In this interview we hear from Mo’ath Alkhawaldeh from Jordan, who shares a different story compared to my other episodes.
Starting with his first 10k in Beirut, Mo takes us through his running journey, sharing running-for- real stories of races and people he has met along the way. He tells us about the advice he received from Deena Kastor and Meb about his goals.
He takes us through his transition from living in Jordan to coming to the U.S. for academics. and the progress he made with his running on a university team.
He describes the differences in running that Jordanians perceive, compared to those in the U.S. or the UK.
We discuss Ramadan and how he physically, nutritionally, and mentally trains through this time.
Like many runners I have spoken with, Mo, too, is an advocate of positive change. He speaks very passionately about the NGO he works for called Generations for Peace.
We discuss the ability for professional athletes to make a pretty comfortable living in the U.S. compared to Jordan. He describes his first-hand experience of running in the U.S. as it relates to sport doctors, physios and women runners.
He very eloquently explains what running is really about, and gives wonderful examples of how running can affect us emotionally.
Today’s Guest
Mo’ath Alkhawaldeh is a Jordanian long distance runner who is a promoter for peace. He works with Generations for Peace, an organization that uses sports to build peace by bringing youth together.
What You Will Learn About
- How Mo’ath transitioned to study in the U.S. and run for university.
- How Mo is using his experiences and knowledge of what the U.S. has to offer runners to benefit others in Jordan.
- What Mo thinks makes runners want to change things for the positive.
- What Generations for Peace (GFP) is, its purpose, and how it is used by countries around the world. Also, why he focuses on the parents when the programme is for the youth.
Listen to the Running for Real Podcast
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Mo’s Power Pose
Inspirational Quotes
Running is one of the hardest sports, I think, in my opinion. It’s hard to do it. It’s hard to start. The problem is getting people out the door is the hard part. Once they are out, they’re out. They will love it. They will stick to it. That’s what happened to me.
I just realized it’s all about, you know, getting the job done, and focus.
If you want to be a pro, you have to live a pro life.
I owe running a lot because I met a lot of people from different backgrounds, different religions, different colors, different countries, different nations. But when we sit together, we speak the same language.
It is an individual sport, but when you do it, you do it with other people.
Running is like when I do it, I get together with people, I learn from people, and I run with people. That’s how I see it.
Resources Mentioned
Washington Times Article on Mo’Ath
Support Mo by visiting his fundraising page for St Jude Research Hospital
Thank you to our new sponsor Health IQ and favorite recovery product BodyHealth for sponsoring this episode of Running for Real.
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Thank you to Mo. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the show.
