Islamabad’s Bilal Ehsan recorded a time of 3:15:03, securing the fastest finish among the runners who traveled from Pakistan for the event.
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KARACHI: Pakistan runner Faisal Shafi achieved a Guinness World Record on Sunday by completing the Sydney Marathon in a light military uniform, honoring Pakistan’s armed forces.
Shafi, hailing from Karachi, set the record in the inaugural edition of the Sydney Marathon— since the race’s elevation to Abbot World Marathon Major Status.
The race, now the seventh member of the coveted World Marathon Major, took participants through Sydney’s most iconic landmarks.
The course passed the Opera House, Harbour Bridge, Royal Botanic Garden, and the waterfront of Sydney Cove.
The World Marathon Majors (WMM) is a championship-style competition for runners that started in 2006. The events are a points-based competition founded on seven major marathon races recognised as the most high-profile in a year.
The series comprises annual races for the cities of Tokyo, Boston, London, Sydney, Berlin, Chicago, and New York.
Faisal Shafi achieved a landmark milestone after completing the challenging 42.195-kilometer course in 3 hours, 40 minutes, and 13 seconds, wearing light military gear, which marked a new world record entry in the category.
Following the marathon, Shafi expressed his thoughts while talking to a private TV channel.
“It was an ideal time to pay tribute to Pakistan’s armed forces, our martyrs, and the immense sacrifices of our soldiers,” Shafi said.
“I am proud to have done that as a civilian on this global stage.” Running in the specially designed military-inspired uniform was far from easy,” he added.
Concurrently, the fastest Pakistani to finish the Sydney Marathon 2025 was Ali Zaidi, based in Australia, who completed the race in 3:05:33.
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