Our 2023 June Runner Spotlight is on Ibrahim Al Qaabil. He started running around 2016, but didn’t get serious about running until around 2018. He started running because his brother and him always wanted to do Spartan mud races. When Ibrahim decide to take up something new, he did his research and homework. He started training, sometimes a year in advance, to make sure he was ready to crush the course. He typically does anywhere from 40 to 50 races a year. He feels that running has brought a balance to his life. It wasn’t until recently, he has finally been able to acknowledge and identify with the notion that he is a runner.
What is Ibrahim’s biggest accomplishment so far?
“I would have to say my biggest achievement was making it to the DEKA FIT World Championships team relay last year. The reason this was a huge accomplishment is that out of 100s relay male teams, we made the top 10 out of 12 teams during the semifinals. We qualified to race with the Elite teams during the world championships and finished in 9th place. They don’t call the other teams elites for no reason. These are guys that have been running nearly their whole lives, live in the gym, and some are much younger than me and my teammate. So the fact we made and finished above last place is a testament to our training paying off.”
If there was any race that Ibrahim could do, it would be the Dubia Marathon. Ibrahim is the youngest of five brothers. He was born in Washington D.C. but moved to Egypt when he was 6 years old. He came back to America when he was 16 years old. He speaks Arabic fluently.
So what keeps Ibrahim coming back for more of our events?
“I love the Bishop’s Events community, It’s always a pleasure after a long work week to be able to see my race buddies. Being able to feed off each other’s positive energy and help motivate each other throughout the weeks to keep pushing forward. Furthermore, the swag is awesome. Nevertheless, what I appreciate more than anything is that Bishop’s Events offer races on Sunday which is very hard to find. As a healthcare professional that works every Saturday, it’s something to look forward to, fun Sunday races. Finally, I am trying to get my own Bib Number.”
Ibrahim’s favorite course is Dirt Farm, “I loved the challenge.” His favorite post race snack are Oreo Cookies. And his favorite part of the events is “definitely joking around and talking with my Bishop’s Event family, picking out the winners of the 5ks before the race starts. Lastly, talking about how the race went.”
See Ibrahim at one of our upcoming events!