven Majors is a rare accomplishment. It placed him in a global league of endurance athletes. For Shafi personally it was always about carrying the name of his country to arenas where it is rarely heard.
The World Marathon Majors
For most runners, completing a single international marathon is an achievement to be cherished. For Faisal, the journey stretched much further, taking him across continents to some of the most iconic races in the world. Earlier this year in Sydney, he joined a select group of only a few thousand people who have completed all seven World Marathon Majors. “It hasn’t been an easy journey given my Pakistani passport. The visas, the logistics plus the cost of traveling is not easy,” he said. “We’re talking about Chicago, New York, Boston, Tokyo, Berlin, Sydney and then London. These are expensive cities of the world and when you travel for a marathon there’s training gear and everything. But I’m thankful to all my sponsors and thankful to the running community for their moral support. It’s been an amazing journey and I’m not done yet. There will be two more stars added soon, Insha’Allah we’ll be doing those.”
Each major brought its own set of tests. Shafi recalled the New York Marathon as the toughest one, describing it as “a nightmare for runners.” He explained how the ordeal begins even before the race. “It’s a four and a half hour commute to the start line early in the morning,” he said. “By the time you begin, you are already tired, having walked 8,000 to 10,000 steps. Then the course itself is extremely tough with so many climbs, and after the finish line there is still a long walk. So overall New York has been the toughest marathon.”
Berlin holds a special place in Shafi’s heart. It is not only the fastest marathon in the world but also known for the extraordinary sense of camaraderie among the Pakistani participants. “Berlin was the major in which I ran my best time and I ran with a lot of Pakistanis. There was a contingent of 37 Pakistani runners from my club and overall there were like 60 Pakistanis in the Berlin marathon in 2023. That was the most rewarding for me.” Tokyo was another highlight. “Tokyo is special too because it is a beautiful city, the vibe is incredible and the course is flat and fast. That made it memorable.”
Boston, the oldest marathon in the world, also became memorable for a more personal reason. Shafi not only ran the historic course but also set a Guinness World Record there for the fastest time while wearing Shalwar Kameez. “Boston is special in so many ways,” he said with pride.
The journey across these majors was not without moments of doubt. Training for months on end, dealing with fatigue, and managing the sacrifices of time and energy often weighed heavily on him. “There are points when you want to give up and say this can’t be done. But then there is a community, there are your friends and then there is your will to run a marathon,” he shared.
Challenges and support system
Running marathons as a Pakistani comes with obstacles that go far beyond the race itself. Shafi explained that training in Karachi is a challenge in its own right. “The first challenge is the weather we train in. Karachi is extremely hot and humid,” he said. Security concerns also force runners to take to the streets before sunrise, always cautious and moving in groups. Beyond that lie the difficulties of visas, exchange rates, and the slim chances of being selected for international races. “For the major marathons the chance of getting selected is one in a thousand, or you have to be extremely fast in international marathons to qualify,” he said.
At home, the sacrifices of training mean long hours away from family life. Shafi shared that his wife and children struggled with it at first. “Marathon training means a lot of sacrifice because you need to sleep early, wake up early, and then when you are done from your runs you need to sleep again. Of course, there were retaliations in the beginning; they used to hate it, but not anymore. Now they support me, and it is their encouragement that keeps me going.”
He explained how his runs often had a larger purpose, tied to causes beyond himself. “I’ve run marathons to raise funds for cancer patients, for Special Olympics, for a lot of athletes who are underprivileged. Their will to fight keeps me going,” he said. “They say that the person who starts a marathon is not the same person who finishes it, and I have felt that every single time.”
For Shafi, completing the Seven Majors was not just about medals or records. It was about proving that a runner from Pakistan could stand shoulder to shoulder with the best in the world despite limited resources and countless hurdles. Each finish line brought lessons in resilience, but the journey was far from over. Ahead lay a challenge unlike any other, one that would not only test his endurance but also carry a message of tribute and pride, the Guinness World Record attempt in Sydney.
