GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS
MOST CONSECUTIVE DAYS RUNNING AN ULTRA MARATHON
FASTEST TIME TO COMPLETE A HALF MARATHON ON EACH CONTINENT
FASTEST TIME TO COMPLETE AN ULTRA MARATHON ON EACH CONTINENT
FASTEST AGGREGATE TIME TO COMPLETE AN ULTRA MARATHON ON EACH CONTINENT
FASTEST TIME TO COMPLETE A MARATHON ON EACH CONTINENT AND THE NORTH POLE
FASTEST TIME TO COMPLETE A HALF MARATHON AND A MARATHON ON EACH CONTINENT
FASTEST TIME TO COMPLETE A MARATHON AND AN ULTRA MARATHON ON EACH CONTINENT
FASTEST AGGREGATE TIME TO COMPLETE A MARATHON AND AN ULTRA MARATHON ON EACH CONTINENT
FASTEST TIME TO COMPLETE A HALF MARATHON, MARATHON AND ULTRA MARATHON ON EACH CONTINENT
FASTEST AGGREGATE TIME TO COMPLETE A HALF MARATHON, MARATHON AND ULTRA MARATHON ON EACH CONTINENT
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Record Breaking Super Marathon Man Ziyad Rahim
Superhuman adventure runner Ziyad Rahim from Pakistan can be best described as a man of steel. Whilst running for charity, the Qatar based banker has broken six Guinness World Records in marathons and ultra marathons.
By Faisal Shafi • January 20, 2015
Driven by challenge, discovery and humanity, Pakistani adventure runner Ziyad Rahim has achieved six Guinness World Records in marathons and ultra marathons respectively. After earning the Guinness World Record for the fastest time to run a marathon on each continent and the North Pole in 2013, Ziyad added a further five world records in 2014.
On 8 March 2014, marvellous Ziyad completed his record-breaking challenge of running 7 ultra marathons on all seven continents in 41 days. The previous record was 267 days, set in 1999 by Dr. Brent Weigner from the USA. Having accomplished this challenge, Ziyad set 4 new world records including fastest time to complete a marathon and ultra marathon on each continent. As part of his record-breaking campaign, Ziyad was running in aid of the Pakistan Welfare Forum (Qatar) and the Maria Cristina Foundation, a not for profit organisation located in Dubai.
This challenge of running 7 ultra marathons on each continent was all about commitment, staying motivated, digging deep, focusing on how he was going to succeed and how he could push beyond his comfort zones. Rahim’s preparation and training started around six months prior to the challenge. Ziyad had a good experience base having broken theMarathon Grand Slam record in 2013. Previous to this in 2012, Rahim completed the 250 km Marathon Des Sables, the toughest foot race in the world.
But running seven 50k ultra marathons around the world in 41 days was by far his biggest challenge yet. His challenge began in Antarctica on 26 January 2014 where he ran the White Continent Marathon at King Gorge Island. Running in temperatures below-10 degrees, Ziyad finished the race quite comfortably. Rahim then boarded a plane for ultra marathon two in Chile. After visiting the Penguin Colonies and Torres Del Paine National Park, Ziyad completed the South American leg of his challenge by running in the Punta Arenas Marathon on 30 January 2014.
Ziyad found the Punta Arenas race relatively testing as compared to 2013. According to Rahim “running on cement pavement” was “quite hard on the joints.” He also had to deal with tempestuous conditions coming from the Southern Ocean. Having spent a few days back at his residence in Doha – Qatar, Ziyad remained in Asia as he took a flight to Dubai for the third leg – Wadi Bih Solo Canyon (ultra marathon).
With the sun blazing throughout, Ziyad finished another perilous uphill race set in the mountain range of Hajar between UAE and Oman. Rahim completed continent three on 07 February 2014. Ziyad who works as a full-time banker returned briefly back to Doha, catching up on all the year-end closing, before heading off to Europe for continent four.
The Moonlight Challenge in Kent, UK was the destination of his next race. Prior to the race on 15 February 2014, UK was going through the worst flooding in history. Two days before the event, whilst making all the runners aware of the course, race director, Mike Inkster sent an email saying:
“The course – one third is wet and muddy and, in places, resembles the ‘Somme’ on a bad day. However, there are two particularly bad patches of about four hundred metres where it is both very muddy and has some calf-deep puddles. If you can’t swim, bring arm-bands.”
