Training in Iran uncomfortable for Jesuit High runner

Shayan Falasiri says you have no idea just how comfortable it is to run in a pair of shorts until you try running in blue jeans, especially when you're hoofing it up and down a mountain.

Of course, not many people would realize this unless, like Falasiri, you were in a country where wearing shorts outdoors is not allowed by the predominant religion, Islam. That was the situation Falasiri was in this past summer when he was visiting relatives in Shiraz, Iran, while trying to get in shape for the Jesuit High cross country team.

Falasiri wasn't born in Iran. Tampa is his hometown. He is a practicing Muslim but being what he and his family call "liberal" Muslims, Shayan says he has only attended private, Christian-based schools and has never been discriminated against due to his faith.

Shayan's parents, Majdi and Firoozeh Falasiri, are natives of Iran and many of their relatives still live in Shiraz, a southern Iranian city at the foot of the Zagros Mountains. While he was there, Shayan made a promise to himself to train like never before and become a major contributor for the state-ranked Tigers this fall.

The commitment meant rising before dawn several days a week, boarding a bus with athletes from other sports and traveling an hour to the mountains. Their common goal: to improve their endurance.

"There were soccer players, runners and some people whose hobby was just running up and down mountains," Falasiri said. "It was a great atmosphere. Everyone wanted to improve themselves or do something to be healthy. But it was hard. Harder than anything I had ever done before."

Essentially, Falasiri and the group ran up and down the mountains for one to two hours at a time. In some areas, there were footpaths to follow. In other spots, you made your own way.

And since the teachings of Islam are strictly followed in Iran, these Muslim men were forbidden to wear shorts because they were in a public place, Falasiri said. As a result, they ran in long pants, often in jeans.

Generally speaking, Muslim men, as well as women, are not supposed to show their skin in public areas. That means they must exercise with long-sleeved shirts and pants, no matter how hot it gets. Disobeying this edict can result in dire consequences. In 2006, news organizations such as The Associated Press reported that an Iraqi tennis coach and two of his players were killed because they were wearing shorts in public. Apparently, the victims were warned not to do so by Islamic extremists.

"It is the Islamic Republic of Iran," Falasiri said. "You can wear shorts inside or within the walls of your own property but once you go out in public, you can be arrested if you're not wearing long pants."

Falasiri said running conditions were tolerable in the morning when they began their run around 6. But by the time they came down from the mountain, the sun was up and temperatures were often in the 90s.

All Falasiri had to run in were jeans because there are extreme restrictions on how much visitors to Iran are allowed to bring into the country. He said he took what he could fit into a backpack. So during his three months in Iran, he wore only jeans for running.

"Shayan got so serious and worked so hard at his running this summer," said his mother, Firoozeh Falasiri. "If he wasn't running in the mountains, he was on the treadmill. He got strict about his diet and made sure to get his rest. He just loves running."

When Shayan and his family returned to Tampa in late August, it was hot here, too. But being able to wear shorts again while running was something you just can't fully appreciate until you've done it for months in long pants.

"I never really got used to running in jeans, not like I thought I would after all that time last summer," Falasiri said. "They're not only hot, they're heavy and they restrict your movement. When I put on a pair of shorts again - oh, my gosh - I couldn't believe how comfortable it was to run."

But that discipline and hard work in Iran has paid off big for Falasiri. Last year, he was on Jesuit's junior varsity cross country team, just cracking 20 minutes for the sport's 5-kilometer races. This fall, he has risen to the varsity and become a key part of the Tigers, who are ranked No. 5 in the Class 2A state poll, and has shaved off more than two minutes from his 5k personal best.

"Sometimes I can't believe the progress I've made," Falasiri said. "I just say 'Whoa, how am I running this fast?'"