More than 40 runners from Pakistan and the global Pakistani diaspora proudly represented Pakistan at the London Marathon 2025 on Sunday, delivering notable performances under unexpectedly warm conditions. Furqan Masood from Islamabad emerged as the fastest Pakistani finisher, clocking an impressive 3 hours, 10 minutes, and 7 seconds.
Running with the Islamabad Running Club, Masood maintained a strong early pace with a 20:44 opening 5K and reached the 10K mark at 42:09. Despite battling fatigue in the latter stages, particularly between the 25K and 30K marks where he clocked a challenging 23:02 segment, Masood persevered to cross the finish line 4,460th out of over 56,000 participants.
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“Today was about perseverance,” Masood reflected. “The heat made it tougher than expected, but the support from fellow runners and the Pakistani community kept me going.” He later told Geo News, “Crossing the London Marathon finish line was deeply humbling. It’s important for us amateur runners to inspire people back home in Pakistan.”
Depth of Pakistani Performances
Close behind Masood, U.S.-based Salman Ilyas finished in 3:18:33, followed by Muhammad Fasih Saleh at 3:21:54. Hamza Saleem (3:23:10) and Shah Syed (3:23:12) delivered closely matched performances, showcasing the competitive spirit among the Pakistani contingent.
Norwegian-Pakistani runner Amy Mir made an outstanding debut, becoming the fastest female runner of Pakistani origin with a time of 3:52:00. Remarkably, Mir revealed that her longest training run before the marathon had been just 17 kilometers. “The crowd support was unbelievable and carried me through every step,” she said. Among women, Hira Diwan also stood out, finishing in 4:25:33. Diwan completed the race less than a week after running the Boston Marathon, making her performance even more impressive.
Historic Milestone for Hamid Butt
The event also marked a historic achievement for 64-year-old Hamid Butt from Lahore, who became the first Pakistani to complete the Abbott World Marathon Majors series twice. Butt secured his second six-star medal with a strong 3:41:45 finish, adding to his remarkable legacy.
Full List of Pakistani Finishers
Notable Pakistani finishers included Raees Ebrahim (3:42:46), Aamar Butt (3:50:10), Adnan Ozair (3:52:23), Imran Khan (4:02:46), Zaheer Akbar (4:05:24), and many others. Runners such as Hira Mufti (5:47:03), Mohammad Omar (5:49:44), and Shanzay Ahmad (6:41:36) displayed remarkable endurance to complete the grueling course.
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Meanwhile, in Manchester, Pakistani runners also made their presence felt. Danish Raza and his son Abrar Ahmed from Karachi finished together at 4:55. UAE-based Azmat Khan led the Pakistani contingent there with a strong 3:15:48 finish, while Sadia Haq completed her race in 3:45:35. British Pakistani doctor Ahmed Zubair crossed the line at 6:37:52.