Ziyad braved the treacherous conditions to cross the finishing line. Describing this race, Rahim exclusively told DESIbitz:
“It was like wearing steel boots and running on a bed of magnet.”
Ziyad added that during the run and when in need for inspiration, he suddenly recalled the famous quote of TS Elliot: “Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.”
Highlights of continent five and his penultimate race included: running 125 times around a 400 metre track to complete the Coburg ultra marathon in Australia (23 February 2014) and taking part in a looped course to finish the Caumsett State Park ultra marathon, ticking off continent six (02 March 2014). Rahim made his seventh and final stop at the inaugural Louis Massyn Ultra Marathon, which took place in Free State, South Africa on 08 March 2014.
As Ziyad crossed the finishing line, he completed his epic and heroic challenge 41 days, 3 hours after he started. Even though he encountered painful moments, Ziyad achieved glory by keeping himself fit. Feeling an enormous sense of achievement, a jubilant Rahim spoke exclusively to DESIblitz saying:
“It was a great feeling and I was so glad that I completed the challenge amongst the most hospitable people in the world.” Rahim rounded off the year in grand style. In December 2014, he recorded his sixth Guinness World Record upon completion of 14 ultra marathons (700 km) in consecutive days. Ziyad achieved this feat in Long Beach, California as part of the Charlie Alewine winter challenge. Ziyad told DESIblitz this record breaking journey would not have been possible without the support of his wife Nadia and two children Zara and Mekaal.
Rahim has proven if you put your heart and soul into something, one can fulfil their dreams and goals in life. It is all about being determined and persistent. Always focusing on the end result, Ziyad has successfully undergone a mind blowing voyage around the world to attain a graceful victory overall.
In 2015, Ziyad is hoping to embark on, perhaps the biggest challenge of his life. He is aiming to complete 7 marathons on 7 continents in only 7 days. This challenge, dubbed the “Triple 7 Quest” is Rahim’s brainchild. Ziyad Rahim is taking thirty-six runners from all over the world on this exciting adventure.
Superhuman adventure runner Ziyad Rahim from Pakistan can be best described as a man of steel. Whilst running for charity, the Qatar based banker has broken six Guinness World Records in marathons and ultra marathons.
By Faisal Shafi • January 20, 2015
Driven by challenge, discovery and humanity, Pakistani adventure runner Ziyad Rahim has achieved six Guinness World Records in marathons and ultra marathons respectively. After earning the Guinness World Record for the fastest time to run a marathon on each continent and the North Pole in 2013, Ziyad added a further five world records in 2014.
On 8 March 2014, marvellous Ziyad completed his record-breaking challenge of running 7 ultra marathons on all seven continents in 41 days. The previous record was 267 days, set in 1999 by Dr. Brent Weigner from the USA. Having accomplished this challenge, Ziyad set 4 new world records including fastest time to complete a marathon and ultra marathon on each continent. As part of his record-breaking campaign, Ziyad was running in aid of the Pakistan Welfare Forum (Qatar) and the Maria Cristina Foundation, a not for profit organisation located in Dubai.
This challenge of running 7 ultra marathons on each continent was all about commitment, staying motivated, digging deep, focusing on how he was going to succeed and how he could push beyond his comfort zones. Rahim’s preparation and training started around six months prior to the challenge. Ziyad had a good experience base having broken theMarathon Grand Slam record in 2013. Previous to this in 2012, Rahim completed the 250 km Marathon Des Sables, the toughest foot race in the world.
But running seven 50k ultra marathons around the world in 41 days was by far his biggest challenge yet. His challenge began in Antarctica on 26 January 2014 where he ran the White Continent Marathon at King Gorge Island. Running in temperatures below-10 degrees, Ziyad finished the race quite comfortably. Rahim then boarded a plane for ultra marathon two in Chile. After visiting the Penguin Colonies and Torres Del Paine National Park, Ziyad completed the South American leg of his challenge by running in the Punta Arenas Marathon on 30 January 2014.
