Pitney Bowes Employee to run Marathon de Sables

Stamford Patch

Later this week, Al Fatah Kader, an employee of Pitney Bowes, will embark on a journey that will take him 150 miles on foot across the Sahara Desert.

By Caroline Sadowska | April 4, 2012

This Friday, Al Fatah Kader will arrive in Morocco and on Sunday, he will begin a weeklong adventure of endurance taking him over sand dunes and through remote villages. This is the second time that Kader will be participating in the Marathon de Sables, a 150 mile race across the Sahara Desert.

“In his interview he told me he was an avid runner, but it was really shocking to find out he would be running over 100 miles,” Bob Feghali, one of Kader’s managers at Pitney Bowes, said.

Born in Bangladesh, Kader can trace both his passion for running and his desire to make a difference in the world to his childhood.

“In the village, you would need to walk to school which was a mile or two away. During monsoon season, you still needed to get there,” Kader explained. “I remember running through the muddy, dark roads to get to school.”

When Kader runs the Marathon de Sables next week, he will also be fundraising for a cause very close to his heart — bringing clean drinking water to orphans of AIDS victims.

“I remember growing up, water was a very scarce resource. Today I go into the Starbucks and get a large Frappuccino, in Bangladesh, it was like “Can I just get clean water?”” Kader said. “Having a faucet was a luxury.”

While Kader began distance running as a cheap way to stay healthy, running extreme endurance races around the globe is about much more than the athletic challenge, he views it as a chance to connect with people around the world, engage them in conversations about peace, and challenge their views of what it means to be an American.

“It was to explore, to engage, to experience what the world has to offer,” Kader said. “The search for a practical peace.”

On 9/11, Kader was volunteering with the American Red Cross at Ground Zero when he found out he had lost one of his grand-uncles in the attacks.

“I lost people on 9/11 and then I found out that the people who committed those crimes shared my faith,” Kader said. “When children in the Sahara Desert see me, they ask where I’m from. I can reach out and show them what America is about, that we’re not all about wars.”

Kader first attempted the Marathon de Sables in 2006. On the third day of the race, he was crossing rocky mountains when he landed on a sharp rock that pierced through his shoe and into the ball of his foot. After arriving at the medic station, Kader was evaluated and placed on a helicopter out.

“I kept going maybe five or six miles, but it took me forever,” Kader said. “I’m glad I made the call [to stop].”

This time around, Kader is starting out with plenty of research under his belt — having spent time planning out the best shoes, the best backpack, and preparing for the various extreme environments of the Sahara. For the seven day race, participants are expected to be self-sufficient — carrying food, medical supplies, and necessary items in their pack and replenishing their water supply at checkpoints.

Since 2006, Kader has completed other extreme races, becoming the top American finisher in the Jungle Marathon, a 135 mile race in the Amazon Jungle and the third place male finisher in the Yellowstone-Teton 100 Mile Race.

While working at Pitney Bowes, Kader has kept a grueling routine — training before and after work, as well as during his lunch in the building’s fitness center. Recently, he was able to get his EKG, a requirement before running the Marathon de Sables, done at work.

For Kader’s colleagues, it’s easy to see how the qualities he brings to his races carry over into his role at Pitney Bowes.

“I think he has the same stamina in his work,” Feghali said. “There are five of us who constantly put on a lot on him but he never complains, it’s just one foot in front of the other. He never gives up.”

“Deadlines are important and it’s all about getting to the checkpoint,” Kader said. “My goal is always to start, move to a checkpoint, move to the next checkpoint, and finish.”

Learn more and consider making a donation at Kader’sfundraising page.