Hawzah News Agency-Most athletes who are competing in the Olympic marathon on August 21 in Rio are currently training with two runs a day, usually one in the morning, and one in the late afternoon.

For Mohamed Hrezi, the schedule is a little different. He does his easy miles between 6 and 7 p.m. and his hard workout at about 1 a.m., all while fasting during the day.

Hrezi, 24, is Muslim, and is currently observing Ramadan, a month of fasting and intensive prayer, which began on June 5 and ends July 5. The month is a time of inner reflection, devotion to Allah, and self-sacrifice. Hrezi, alongside many others, abstains from eating food from dawn until dusk.

Which can make intense marathon training difficult.

Born and raised in Connecticut, Hrezi is a dual-citizen of the U.S. and Libya through his parents, who were both born in Tripoli, Libya.

“I’m just about two weeks into training,” he said. “I kept it conservative at the beginning because I’m just starting Ramadan.”

To be able to get his second run in for the day, the harder workout at 1:30 a.m., he sacrifices another necessity for marathon training: sleep.

Some nights, Hrezi doesn’t climb into bed until about 4 a.m.

Hrezi’s coach, Kevin Hanson, skips on his own night’s sleep to monitor his runner’s hard workouts.

Doing his second run in the middle of the night allows Hrezi to have some food in his stomach and take fluids and nutrition during his workout. “Then I can go home and have a quick snack before I begin my fast,” he said.

Hrezi has just about a week to go until he can return to a normal routine, but he says that despite his running schedule, Ramadan is tranquil and full of family gatherings and spiritual resurgence.