Masood Khan receives warm welcome after completing Peshawar-Karachi run

Ultra-endurance athlete receives a Rs500,000 cash award after completing the gruelling journey on foot

PESHAWAR:

Record-holding ultra-endurance athlete Masood Khan received a warm welcome at the Peshawar Sports Complex after completing an extraordinary 1,850-kilometre journey from Peshawar to Karachi on foot in 24 days.

Director General Sports Wasal Khan, Additional Deputy Commissioner Dawood Salimi, Additional Director General Sports Rasheeda Ghaznavi, Director Operations Jamshed Baloch and other officials welcomed the athlete with floral garlands and congratulated him on the achievement.

Speaking at the reception, Wasal Khan said Masood had brought honour to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Pakistan through his determination, courage and hard work.

He described the feat as an inspiration for young people and said the provincial government was committed to supporting talented athletes and promoting sports.

Wasal Khan also announced that the Sports Department would organise a marathon along the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) route in November, along with other sporting competitions. He announced a cash award of Rs500,000 for Masood in recognition of his accomplishment.

Dawood Salimi praised the athlete’s perseverance, saying the achievement demonstrated that difficult goals could be reached through dedication and consistent effort. He said the district administration would continue supporting sports and positive activities for young people.

Masood said his main motivation was to honour the memory of his late father and bring recognition to Pakistan.

He described the 24-day journey as an immense test of physical endurance, saying he faced scorching heat, rain and other hardships along the way. At one point, he lost consciousness but continued with the challenge after recovering.

The athlete said he covered between 70 and 85 kilometres each day, depending on the circumstances. He prepared for the feat with 90 days of intensive training, spending around eight hours daily on physical preparation.

Masood said he had won 49 medals in full and half-marathon competitions across Pakistan, including 24 gold medals.

He also recalled completing another endurance challenge by covering approximately 808 kilometres on foot from Peshawar to Skardu in nine days.