KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kei Kamara runs about seven miles over 90 minutes, to and fro, in temperatures that reduce crayons to pudding. He does this for work, usually twice a week. And that's not counting the other days of training on the Major League Soccer calendar, which more is of the same, only twice as dull.
"When I was in Houston, when I had days off or very light days, I'd do it," the Sporting Kansas City forward, a Muslim, says of Ramadan, the holy month that requires fasting from sunup to sundown. "And when I first got here, I wanted to try it.
"One day, I went through (it) a little bit. But with the heat, and knowing me and my competitiveness, I wanted to be out there giving 110 percent. Birahim Diop, who was here last year, another Muslim player, there was a day that he tried (to fast during the season). But coming out here, after 30 minutes of training with (the) heat — he couldn't continue doing it."
With that, Kamara shakes his head. Ramadan is about self-discipline, about giving, about perspective for those less fortunate, about cleansing the soul. But it also provides a conundrum for Muslim athletes, both at the Olympics and back home: Should you emaciate your body? Or your faith?
"A lot of your friends and family — mostly friends — are asking you, ‘Can you do it? Are you going to do it? Are you going to do it?' " Kamara says. "It's the same almost every year."
Only this year is more challenging than most. In 2012, Ramadan began July 20 and runs through August 18, when the warmth of the Midwest is at its least forgiving. Toss in the fact we're in the teeth of one of the worst droughts on record, with no relief from the triple-digit temperatures in sight, and it's a tricky balance.
Although fasting during Ramadan is one of the five pillars of his faith, Kamara has elected to take a pass, citing health concerns and the rigors of the MLS routine. But Sporting teammate Soony Saad, another practicing Muslim, is continuing to fast.
"What we believe in is that God is very forgiving," Saad says. "If you desperately need water, and it's for your work, then you can break your fast and make it up another time."
There are other exemptions, such as when fasting would cause risk of serious self-harm — during a pregnancy, for example. Those who happen to be traveling during Ramadan may postpone fasting as well. And fasting days can be made up at a later date, such as after the season. Or the days may be accounted for spiritually by a donation to charity for each day you're not fasting, which is the path Kamara is taking this year.
"There are possibly 10-15 houses in my little area in Sierra Leone," says Kamara, who leads the club in scoring with eight goals in 21 appearances. "And most of the people are Muslim, so I try to provide for them — and give them something so they can continue, and basically just bless me for the fact that I can't be part of it. I just make sure I say, ‘If I can't do it, you know, you guys please do it, and continue doing it, and I'll provide what you guys need to do it.'"
The holy month starts about 11 days earlier each year on the western calendar, but this is the first time it's run concurrent to a Summer Olympics since the Moscow Games of 1980. Nearly 3,500 Muslims are competing in the United Kingdom; last week, Jordan's Prince Feisal Bin Al-Hussein, a member of the International Olympic Committee, suggested that participating Muslims should be excused from fasting. The longer the days, the greater the challenge.
"I'm sure if I was playing in a lot cooler environment during this time," Kamara notes, "I would be more encouraged to do it."
Of course, there are others in the local Muslim community who say environment — however stifling — shouldn't factor into the equation.
"For a person to do that, they will be rewarded doing their acts of goodness like that, but that still doesn't excuse them from the fast," offers Rudolph Muhammad, an Imam — or prayer leader — at Kansas City's Al-Inshirah Islamic Center. "And I'm not trying to criticize (Kamara), but for them to opt not to fast and then just feed somebody, and you don't have a legitimate reason, that doesn't excuse the fasting."
Muhammad isn't without sympathy — he's been a martial arts instructor in the area for more than 30 years. His son, David, is a third-degree black belt.
"I always encourage people to continue their normal, daily life, even during fasting time," Rudolph says. "Of course, they have to moderate it some, you know, tone it down somewhat. Personally, I don't work out as hard during fasting time as I normally do."
And studies as to the potential effects of fasting on competitive athletes remain somewhat inconclusive. British scientist Ronald Maughan recently found that fasting athletes showed "small decreases in performance, particularly in activities requiring vigorous and/or repetitive muscular contraction." But, he noted, the results varied by the sport and the time of day in which the athlete was competing.
"I mean, obviously, you've got to be respectful of everybody's beliefs and everything everybody does," Sporting manager Peter Vermes says. "But the only thing is — and this is what I tell the guys all the time — is that they've got to be smart. That they cannot let it harm them, health-wise.
"Because they're not normal, right? They're high-level, professional athletes, and it's extending themselves, physically. It's one thing to be ready to play; it's another to thing to put yourself in danger."
Another study, this one on Ramadan and soccer, was published by the Journal of Sports Science in December 2008. It concluded that "biochemical, nutritional, subjective well-being and performance variables were not adversely affected in young male (soccer) players" who fasted in a supervised training camp environment.
"When I used to play in high school (in Michigan), I played better fasting," Saad says, "because my stomach is light."
A light stomach is good for training. But a dry mouth? In August? Not so much.
"I think you get more cotton mouth than anything," Saad says. "If you regularly rinse your mouth out, you should be fine. It's not that big a deal.
"Once we all step on the field, we're all family and whatnot — and the guys have faith in us. Even if we're fasting, they don't really notice it, to be honest."
Saad and Kamara have even talked about breaking fast together. And Soony's roommates usually wait until after 9 p.m. to eat dinner during Ramadan so that they can all share a meal.
"You go home, you keep your mind busy," Saad says. "Whether it's video games, taking a nap, yeah, killing time is pretty difficult. For me, once I get past 5 o'clock, it goes downhill."
After all, it's not the heat. It's the humility.
You can follow Sean Keeler on Twitter @seankeeler or email him at seanmkeeler@gmail.com