The Guinness Record moment
When Shafi lined up at the Sydney Marathon in light military attire, it was not simply another race. It was a symbolic challenge, one he had chosen to pay tribute to the Pakistan Army and to show a different image of his country on a global stage. “In June and July Pakistan was going through a very sensitive time when our neighbouring country attacked us,” he recalled. “The whole country was under threat, but the way Pakistan Army neutralised the attack, the defence, the step by step strategy, it was praised all over the world. As marathon runners, we travel everywhere, we hear people talk about Pakistan, and this time we were hearing good things.”
The marathon offered a stage unlike any other. “Marathons are like a mini world,” he said. “You have about 50,000 runners from different countries. You get a chance to speak, to pass on a message.” That was when he reached out to Guinness World Records to ask if there was a category for the fastest marathon in military attire. There was a record of three hours and 50 minutes, set by a US marine soldier. Shafi decided he would attempt it in a combat suit resembling a Pakistan Army uniform, complete with the flag stitched to it. “I wanted to pay a tribute from a civilian, a heartfelt tribute on how we actually felt,” he said.
The preparation was anything but straightforward. Securing a visa for Australia was a struggle in itself, with tighter policies for Pakistanis. On top of that came the physical challenge. “I was expecting that the combat suit would not be very tough to run in, but when I wore it I could feel the weight. It was 13 to 14 kg,” he admitted. “At that moment I thought maybe this record was not possible because it is a lot of weight to run 42.2 km.” The result was beyond what even he had hoped. He crossed the line ten minutes faster than the previous record.
As the Guinness officials congratulated him, Shafi was struggling with exhaustion and an injury from the weight of the suit. Yet the emotion of the moment overpowered the pain. “Despite the injury, despite the heavy suit, it was worth it when I heard Pakistan’s name,” he said. “I was congratulated by thousands of people individually as I was making my way out of the finish line. It was something I will never forget.”
Recognition in Pakistan has been slow to come, with most sponsorships still focused on cricket. “Marathon running is not a very popular sport in Pakistan, though it is gaining popularity,” Shafi said. The Karachi Marathon, for example, began in 2020 and will see up to 10,000 runners by next year, as a sign of growing interest.
Even so, support has been hard earned. “Getting sponsors has been tough, but our hard work and efforts have caught the eye of a lot of people. Media coverage of our marathons has also helped us. We are thankful because it eases the financial burden.”
The road ahead
For Shafi, every marathon has been more than a race. It has been a chance to carry Pakistan’s name into a space where it is often unheard. “When you go in a marathon, there are about 50,000 runners with their families, almost 200,000 people from all over the world. You interact with them and you tell them you are from Pakistan. That gives a very beautiful image of the country, contrary to the one painted by certain Western media,” he said. “We are a peace-loving nation. We love sports, we love running, we love cricket and hockey. My achievements in the Guinness World Records have helped present a softer and more positive image of Pakistan.”
Looking ahead, Faisal is confident that the sport will grow at home. “In fact, next year, Pakistan will have at least one elite category marathon runner,” he said. “In five to seven years, we will see two or three more, and within a decade Pakistan will have a runner at the Olympics. A lot of work is being done, and the sport is gaining popularity.”
The messages he receives after every race are proof of that momentum. “I get hundreds of messages from youngsters who want to run. I tell them just go out there, walk, jog, do whatever you want to. If you can conceive it in your mind, you can achieve it. It is not about just running a marathon; it is about fitness and believing in yourself. I have even inspired older people who had never walked before to start jogging. That is a sense of accomplishment.”
But for Shafi, the story is far from over. Next month in October he will return to the Chicago Marathon, to raise funds for flood victims in Pakistan. Beyond that lies the announcement of an eighth major, and perhaps even more, as he hinted, “I am a dreamer.”
