Just six weeks after undergoing a life-saving angioplasty that left him with three stents in his heart, 54-year-old Abu Dhabi resident Mahmoud Al Khatib ran 230 kilometres in a single month. The Jordanian triathlete, who only began running at the age of 51, completed a nonstop five-hour marathon, a trail ultra half desert marathon, and a cycling race despite a history of severe injuries and health setbacks that would have discouraged most athletes.

Al Khatib's journey from chronic knee pain to the start line of Ironman 70.3 Turkey, which he will compete in on November 2, 2025, proves that mental strength defies physical limits.

“I started playing tennis when I was seven years old,” he recalled.“My father trained me in Jordan. But after I graduated from university, I stopped exercising. I convinced myself that there was no hope in running because my knees hurt even after just one kilometre.”

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When he moved to the UAE, Al Khatib's career as a project manager left little time for sport.“The nature of my work was harsh,” he explained. Over time, his weight climbed from 67 to 100 kilogrammes, and for genetic reasons his cholesterol escalated as well;“the doctor told me I would have to take medicine for the rest of my life.”

Frustrated by his health, Al Khatib designed what he jokingly calls“the Mahmoud Diet”.

“I stayed on it for about two and a half months and went down from 100 to 77kg.”

Shortly after, he broke his ankle completely while playing football with his children.“It was Christmas Eve, 2017. I ran on the grass, and my body went one way and my leg the other. My ankle was completely broken,” he said. Two steel plates with screws were inserted during surgery.“The doctor told me it would be hard to do sports again.” For over a year, he could not train.

The pandemic years brought more weight gain.“In 2020 to 2022, my weight reached 96kg,” he said.“I decided to lose weight again. This time I lost 23kg in three months. I know my body. I can control my weight without doctors.”

That discipline reignited his competitive streak. He joined a community running team - Adidas Runners and a Dragon Boat team, training six days a week.“I became committed; my goal was always to achieve numbers.” Within months, his time to run 5km dropped to 24 minutes. After completing his first half marathon in Ras Al Khaimah in 2 hours and 15 minutes, he returned the following year to finish in one hour 58 minuites. By then, Al Khatib was regularly reaching the podium in community races for his age group.“I took the podium in several races I participated in,” he said.“Every Saturday, I ran. Maybe 200 medals or something like that.”

He eventually ventured into triathlons, starting with a super sprint.“In the second triathlon, a sprint distance, I finished with a small gap,” he recalled.“The next year, I finished Olympic triathlon distance in the World Triathlon Championship in Abu Dhabi.”

Then came a major accident during the half-distance triathlon (1.9km swim, 90km cycling and 21km running) during the Sir Bani Yas Challenge last April. The cycling route included several steep ascents and descents.“As I was riding downhill at around the 87th kilometre, there was a sharp s-curve at the bottom of the slope, so I had to slow down. I flipped off the bike and fell, sustaining multiple deep abrasions and lacerations. I lost patches of skin on my arm and leg, and my lips were severely torn. It took about three months for the skin to heal.”

The fall might have deterred others, but not Al Khatib. Over a month later, he felt unusual fatigue during a 21k community run when he noticed at the 15th kilometre his heart rate was too high. Medical tests revealed a critical blockage, and he had a heart attack two days after the run.“One of my arteries was completely blocked,” he said.“They placed three stents in my mid-left anterior descending artery.”

Just six weeks after the procedure, he ran 230 kilometres in a month.“I did a nonstop five-hour unlimited run covering 44 kilometres.” He also joined his first trail ultra half-desert marathon in Petra 25k in September and is now preparing for his first Ironman 70.3 in November.

Despite lingering pain and a history of fractures, Al Khatib views his struggles as part of his purpose.“When I started running again, the doctor told me to take it easy, but I made the decision to come back stronger than before to achieve my target to finish an Ironman 70.3 race during 2025.“And my motto will always be: nothing is impossible, age is just a number,” he concluded.

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