After losing more than 100kg, Emirati athlete set to compete in ITU World Triathlon Abu Dhabi

Emirati athlete Mohammad Kasim has announced he will attempt the ITU World Triathlon Abu Dhabi for the first time this year.

Kasim, who shed more than 100 kilograms in the past few years, will run alongside 3,500 amateur athletes and world’s top triathletes like Rio de Janeiro’s Olympic bronze medallist Henri Schoeman and two-time Olympian Richard Murray at Yas Island this weekend (March 3-4).

The 32-year-old corporate communications officer from Dubai tells us what motivated him to lose more than 100kgs and prepare for the triathlon this weekend:

“My road to getting fit has been long but my mantra has been not to lose hope and surround yourself with people who motivate you.

In 2013, at the weight of 187 kilograms, my knees collapsed and after the two surgeries, it went on to increase to 197kgs. My doctor said it would get worse if I didn’t lose weight. So I started dieting, cutting my intake from 3,000 calories to 1,500.

It worked for while but I was losing muscle not fat. Then I fell off the wagon and gained it all back ... until a friend recommended CrossFit and I found my coach Marcus Smith at Innerfight, where I train.

It began as a combination of bodyweight exercises and eating healthy. You cannot just exercise and continue to eat junk. I remember when I started I could not even do a normal squat, and now I can squat about 160kgs.

My doctor said I only needed to lose 20kgs, but I started to lose the fat and get stronger and now I am 98kgs. I don’t measure fitness based on weight because that is not a correct marker. Your fitness is measured by how you look, how strong you are and how far you can go.

The start is always the most challenging, but just like a child cannot start walking without the support of his family and friends, neither could I have done this without the constant push from my coach and friends.

After I lost the weight, everyone asked me what’s the next goal? My focus has always been to challenge myself and also to inspire with my story. Two years back I was supporting a friend at the Dubai Ironman. When he finished I told my coach I want to work towards a triathlon. The next day I bought a bike and that was the start of my endurance journey.

I’ve been running, cycling and swimming for two years. I wanted to take part in the Dubai Ironman 70.3 this year but the tickets sold out. But I continued to work hard and recently took part in the Standard Chartered Dubai marathon which I finished in five hours and eight minutes.

I was looking for something similar like the Ironman and saw ITU World Triathlon Abu Dhabi and decided I needed to test myself now. I will be doing the maxi distance because I am struggling a little bit with swimming. I train six days a week in the morning and evenings for two to three hours except Fridays. That makes it about 17 hours every week. At the same time I make sure I pay attention to my nutrition and sleeping pattern as that affects training. I eat good carbs from natural sources like bananas. I sleep for not less than eight hours everyday. Next year, I plan on doing the Olympic distance.

I want people who have struggled with weight to take action and not procrastinate. I used to be that way, always telling myself I’ll start tomorrow or next week until things became really bad.

Also, surgery is not the way to lose weight because it causes complications. Take the normal route of exercising and eating well. Nothing is impossible, this word was invented to put barriers for people who do not have the will. If you decide on something do it right away.

• ITU World Triathlon Abu Dhabi is on March 3-4 at Yas Island. Visit www.abudhabi.triathlon.org

aahmed@thenational.ae