Oldham’s European Islamic Centre erupted in celebration Saturday night as 350 supporters gathered to honor two men who completed an extraordinary year-long running challenge that raised over £150,000 for humanitarian causes.

Afruz Miah, 51, known as the ‘Running Man’, and Monwar Hussain, 40, the ‘Marathon Man’, finished their daily 10km runs on December 31 after 386 consecutive days, far exceeding their original 366-day goal. The duo initially raised £120,000 for Gaza through their Miles4humanity campaign.

The evening featured world-renowned nasheed artist Omar Esa, a charity auction that brought in £17,000 from jewelry sales alone, and a three-course meal. Over 40 business sponsors contributed 100 percent of their stall proceeds to push the night’s total to approximately £40,000.

“I miss the schedule, the discipline and the active lifestyle,” admitted Monwar, whose legs shook during his speech - possibly from pre-speech nerves or the 25km training run he completed that morning. “I’m now focusing on training for the iconic London Marathon.”

Afruz announced the campaign’s next focus: Syria. “I just came back from there a few days ago and saw the situation and the rebuilding process begin,” he said. “I was fortunate enough to run in landmark places in Homs and Damascus.”

Supporters traveled from across the UK, including Glasgow, Tyneside, Leicester, Birmingham and London. The Global Relief Trust, which organized the event and works in 12 impoverished countries including Pakistan and Yemen, presented certificates to campaign sponsors.

“What started as a 366-day challenge became 386 days of continuous running,” marveled Atiq Rahman, GRT’s Head of Development. “It is an achievement that simply cannot be matched.”

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