LAFAYETTE — "It's a typical humid Louisiana day, as some of UL's track team takes a break before workouts.
Some athletes take a sip of water to beat the heat, but for sophomore jumper, Reem Tammam, she skips the water and immediately puts on her spikes.
"Fasting is not supposed to kill you, but at the same time it's something that I love to do", says Tammam.
Because for Tammam, she's in the final stretch of Ramadan.
"I could've chose not to fast, but I didn't want to... just because it's not as spiritual here as it is back home. So, I didn't want to lose more things to it, if that makes sense. That's why even though I've had meets and stuff, I still wanted to fast even though it was hard."
An Egypt native, Tammam reserves the month to not only eat or drink from sun up to sun down, but to focus on what's most important to her.
"A lot of people think it's a month of struggle. You not eating or drinking, not even water. But for us, it's not that at all. It's a month where you focus on your relationship with God, your relationship with people, and your relationship with yourself."
And she maintains it well, while competing during track season.
"I think she's feeling a bit of the three or four week period now that she's in Ramadan", says head coach Tommy Badon. "She mentioned to Rylan the jumps coach, that she was feeling a little tired a couple of days and that's only understandable and she came back just fine."
With overwhelming support from the team, Tamma credits her coaches for keeping her mentally fed, the nutrition staff for keeping her physically fed while she prays five times a day to stay spiritually fed.
"Just knowing that it's something that I won't go through by myself and that I actually have people that are making sure that I'm doing well, that I'm feeling okay, that are supporting me and stuff."
And as Ramadan ends soon on April 9th, Tammam is going the distance in it's final days.
"Ramadan is the month where I feel connected to God the most. I try to achieve as many aspects of my religion as I can."
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