Sister Tiffany Muhammad completes major triathlon
Sister Tiffany Muhammad, widow of Fruit of Islam Captain Shaheed Muhammad and the mother of their son, Ibn Shaheed, is quite busy with the Morehouse College freshman and her law practice. But none of it stopped the 47-year-old M.G.T. and G.C.C. (Muslim Girls Training and General Civilization Class, the women of the Nation of Islam) from proving that “anything is possible” when she completed the IRONMAN Arizona race on Nov. 17.
“Being an official IRONMAN athlete is important to me because the challenges of qualifying as an IRONMAN require a demonstration of superb characteristics,” said Sister Tiffany.
She explains that it requires mental toughness, the ability to push through discomfort and fatigue, discipline, dedication to training, and a high level of physical endurance. In her assessment, endurance sports are primarily 90 percent mental.
“Obviously, one should have a good foundation of fitness but, your faith will be decisive. As the old saying goes: ‘Faith is the external elixir. It gives life, power, and action to the impulse of thought,’” she said. These are qualities that she constantly strives to possess.
Her personal quest was also to help motivate and educate others about the significance and benefits of regular exercise and inspire them to get moving.
“It is necessary being a Black woman in America and being a Muslim Girl in Training (M.G.T.) in the Nation of Islam. I desire to inspire others to be healthy, strong, courageous, and disciplined so they can survive a falling world. I am so grateful that a Saviour came and gave us wisdom and knowledge of self.
The Saviour came to make us gods. The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan under the leadership of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad literally saved my life. Otherwise, it would be impossible for me to escape all the darkness and falsehoods this world contends,” she shared.
Her mentee’s mother, Sharon Fontaine of Houston, Texas, first introduced her to marathons in 1999. They ran Houston’s marathon for years until one day she saw a man with a bicycle exiting a track.
The man explained that he participated in triathlons which involve running, swimming and bicycling. The man stated triathlons were “more complicated.”
“I knew at that moment, I wanted to do triathlons, too,” said Sister Tiffany. Her first triathlon was the Nautica Malibu Triathlon in 2011 (international distance .9 miles swim, 22 miles bike, and 6 miles run). Then, in 2017 and 2022, she did the Hermosa Beach Triathlon (sprint 3 miles, swim .5 miles and 10-mile bike ride).
“The Pacific Ocean is no joke. It was cold, dark, and petrifying,” said Sister Tiffany, who attends Mosque No. 27 in Los Angeles, the Western Regional Headquarters of the Nation of Islam.
She learned early that she wanted to do triathlons but she saw something about the most difficult endurance triathlon in the world, the IRONMAN. “I instantly was intrigued,” she said.
To train for the competition, Sister Tiffany swam one and a half hours, three to five times a week. Running comes easy for her, but biking for hours compelled some work. She succeeded by expressing constant gratitude to Allah (God), she shared.
She had to bike 112 miles through the desert and run a full marathon at 26.2 miles, along the lake. In all, Sister Tiffany endured 140.6 miles. She prayed through every discipline and constantly thanked Allah and expressed gratitude for what she was most grateful for.
“The Holy Prophet, Prophet Muhammad (May Peace and Blessings of Allah Be Upon Him) stated in his saying in the Hadiths that, ‘The most generous of Allah’s gifts, the most plentiful of Allah’s bounty is absolute health. It is the precious of Allah’s favor without exception.’ It states that blessings will continue to come to you if you preserve it,” said Sister Tiffany.
“Good health includes being well physically: movement and eating, mentally: righteousness and feeding on truth, and spiritually: prayer and feeding on the word of God,” she added.