Ziyad found the Punta Arenas race relatively testing as compared to 2013. According to Rahim “running on cement pavement” was “quite hard on the joints.” He also had to deal with tempestuous conditions coming from the Southern Ocean. Having spent a few days back at his residence in Doha – Qatar, Ziyad remained in Asia as he took a flight to Dubai for the third leg – Wadi Bih Solo Canyon (ultra marathon).
With the sun blazing throughout, Ziyad finished another perilous uphill race set in the mountain range of Hajar between UAE and Oman. Rahim completed continent three on 07 February 2014. Ziyad who works as a full-time banker returned briefly back to Doha, catching up on all the year-end closing, before heading off to Europe for continent four.
The Moonlight Challenge in Kent, UK was the destination of his next race. Prior to the race on 15 February 2014, UK was going through the worst flooding in history. Two days before the event, whilst making all the runners aware of the course, race director, Mike Inkster sent an email saying:
“The course – one third is wet and muddy and, in places, resembles the ‘Somme’ on a bad day. However, there are two particularly bad patches of about four hundred metres where it is both very muddy and has some calf-deep puddles. If you can’t swim, bring arm-bands.”
Ziyad braved the treacherous conditions to cross the finishing line. Describing this race, Rahim exclusively told DESIbitz:
“It was like wearing steel boots and running on a bed of magnet.”
Ziyad added that during the run and when in need for inspiration, he suddenly recalled the famous quote of TS Elliot: “Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.”
Highlights of continent five and his penultimate race included: running 125 times around a 400 metre track to complete the Coburg ultra marathon in Australia (23 February 2014) and taking part in a looped course to finish the Caumsett State Park ultra marathon, ticking off continent six (02 March 2014). Rahim made his seventh and final stop at the inaugural Louis Massyn Ultra Marathon, which took place in Free State, South Africa on 08 March 2014.
As Ziyad crossed the finishing line, he completed his epic and heroic challenge 41 days, 3 hours after he started. Even though he encountered painful moments, Ziyad achieved glory by keeping himself fit. Feeling an enormous sense of achievement, a jubilant Rahim spoke exclusively to DESIblitz saying:
“It was a great feeling and I was so glad that I completed the challenge amongst the most hospitable people in the world.” Rahim rounded off the year in grand style. In December 2014, he recorded his sixth Guinness World Record upon completion of 14 ultra marathons (700 km) in consecutive days. Ziyad achieved this feat in Long Beach, California as part of the Charlie Alewine winter challenge. Ziyad told DESIblitz this record breaking journey would not have been possible without the support of his wife Nadia and two children Zara and Mekaal.
Rahim has proven if you put your heart and soul into something, one can fulfil their dreams and goals in life. It is all about being determined and persistent. Always focusing on the end result, Ziyad has successfully undergone a mind blowing voyage around the world to attain a graceful victory overall.
In 2015, Ziyad is hoping to embark on, perhaps the biggest challenge of his life. He is aiming to complete 7 marathons on 7 continents in only 7 days. This challenge, dubbed the “Triple 7 Quest” is Rahim’s brainchild. Ziyad Rahim is taking thirty-six runners from all over the world on this exciting adventure.
MARATHON MAN
By Umer Nangiana - Mar 23, 2014
More than a hundred races across seven continents and counting. For him, running has more to it than just physical fitness and personal glory. It keeps hope alive, he says. Every time he runs, someone somewhere in the world, suffering from disease or poverty, gets a fresh lease. He runs to the help of the world’s destitute.
Meet Ziyad Rahim, a Pakistani based in Qatar, who is a world record holder in long-distance running.
Rahim ran his — along with his country’s — name into the Guinness Book of World Records last year for completing a marathon on each continent and the North Pole, the Marathon Grand Slam, in 41 days. The previous record was 324 days.
In the process, he raised awareness for CARE Pakistan, a non-profit organisation providing free education to underprivileged children in Pakistan.
Starting January this year, Rahim embarked on another world record breaking challenge, running an ultra-marathon on each continent in fastest time, 41 days and three hours, in an attempt to beat the previous record of 267 days (1999). He accomplished it this month (March 8) by completing the last leg in South Africa.
In the process, he has set four more Guinness World Records (officially confirmed by Guinness) in different ultra-marathon categories.
Once again, he did not run without a cause. The Pakistani marathoner was raising awareness for Maria Cristina Foundation, Dubai and Pakistan Welfare Forum, Qatar, the two charities based in GCC region with an established profile for their work on children’s education.
