In May 2024, Safya Khan’s brother was involved in a serious accident. He was admitted to the Critical Care Unit at Salford Royal where he remained for seven months, treating his major head injury.
The weekend of her brother’s accident, Safya was due to run the Manchester Marathon, leaving her with “unfinished business” for this year’s marathon.
“The staff, and the care they provided, were just exceptional. My brother wouldn’t be with us today without them”, said Safya.
“It takes a special kind of person to do that job, and I don’t think there’s enough recognition for them. They come in with a smile, they are kind, nothing is too much trouble. I told the reception staff on the ward that I would raise funds for this unit at my next run. I made a promise to them and I am absolutely going to keep it! These conversations stuck with me and I remember them to this day.”
Safya took on this year’s Manchester Marathon to raise funds for the Unit through NorthCare Charity, the official charity of Northern Care Alliance NHS Trust.
She is a trailblazer in the running community as an example for South Asian women, and Muslim women, to defy cultural norms and take up running to experience the physical and mental health benefits.
“After losing my father, just after having my second child, I had severe post-natal depression. I started running with a friend to improve my mental health and manage my weight. During COVID I started running longer distancesand built up to my first marathon, London 2022. After that I ran Berlin 2023, Dublin 2023, and now Manchester 2025.
“Running in the South Asian community isn’t widely understood, especially as a woman. At first, even my loved ones didn’t get it, but now my extended family are hugely supportive – they even book their important events like weddings around my running events! It’s a huge part of my life.
“I live in a predominantly South Asian community, and when I first started running in the park, I did get some strange looks from the women from our community. I used to choose carefully when and where I would run to avoid this, but then my husband started running with me. Soon we started seeing other Muslim couples and Muslim women running which was amazing! The nature of running is a community, always supporting and encouraging each other. It’s brought my husband and I closer together too, a shared interest for us to enjoy.
“I find it an amazing outlet, because whatever’s going on in your life, exercise is something you can do for yourself. I wasn’t sporty when I was younger, but I used to do things like ride my brother’s bike in secret, because sport was not a feminine thing to do culturally. We see sport as a ‘man’s arena’, not as something a woman, a mother, a Pakistani, should be doing. I am proud to be an example to my sons of a strong woman, breaking barriers, because we can do more than just be housewives if we want to!
“When I ran the Berlin marathon, a little girl was pointing at me excitedly and telling her mum she could see a Muslim lady, and I stopped to say hello. I felt so proud that visibly identifying as a Muslim woman had made me recognisable, and it’s incredible to know I might have inspired her. Visible representation is so important, we are not oppressed, we’re not brainwashed, you can only break barriers by getting involved, doing the things we haven’t done before, that’s how we get positive representation.
“It's been empowering, running alone. I feel like I manage things on my own and I’ve grown in confidence. It makes you practical, you can process things better. If I hadn’t started running, I think my mental health would have suffered immensely by now. When my brother had his accident, my friends encouraged me to continue running as an outlet for the stress.
“That initial first step is the hardest, and I love to be that additional support for women who are nervous to get into running, I feel like I’ve done my job when I do. There’s such shared pride seeing other visibly Muslim women at running events, making friends, supporting each other.
“There is a whole community out there and I wish I’d met them sooner but I’m so proud to be part of it, I feel like I belong somewhere.”
Safya completed the Manchester Marathon on 27 April 2025 in five hours, 44 minutes, to raise funds for NorthCare Charity. You can support her fundraising here.