Most athletes who are competing in the Olympic marathon on August 21 in Rio are currently training with two runs a day, usually one in the morning, and one in the late afternoon.

For Mohamed Hrezi, the schedule is a little different. He does his easy miles between 6 and 7 p.m. and his hard workout at about 1 a.m., all while fasting during the day.

Hrezi, 24, is Muslim, and is currently observing Ramadan, a month of fasting and intensive prayer, which began on June 5 and ends July 5. The month is a time of inner reflection, devotion to God, and self-sacrifice. Hrezi, alongside many others, abstains from eating food from dawn until dusk.

Which can make intense marathon training difficult.

Born and raised in Connecticut, Hrezi is a dual-citizen of the U.S. and Libya through his parents, who were both born in Tripoli, Libya. He set his marathon PR, 2:18:40, in humid conditions on May 29 at the Ottawa Marathon. He’s currently training with the Hansons-Brooks Original Distance Project in Rochester, Michigan, and is now logging 100 miles per week.

“I’m just about two weeks into training,” he said. “I kept it conservative at the beginning because I’m just starting Ramadan.”

This week, he really starts grinding in preparation for Rio. For his first run of the day, Hrezi will head out the door right before he breaks fast. When he gets back, he eats immediately because by then he’s really hungry. For his post run meals, Hrezi keeps a hefty stash of hard-boiled eggs on hand. He also reaches for protein smoothies.

That’s the easy part. To be able to get his second run in for the day, the harder workout at 1:30 a.m., he sacrifices another necessity for marathon training: sleep.

Some nights, Hrezi doesn’t climb into bed until about 4 a.m. After a few hours, he rises early for various appointments, like yoga class. He tries to take advantage of any opportunity he can to grab a wink, with naps during the day.

Hrezi’s coach, Kevin Hanson, skimps on his own night’s sleep to monitor his runner’s hard workouts.

“We sat down and Kevin was like, ‘When do you want to work out?’” Hrezi said. He didn’t want to impose on his coach, but Hanson insisted on being there and rides his bicycle around Rochester, tailing Hrezi.

Doing his second run in the middle of the night allows Hrezi to have some food in his stomach and take fluids and nutrition during his workout. “Then I can go home and have a quick snack before I begin my fast,” he said.

Hrezi has just about a week to go until he can return to a normal routine, but he says that despite his running schedule, Ramadan is tranquil and full of family gatherings and spiritual resurgence.

He hopes to have a good training segment heading into Rio and anticipates similar conditions to his PR-setting race in Ottawa.

“I feel truly blessed to have the opportunity to compete in the Olympics,” he said, “and I hope to come away with an effort that makes my family, friends, and country proud.”

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