By N’aimah Abdullah
Atlanta, GA – “I run for ME!” This motto speaks its own truth to each woman that is a part of Muslimahs Endure.
Founder, Nura Goodson made a decision to create this non-profit organization dedicated to combating the pandemic of Physical Inactivity.
The mission is to empower women to lead healthy and active lifestyles by providing opportunities for movement. Currently, some of the programs that are offered are the Run, Walk, Swim, Cycling, and Tri Programs in addition to the Tennis League and various community events focused on MOVEment.
With over 1000+ followers on Facebook, ME is taking Muslim women to another level within the sunnah of the religion of Al-Islam.
Many of the ME members have been influenced by women in the athletic world that are making strides not only as Muslim women, but as athletes that compete on some of the highest levels in the country.
Nura most recently has been training with Khadijah Diggs as a Diversity Infusion Syndicate by Khadijah (DISK) athlete.
Khadijah was the first hijabi to represent Team USA Triathlon. Her motto is “I want to change the world, one race at a time.” Through this friendship and training experience, Nura opened up the opportunity for other women in Muslimahs Endure to also benefit from the training passed on to her from Diggs. After making a call out for potential future Triathletes, a small group of 6 women emerged to take the challenge on.
These women represented ages 30s to 50s. They are mothers, teachers, businesswomen, community volunteers, community activists, and undeniably, they are Muslim athletes. Despite each of them having their own doubts and challenges about different aspects of the race, they did what the best of women do for each other, they encouraged, loved, prayed, and supported one another through the endeavor.
The East Cobb Triathlon, was an opportunity for each of them to participate in their first Triathlon, but also to gauge where they are in their training. The Super Sprinter consisted of a 250-meter swim; 6.47-mile bike; and a 2.25-mile run.
When asked why she is taking on this dope challenge, Nafisah Fudaell said, “Triathlon is on my Life List because I want to keep fitness fun and challenge myself. I’m not the best swimmer, cyclist, or runner, but I can swim, ride a bike, and run/walk. I am Becoming a Triathlete…”, and she did just that on August 7, 2021. Nafisah placed 3rd in the Super Sprint in the Female Grand Master division. Nafisah hopes to work on reducing her time by 15 minutes for the next Triathlon coming up in September.
N’aimah Abdullah was also successful by placing 2nd Female in the age group 45-49, and the last award of the day was given to Nura Goodson placing 3rd Female in the age group 35-39. Although 3 of 6 received awards there were additional accolades among this prestigious group.
Fatimah Khokhar was the fastest swimmer on the team, Sahirah Khabeer placed 6th in her age group 40-44, and Shahidah Sharif managed to participate in the entire race with very little training. The ongoing comment for Shahidah is that she is always the beast mode person of the group, she just always comes in and gets it done.
Although they were not sure if they would walk away with awards, the group found that through this challenge they are even more determined to prove to themselves that they have what it takes to be an even better Triathlete. N’aimah Abdullah was quoted as saying “If I continue to compete against myself and do better than I did before, I know that I’ve reached a level of success that no one can take from me.”
This group is now planning for their next Triathlon coming up in the next month or two. In addition to working harder on their training, each of the Muslimahs hopes to improve their transition times, and reduce their biking and running time.
Nura will continue to lead this team of women and some additional women will be joining them as future Triathletes also. Nura says “I knew that to reach this goal, I would have to make it a priority, stay committed, and remain consistent. I needed consistent training in my life. I love the feeling of being an athlete”. As she continues to love that feeling she is leading others along the way.
Muslimahs Endure has branched out from Atlanta to become a nationwide organization with run/walk groups across the country. The Musa’idahs that are leading these efforts can be found in Houston, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Northern New Jersey, The Washington metropolitan area (also as the DMV for “D.C., Maryland, Virginia”). And Inshallah, there will be a group in Elmina, Ghana starting in January 2022.
If you would like to join the sisterhood, visit our website muslimahsendure.org and become a member today. You can also find us on Facebook and Instagram @muslimahsendure.
We hope to see you walking, running, and swimming in a city near you.
(Article initially ran in Vol. 46, No. 49, August 20, 2021 issue)