“When you are running a marathon, you are running besides the most optimistic and the fittest people in the world. It is probably the only sport in which you take part and you raise money for charities,” Rahim told me. It was difficult to catch up with him as he is always ‘on the run’ but I did manage to sit him down for a chat.
We met at a restaurant where, over a quick meal, he told me stories from his ‘running life’ and his keenness in raising awareness particularly about underprivileged children. At the age of 40, Rahim, a father of two, is so agile that it is difficult to keep up with even the pace at which he walks. He moves fast and he even talks fast, always conscious of his time.
By profession, Rahim is a banking executive. He is head of Market Risk at Barwa Bank, Doha. Originally from Lahore, Pakistan, Rahim also holds a Canadian passport which makes possible his visa-free travel, and he has been living in Qatar for five years.
He is clearly one of the select few daring men and women who are not afraid of taking on our planet’s toughest terrains. Running a marathon, which is 26.2 miles, on any surface is a difficult undertaking but picture this; Arctic ocean in North Pole, minus 40 degrees temperature and ‘frozen water’ for the running track.
Here, you are tasked to run a marathon on a six-foot thick active ice floe, separating you from 12,000 feet deep Arctic Ocean. Rahim has completed this challenge once in his life and it was here that he accomplished his world record also.
He is a member of the elite North Pole Marathon Grand Slam Club, the only Pakistani to make it to the select 78 members from different countries of the world. It is also his personal favourite marathon.
“It is an amazing experience. It is very nice just for the sheer fact that you are running near the North Pole,” Rahim recalled his experience of the ‘coolest race.’
He narrated how the marathon is done. There is no land, just the frozen Arctic Ocean. The sun comes out at the North Pole by the end of March. There is a special logistics company that flies over the ocean and finds a suitable place for landing where they drop logistics and manpower. The engineers and specialists asses the track and create a run way.
“They do a test landing on the runway and only after ensuring that everything is fine, they come and pick us (the athletes) from Svalbard which is 78 degrees north, right at the top of Norway,” said Rahim, rejoicing at the memories of his experience.
It takes strong nerves and a very fit body to even think of participating in such marathons. He has trained his nerves over a period of time through his experience with different types of marathons; however, he has to follow a regular exercise and diet regime to stay on top of his physical fitness.
“Every week I play squash for two days, perform spinning exercises for another two and do the running exercise for two days. I run 20-25 kilometres every day,” said Rahim. He avoids fatty food, stays away from carbonated drinks and eats at regular intervals.
He plans his day in such a way that he gives proper time to work, his family and passion, the marathons. Rahim believes there is no excuse for an unhealthy life as everyone can easily find time for exercise.
“You have 24 hours in a day. Even if you sleep for 8 hours and work for 10, you are still left with 6 hours from which you can easily find an hour or so for exercise after spending time with your family,” said the marathoner.
Running marathons also provides him and his family opportunities to roam the world. He finds his marathon destinations for the year and then the family plans their vacation around it for that year. His two children, daughter Zara, 7, and son Mekaal, 6, have so far been to 45 countries, said Rahim. They also take part in kiddies’ marathons, he added.
Rahim, son of cricket commentator Tariq Rahim, found his passion for adventure and running marathons whilst in Aitcheson College Lahore where he used to participate in cross country races. He moved to Canada in 2000 where his house was near the start of Toronto Marathon. Taking inspiration from there, he started running. He ran his first marathon in 2003.
Rahim is no stranger to long-distance marathons and raising awareness about charities. In 2010, he ran marathons for three consecutive weeks in UK and raised money for Pakistan’s flood victims.
In 2012, he participated in the Marathon des Sables (MdS), the toughest foot-race on earth and this time he joined hands with ‘Facing Africa’, a charity to create awareness and raise money for NOMA disease patients in Western Africa.
Noma is a gangrenous disease leading to tissue destruction of the face especially those in the mouth and cheek. Noma has affected over half a million people, with 140,000 new cases reported each year according to estimates by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Mostly children below the age of 12, in the poorest countries of Africa and some parts of Asia and South America are its victims. According to WHO, about 80-90 percent of Noma victims die.
