Written by Trackandmemes, May 4, 2021
My name is Rayan Elali-Amrani and I am currently in Cadet 2. Originally, I was playing soccer but I got injured so I was not allowed to continue this sport. So I started athletics in the minime 2 category. I was not very strong and then in cadet 1 I started to evolve. This year I entered the training center of Montpellier.
Le ramadan, on le connait de nom. Mais comment définirais-tu cette pratique aux gens qui ne sont pas musulmans ?
Ramadan is a month where we regenerate our body and mind especially, so it's not just about not eating and drinking. It is important for us as Muslims to do this. It's complicated to link it with sports but it's still an important moment.
Avant le ramadan, te prepares-tu mentalement ou physiquement afin de pouvoir combiner ton jeûne avec tes entrainements ?
No. Everything happens naturally. I talk to my coach about it so that he doesn't see me arrive dried out. I tell him a week before, and on his side he thinks about how we will train, what I can do and what I won't do... Ramadan is not a competition. It's a religious thing, it's spiritual, so you can't prepare for it.
Cette année, comment comptes-tu gérer ton jeûne ?
I try to keep my day full, so I'll train early in the morning or early in the afternoon; between 10am and 1pm. That way I'm in good shape for training and after that I'm training a group of minimes and another group of sprinters. At least my day is busy and I'm not at home doing nothing. Ramadan is something you have to manage well, especially since I train every day of the week. You have to be careful. When you eat in the evening, you must not eat anything, so don't eat only sugar, otherwise your body won't be able to bear it the next day. It lasts a month, not two or three days, and during this month, you have to be able to manage your body and the fatigue that accumulates. The first week, I can manage the fatigue, but from the second week on, it starts to get tougher and the third week it becomes a bit harder. But if you are careful, it's manageable. You just have to drink and eat well in the evening. You have to keep in mind that we are athletes, so it's not because it's the month of Ramadan that you have to eat anything.
Je sais que certains coachs adaptent leur séance lorsque leurs athlètes féminines sont menstruées, si celles-ci estiment qu’une adaptation est nécessaire. Mais lorsqu’il s’agit du ramadan, on entend moins parler d’adaptation. Ton coach il fonctionne comment à ce niveau là ?
First of all, it's important that the whole staff knows about it. My coach wanted to divide my sessions but I told him that I wanted to do the maximum until my body could not take it anymore, and when I feel I'm giving up, I stop, even if I know I'm a bit stubborn about this kind of thing... Ramadan is also a month that allows me to adapt, to say to myself "be careful, stop and listen to your body". In my opinion, you shouldn't adapt the program too much. The most important thing is to listen to your body.
Une anecdote concernant l’un de tes entraînements durant le ramadan ?
Last year I was extremely thirsty during a session, but when I say extremely thirsty I mean extremely thirsty... I didn't drink during the session and then I went home. On the way up the stairs, my body fell asleep and I fell on the steps. I sat down, my dad came down to help me up and then I went to sleep.
Est-ce que tu te challenges toi-même en te disant, “ si je survie à cet entraînement alors que je n’ai rien dans le ventre, je suis quelqu’un ” ?
Yes, it happens a lot. The last time I had a session where I said to myself "if I finish this one and I do the right times, it's clean". Frankly, you're happy at the end. Especially during the last week of Ramadan. If you finish all the workouts in that last stretch, then you've done something good, you feel like you're somebody in your head.
As-tu déjà été dans l’incapacité de participer à un championnat durant cette période ?
There are two possibilities, either you can make up the fasting day later, which means that during the competition you are allowed to eat and drink. Or you can fast during the competition. I chose the second option so I continue my fast during the competition. The results will obviously be less good but I continue because it is spiritual, once again.
Est-ce que tu penses que les championnats nationaux sont bien positionnés par rapport au ramadan ?
We can't give our opinion on that because it's up to us to adapt, it's not up to the federation to shift the date for Ramadan. We are in France so we have to accept that, even if we would like it not to fall during this month... But we have to accept it and it is a challenge for us.
Trouves-tu qu’on en parle assez de cette combinaison sport et jeûne ? Ou alors serait-ce une réalité encore un peu dans l’ombre ?
We talk about it but in a negative way. That's what bothers me. When you type in the search bar "fasting", "ramadan" and "high level sport", you don't see any article that speaks well of it. It is mainly the term "danger" that comes up most often. However, it is not so dangerous as that. You just have to be smart and manage the month well. You train and then you take a 20 minute nap so that your body regenerates a little. You have to pay attention to your diet and everything will be fine. Unfortunately, in France, Ramadan and high level sports are not well known.
English 
French