Preble’s Mohamed running down track goals during Ramadan
Routine.
Keeping one is of the utmost importance to any track and field athlete, especially at this time of year when goals of advancing to the WIAA state meet linger in the distance.
Athletes have routines as they prepare for events at the meet in addition to those kept for their eating and sleeping habits.
Khalid Mohamed’s routine is rather complex.
The Green Bay Preble junior will get up at about 3:00 each morning to eat breakfast before going back to sleep for about an hour.
He’ll then get ready for school and talk with his coach after to see if he’ll practice then or wait until night time to get in a workout.
Keep in mind, Mohamed hasn’t eaten or had anything to drink throughout the day.
Some may look at that as a hurdle in order to compete at a high level, but it hasn’t stopped Mohamed from chasing down his goals as a distance runner while continuing to practice his religious beliefs.
His commitment to both is tough to match.
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Mohamed fasts from sunrise to sunset in observance of Ramadan, which is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and the most sacred month of the year for Muslims. It lasts about 30 days and is based around the cycles of the moon.
Ramadan began on May 5 this year, so it coincides with the stretch run of the track and field season in Wisconsin.
“You basically eat one meal, so you have to make that one meal count,” said Mohamed, who grew up in Kenya.
“It’s very hard. It’s very tough during school. Once practice comes, coach decides if I’m OK enough to do practice or if I can do it at night.”
Mohamed has continued to excel on the track, winning the Fox River Classic Conference title in the 1,600-meter run before capturing WIAA Division 1 regional championships on Monday in the 1,600 and 3,200.
The latter of which concluded shortly before 8 p.m., meaning it was about 16 hours since Mohamed ate or drank anything.
Monitoring his routine off the track is just as important to his success as monitoring his pace for each lap on it.
“I try to hydrate a lot to get water in my system because I can’t drink throughout the day,” said Mohamed, who prays during his pre-race routine.
Mohamed decided to join the track and field team last year for the first time to stay in shape for soccer.
He progressed to the point where he went from running with a slower distance group at practice to qualifying for state in the 1,600.
“It was only midway through the season that I even knew he had Ramadan coming,” Preble distance coach Kyle McMahon said.
“I researched things about what Olympians and other athletes do during that time and talk with him about what would work, whether that was doing night runs after he could eat. I would meet him at 9:30 at night so he could do runs.”
Mohamed’s love for running led him to joining the cross-country team, which is also coached by McMahon.
The bond between athlete and coach has only grown stronger this year.
“For Coach McMahon to go out of his way to meet with him, is pretty insane,” Preble boys track and field coach Nick Marcelle said. “They do workouts at night and is really accommodating so he’s able to compete at a high level. He’s going above and beyond what is expected of any coach.”
McMahon’s dedication as a coach is a key reason why Preble seemingly produces a deep stable of distance runners each season.
It’s no different this year, as the Hornets’ 3,200-meter relay team produced the best time in the state (8:06.91) at the Myrhum Invite in Hartland on May 4.
“We have a lot of talented guys,” said Mohamed, who is a leg on the relay. “We usually work as a pack and try to push each other together. It’s not just one person going off by themselves. That’s just how we work. We try to get everyone out there with us.”
Mohamed ran a personal-best time of 9:46.02 to win the 3,200 regional title Monday. Right behind him were teammates Dawson Borley and Joe Engler, as the trio took the top three places in the event just like they did at the FRCC meet, where Engler won the conference title.
Borley’s time of 9:41.49 on May 4 in the 3,200 leads the Green Bay area, while Mohamed’s time of 4:23.58 in the 1,600 at the FRCC meet on May 14 leads the Green Bay area.
“He’s really coming on at the end of the year here in the mile and two mile,” McMahon said. “We still don’t know yet if he’s going to run the 4×800 relay, too. We have a lot of options with him still that we’re figuring out.”
Mohamed said his ultimate goal would be to win a state championship next year.
For this season, he hopes to get another opportunity to compete at state, where he plans on changing up one part of his routine in La Crosse this time around.
“Last year, I was new to the scene and didn’t know what I was doing so I went with the sprinters to eat,” Mohamed said. “They don’t really watch their diet, so I went to Culver’s with them, which was a horrible idea. This year, I’m looking to eat healthy and load up on carbs, especially if I make it to the mile and two mile.”
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