And Rahim had taken on an equally dangerous race to raise awareness about the Noma victims. The MdS is held annually in Southern Morocco, is the toughest ultra-marathon in the world where the lives of at least two competitors have been lost in the past. An Italian runner had lost his way during a sandstorm in 1994 and wandered for nine days, losing 13kg.
The risks were high but he emerged successful. “Wherever I see children in problem I try to raise awareness about it and help them,” said the Pakistani athlete. Once again, he was trying to help children by creating awareness about PWF and MCF’s work.
The latter, he said, was very active and it had managed to raise about US$100, 000 so far — the target is to raise a million dollars. His race was still underway and Rahim hopes people would donate for the charities as they have always been forthcoming in the past as well.
Since January 24 this year, Rahim has successfully completed 50km ultra-marathons in Antarctica, South America, Asia, Europe, Australia and Africa in consecutive weeks as part of his record-breaking effort.
All his races have been different. In Antarctica, he ran a hilly course in -20 degree. In Chile, it was running against winds of over 60 km/hr. In UK for instance, he ran during the worst floods in Southern England and was one of the only 23 runners out of 65 starters to complete a night ultra-marathon in the most unforgiving of conditions.
The past few weeks, he has been flying hundreds of miles to his marathon destinations and back home.
During his latest record attempt, he flew every weekend to different continents, ran the utramarathon and immediately flew back to get to work the next day.
However, both his family and his Bank, Rahim said, have been very supportive. He plans to take part in Boston and London marathon in April this year.
“After this, I have promised my wife that I would taper down,” said Rahim, smiling.
By Umer Nangiana - Mar 23, 2014
More than a hundred races across seven continents and counting. For him, running has more to it than just physical fitness and personal glory. It keeps hope alive, he says. Every time he runs, someone somewhere in the world, suffering from disease or poverty, gets a fresh lease. He runs to the help of the world’s destitute.
Meet Ziyad Rahim, a Pakistani based in Qatar, who is a world record holder in long-distance running.
Rahim ran his — along with his country’s — name into the Guinness Book of World Records last year for completing a marathon on each continent and the North Pole, the Marathon Grand Slam, in 41 days. The previous record was 324 days.
In the process, he raised awareness for CARE Pakistan, a non-profit organisation providing free education to underprivileged children in Pakistan.
Starting January this year, Rahim embarked on another world record breaking challenge, running an ultra-marathon on each continent in fastest time, 41 days and three hours, in an attempt to beat the previous record of 267 days (1999). He accomplished it this month (March 8) by completing the last leg in South Africa.
In the process, he has set four more Guinness World Records (officially confirmed by Guinness) in different ultra-marathon categories.
Once again, he did not run without a cause. The Pakistani marathoner was raising awareness for Maria Cristina Foundation, Dubai and Pakistan Welfare Forum, Qatar, the two charities based in GCC region with an established profile for their work on children’s education.
“When you are running a marathon, you are running besides the most optimistic and the fittest people in the world. It is probably the only sport in which you take part and you raise money for charities,” Rahim told me. It was difficult to catch up with him as he is always ‘on the run’ but I did manage to sit him down for a chat.
We met at a restaurant where, over a quick meal, he told me stories from his ‘running life’ and his keenness in raising awareness particularly about underprivileged children. At the age of 40, Rahim, a father of two, is so agile that it is difficult to keep up with even the pace at which he walks. He moves fast and he even talks fast, always conscious of his time.
By profession, Rahim is a banking executive. He is head of Market Risk at Barwa Bank, Doha. Originally from Lahore, Pakistan, Rahim also holds a Canadian passport which makes possible his visa-free travel, and he has been living in Qatar for five years.
He is clearly one of the select few daring men and women who are not afraid of taking on our planet’s toughest terrains. Running a marathon, which is 26.2 miles, on any surface is a difficult undertaking but picture this; Arctic ocean in North Pole, minus 40 degrees temperature and ‘frozen water’ for the running track.
Here, you are tasked to run a marathon on a six-foot thick active ice floe, separating you from 12,000 feet deep Arctic Ocean. Rahim has completed this challenge once in his life and it was here that he accomplished his world record also.
He is a member of the elite North Pole Marathon Grand Slam Club, the only Pakistani to make it to the select 78 members from different countries of the world. It is also his personal favourite marathon.
