Ali Malik: With love from Athens to Peshawar

Mohammad Ali Malik has been an Imran Khan Canncer Appeal (IKCA) volunteer for nearly two decades. He began fundraising for Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital (SKMCH) when he was a child growing up in Pakistan. Now at age 31 and living in London, he’s lost none of his drive and passion.

This month, Ali took part in a 10k run at the Athens Marathon. He ran the historical Olympic track, in support of our global appeal to equip Shaukat Khanum Peshawar. We caught up with Ali following his return from Athens.

You’ve been supporting IKCA and SKMCH for a very long time. Can you tell us about your first fundraising efforts as a child?

I believe it was 1992 or 93. I was possibly 9 years old. Imran Khan had been touring schools of Pakistan while fundraising for the hospital. I was inspired by his talks and influenced by my mum who always said that working for others and being selfless gave one the best feeling of fulfillment.

So I started fundraising. This involved nagging my parents to give me more than my usual share of pocket money so that I could donate it to SKMCH. I also annoyed my uncles and aunts a lot. But successfully managed to get donations from them. Later I made a fund collection group with my friends. We would go door-to-door or approach commuters waiting at traffic lights.

You ran 10k at the Vitality British London run earlier this year as well. What has made you want to do it again in Athens?

I’ve always been an idealist, thanks to my mum. When I did my undergraduate degree in social sciences I read a lot of Aristotle, Plato and Socrates. Then during my masters I made friends with some great Greek people. It gave me the opportunity to learn more about Greek culture and history until eventually I visited Athens and fell in love with the city. That was some years ago.

Recently when I started running, one of my closest Greek friends floated the idea of doing a run in Athens. It was a stroke of genius because it combined my love for Greek history and the city, along with my passion for charitable causes and fitness.

I can honestly say, it was an experience beyond words to run 10k on the Authentic track and finish at the Panathenaic Stadium (Kallimarmaro) –which dates back to 329 BC. It is the site that hosted the first modern Olympics in 1896.

What was your record time?

My best ever time for a 10k run was 57 minutes. But this time my time wasn’t great, owing to some injuries. I finished at 1.05.53.

When did you take up running?

In 2015. It was my New Year’s resolution. I’ve always been a keen cricketer, but cricket is not a winter sport and British weather at times is not conducive to cricket. Running is easy and an all season activity.

Is there specific thought or a mantra, which drives you or keeps you going when things get tough towards the end of a marathon?

Doing a 10K run can be lonely. However, it gives me an opportunity to distance myself from the daily rat race of life and focus on the bigger picture. I remind myself that our time on this earth is ephemeral, and that real success, for me, is working to improve the lives of others.

I think about the cancer patients who are dependent on charity and support. The people of Pakistan invested their trust and money with Imran Khan, who built the hospital. My sponsors have done the same with me and my runs. And I tell myself I cannot disappoint them.

Why did you choose to raise money for IKCA?

It takes a really compassionate, honest man to give up a comfortable life filled with glitz and glamour and devote himself to philanthropy and the welfare of the poor. I relate to that man. I want to make sure that I do whatever is in my capacity to ensure that the cycle of welfare and the institution of hope that Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital has become, is sustained and carries on.

Do you have any advice for new volunteers/fundraisers who have never done this sort of thing before, but are interested?

I would just say to always focus on the bigger picture. Be passionate about a cause or charity and do what you like doing for that cause or charity. Do it with integrity, honesty and responsibly. Raising funds is not an easy task, but it’s not impossible.

If you want to sponsor Ali, and help us meet our £5 million target to equip Shaukat Khanum Peshawar, donate today. You can do so through Ali’s Justgiving page, which is still active. You can follow Ali’s future fundraising efforts on twitter @Ali_Malik.

If you want to take up a challenge or start your own fundraising campaign to help equip SKMCH Peshawar, check out our Fundraising Ideas, and contact us today!