An Oldham mountaineer is preparing to attempt a record-breaking ascent of Mount Kilimanjaro, aiming to reach the summit in under eight hours and to descend the same day.
Aklakur ‘Akke’ Rahman, 43, is the only climber from Oldham to have conquered Mount Everest twice—once in 2022 and again in 2024. He is also the first British Bangladeshi to climb the world’s highest peak. His first ascent took only three weeks, although it usually takes around eight weeks. In total, he has successfully climbed 13 of the highest mountains around the world.
No one from the UK has completed the climb of Kilimanjaro in under eight hours. At 5,895m, Kilimanjaro is the tallest mountain in Africa. Jon Gupta holds the British record for the ascent, taking eight hours and eleven minutes to complete. Rahman wants to break that record. Subject to sponsorship, he hopes to do the climb next month.
When he was a child, he watched television programmes about Mount Everest. He would keenly watch people climbing it and saw them as heroes.
He was very athletic as a youngster. At the age of 14, he became triple jump champion of Greater Manchester.
The first mountain he climbed was Mount Snowdon, the highest in Wales, after being encouraged to do so by a friend. Following the Snowdon climb, his passion for mountaineering was ignited.
“My motivation when I’m making gruelling climbs is my family. For them, I stay safe when I climb, and I study the routes,” the father-of-three added.
He is now able to climb 6,000 metres in one day, but for an average person it would take six days or more. He can do this due to a gruelling training routine. He runs between 5km to 25km up to five times a week and has sessions in the gym. He has raised over £1million for various charities over the past six years.
He recently travelled to Bangladesh and visited various schools in Sylhet to give motivational speeches to inspire students.
“My message is simple; if I can do it, you can achieve more,” he continued.
“The physical isolation on the mountain is daunting, but the most exhausting challenge is often the invisible one we face before leaving. There is a common misconception that passion alone fuels an expedition, but the reality involves a constant, quiet battle to make ends meet,” Rahman said.
Rahman is now training in the build-up to his Kilimanjaro attempt, which could see him again make British and world mountaineering history. For the Oldham resident, the summit represents not just a record, but the next chapter in an extraordinary journey.
Notable Climbs
• Mount Elbrus (2020) – UK Speed Record (reached the summit in under 24 hours).
• Mount Everest (2022) – First British Muslim to reach the summit.
• Mount Everest (2024) – Second successful summit.
• Mount Lhotse (2024) – Summited the world’s 4th highest peak (climbed back-to-back with Everest).
• Mount Ama Dablam (2025) – Summited in a single 24-hour push.
. Mount Manaslu (2025) – Summited in just nine days with no acclimatisation rotations
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