For those who don’t know me, my name is Omar Al-Amin and I am 23 years of age. I have been accepted to run the 26 mile (42 km) New York City Marathon on November 4th, 2012. In all honesty, I have never done anything like this before, and the thought of running a marathon always made me very nervous. However, I have decided to take the plunge and attempt it and to push myself and my body in a way that I have never done before. I have set myself a target of 4 hours to complete it. Believe me, if I can run a marathon, anyone can!

A little bit about my background and my interest in the Walk for Iraq movement, which is another reason for running this marathon. I was born and raised in Manchester, UK, and still continue to live in this wonderful city I call home. My father is Arabic (Iraqi) and my mother is English (Mancunian). I have never visited Iraq, but have got to know a lot about the country as a result of the political situation in Iraq and the wider Middle East. So when it came to deciding which charities I would like to fund raise for in running the NYC Marathon I immediately thought of helping Iraq in some way. Walk for Iraq, a global movement have organised many events and initiatives to support different charities within Iraq. They have supported orphans, refugees, and provided emergency relief in recent years. I am honoured and extremely pleased to dedicate my trip in helping support their latest initiative run by Help the Needy Charitable Trust, a UK registered charity (Reg. No. 1059951) ‘Empower the Widows of Mesopotamia’ project. The project which began in 2011 is passing through many phases and they are still in need of support to help train these women which in return provides them with a more sustainable future as well as supporting their families and children. For more details of the project, please click here

Please help support me on this very difficult challenge by donating whatever you can (no matter how small). With your contribution, you will not only be motivating me to see this through but you will also be making a huge difference to the lives of the Iraqi widows and their families.

If you are overseas, justgiving.com will convert your local currency into GBP (pounds) and if you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you.

For any questions about this challenge, then you can contact me via the Walk for Iraq website www.walkforiraq.com

 

Many thanks

Omar Al-Amin