“It is an amazing experience. It is very nice just for the sheer fact that you are running near the North Pole,” Rahim recalled his experience of the ‘coolest race.’
He narrated how the marathon is done. There is no land, just the frozen Arctic Ocean. The sun comes out at the North Pole by the end of March. There is a special logistics company that flies over the ocean and finds a suitable place for landing where they drop logistics and manpower. The engineers and specialists asses the track and create a run way.
“They do a test landing on the runway and only after ensuring that everything is fine, they come and pick us (the athletes) from Svalbard which is 78 degrees north, right at the top of Norway,” said Rahim, rejoicing at the memories of his experience.
It takes strong nerves and a very fit body to even think of participating in such marathons. He has trained his nerves over a period of time through his experience with different types of marathons; however, he has to follow a regular exercise and diet regime to stay on top of his physical fitness.
“Every week I play squash for two days, perform spinning exercises for another two and do the running exercise for two days. I run 20-25 kilometres every day,” said Rahim. He avoids fatty food, stays away from carbonated drinks and eats at regular intervals.
He plans his day in such a way that he gives proper time to work, his family and passion, the marathons. Rahim believes there is no excuse for an unhealthy life as everyone can easily find time for exercise.
“You have 24 hours in a day. Even if you sleep for 8 hours and work for 10, you are still left with 6 hours from which you can easily find an hour or so for exercise after spending time with your family,” said the marathoner.
Running marathons also provides him and his family opportunities to roam the world. He finds his marathon destinations for the year and then the family plans their vacation around it for that year. His two children, daughter Zara, 7, and son Mekaal, 6, have so far been to 45 countries, said Rahim. They also take part in kiddies’ marathons, he added.
Rahim, son of cricket commentator Tariq Rahim, found his passion for adventure and running marathons whilst in Aitcheson College Lahore where he used to participate in cross country races. He moved to Canada in 2000 where his house was near the start of Toronto Marathon. Taking inspiration from there, he started running. He ran his first marathon in 2003.
Rahim is no stranger to long-distance marathons and raising awareness about charities. In 2010, he ran marathons for three consecutive weeks in UK and raised money for Pakistan’s flood victims.
In 2012, he participated in the Marathon des Sables (MdS), the toughest foot-race on earth and this time he joined hands with ‘Facing Africa’, a charity to create awareness and raise money for NOMA disease patients in Western Africa.
Noma is a gangrenous disease leading to tissue destruction of the face especially those in the mouth and cheek. Noma has affected over half a million people, with 140,000 new cases reported each year according to estimates by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Mostly children below the age of 12, in the poorest countries of Africa and some parts of Asia and South America are its victims. According to WHO, about 80-90 percent of Noma victims die.
And Rahim had taken on an equally dangerous race to raise awareness about the Noma victims. The MdS is held annually in Southern Morocco, is the toughest ultra-marathon in the world where the lives of at least two competitors have been lost in the past. An Italian runner had lost his way during a sandstorm in 1994 and wandered for nine days, losing 13kg.
The risks were high but he emerged successful. “Wherever I see children in problem I try to raise awareness about it and help them,” said the Pakistani athlete. Once again, he was trying to help children by creating awareness about PWF and MCF’s work.
The latter, he said, was very active and it had managed to raise about US$100, 000 so far — the target is to raise a million dollars. His race was still underway and Rahim hopes people would donate for the charities as they have always been forthcoming in the past as well.
Since January 24 this year, Rahim has successfully completed 50km ultra-marathons in Antarctica, South America, Asia, Europe, Australia and Africa in consecutive weeks as part of his record-breaking effort.
All his races have been different. In Antarctica, he ran a hilly course in -20 degree. In Chile, it was running against winds of over 60 km/hr. In UK for instance, he ran during the worst floods in Southern England and was one of the only 23 runners out of 65 starters to complete a night ultra-marathon in the most unforgiving of conditions.
The past few weeks, he has been flying hundreds of miles to his marathon destinations and back home.
During his latest record attempt, he flew every weekend to different continents, ran the utramarathon and immediately flew back to get to work the next day.
However, both his family and his Bank, Rahim said, have been very supportive. He plans to take part in Boston and London marathon in April this year.
“After this, I have promised my wife that I would taper down,” said Rahim, smiling.