Athlete Saiful Islam Shanto starts touring the country on foot

Athlete Saiful Islam Shanto started his "64 district Walking Challenge 2022" from the Central Shaheed Minar at 10am on Friday, aiming to reach Narayanganj on the first day of the tour.

Undertaking the challenge, Shanto will cover 64 districts, walking a total of 4,050 km in the next three months.

He will walk 50 km a day to reach the final destination of his country tour, Cox's Bazar district, said a press statement.

Shanto is doing this country tour with the help of Shwaroz Adventure and the supervision of the Hikers Society of Bangladesh.

On his walk through 64 districts, he is determined to plant a tree in each district and highlight the importance of conserving the natural environment among students at different educational institutions, reads the press statement.

He will convey awareness messages to citizens on the importance of donating blood to save lives, planting trees to save nature, and the sensible use of plastics to protect the environment.

Shanto has a passion for walking. On 16 December 2021, he participated in a 71 km "Victory Day Walk" programme on Mymensingh highway to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of Independence.

Besides celebrating the birth centenary of the Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, he walked 100 km in 24 hours on 20 November 2020, from Dhaka to Cumilla on an awareness programme.

Earlier in 2020, Shanto started off on 12 August to 16 districts, completing a 1000 km tour (Cumilla to Banglabandha) on foot in 40 days.

He also completed a hiking challenge in 2018, the "100 km Hill Challenge" on the country's steepest Bandarban-Alikadam track.

Apart from being an active member of the country's largest running groups, he has been running a group of 2,000 members, the "Debidwar Runners" of Debidwar upazila.

Shanto completed his BSc in Geography and Environmental Science from National University.