While most post-high school yeshiva students come to Israel for the year to learn Jewish texts and tour the lands, Joe Benun takes on the Jerusalem Marathon.
By DAN BLASMarathon 521(photo credit: Razvan Nidelea)
Most post-high school yeshiva students come to Israel for the year to learn Jewish texts and tour the land.Not Joe Benun.Benun, 18, of Flatbush, New York, came to study at Yeshivat Eretz HaTzvi in Jerusalem last August, just one month after he completed the Lake Placid Ironman Competition, which included a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and 26.2 mile run. He then had 11 months before his next Ironman competition in Switzerland. To stay in top form, Benun decided to participate in the first-ever Jerusalem Marathon this March For nearly two decades, Jerusalem has hosted an international half-marathon. However at last year’s competition, Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat – himself a four-time marathon runner – announced that, “The world’s most beautiful setting for running,“ would be hosting a full marathon.Upon getting settled into yeshiva, Benun began his usual workout regimen of training five days a week.Shortly after, he realized he was not alone. “I planned on running the marathon by myself, but when I saw a few other kids running, I realized that others might be interested as well,“ Benun said.Benun first appealed to his roommate, Ariel Rogoff.“My initial response was ‘no way,’“ Rogoff recounted. “[But] that day, we went for a run together.“ The Ironman veteran was soon joined by an additional 16 people who have since been training under his tutelage.This is not Benun’s first time coaching. During his senior year of high school at Brooklyn’s Flatbush Yeshiva, he was recruited by the school organizer of Magen David Yeshiva to train a group of students for the Miami Half- Marathon to raise money for the Bikur Cholim charity.“Coaching showed me that it’s not all about giving to your athletes. It’s really more than that. You really get back. As much as you inspire them, they inspire you,“ Benun said. Benun’s experience stretches beyond the Ironman and his onetime coaching stint: He’s been running competitively since he won a Brooklyn half marathon with a time of 1:28 at age 14.Having prior experience made assembling the Yeshiva’s “Team Tzvi“ relatively easy and feedback among the runners has been positive thus far.But where do the yeshiva boys find time for all of this? Students at Yeshivat Eretz Hatzvi learn Jewish topics for over ten hours each day, mostly studying Talmud, Tanach (Bible), philosophy, Hebrew and Zionism.However, their running does not detract from their primary focus of learning.“Yeshiva life always comes first. If I’m tired, I don’t skip a class; I skip a run,“ said Boston’s Ben Fisher.“We have as much learning as—if not more than—in This is not Benun’s first time coaching. During his senior year of high school at Brooklyn’s Flatbush Yeshiva, he was recruited by the school organizer of Magen David Yeshiva to train a group of students for the Miami Half- Marathon to raise money for the Bikur Cholim charity.“Coaching showed me that it’s not all about giving to your athletes. It’s really more than that. You really get back. As much as you inspire them, they inspire you,“ Benun said. Benun’s experience stretches beyond the Ironman and his onetime coaching stint: He’s been running competitively since he won a Brooklyn half marathon with a time of 1:28 at age 14.Having prior experience made assembling the Yeshiva’s “Team Tzvi“ relatively easy and feedback among the runners has been positive thus far.But where do the yeshiva boys find time for all of this? Students at Yeshivat Eretz Hatzvi learn Jewish topics for over ten hours each day, mostly studying Talmud, Tanach (Bible), philosophy, Hebrew and Zionism.However, their running does not detract from their primary focus of learning. “Yeshiva life always comes first. If I’m tired, I don’t skip a class; I skip a run,“ said Boston’s Ben Fisher.“We have as much learning as—if not more than—in high school, but with no homework and mostly unstructured free time. In which case, running is a great, healthy use of our spare time,“ said Zach Avigan of Boston, Massachusetts.Coach Benun believes that running helps to supplement the yeshiva curriculum. “Running all over Jerusalem gives you a connection, more of an appreciation for the land,“ he said. “You are not a tourist anymore. Staying inside all day learning is not taking full advantage of what Jerusalem has to offer.“ “I’ve always gotten good grades, but I’ve never accomplished any real physical feat,“ said Fisher.“Most people after three weeks of training never realized what they were fully capable of achieving; they were doubtful of their abilities,“ Benun said. “I see my job as just getting rid of people’s doubts.“ The reservations mostly stem from the intensity of the commitment “I wanted to do the full marathon, but it was difficult to keep up with all the workouts,“ explained Joe Hyman of Edgware, England, who is opting to compete in the half-marathon “I plan on running in the full marathon,” said Sam Cappell of the Upper West Side in New York City, “but just getting started is difficult.”The team is inspired by emails from Joe, daily updates on the “Team Tzvi“ Facebook page and messages scrawled on the whiteboard in the yeshiva’s exercise room “Mind over matter: if you don’t mind, it won’t matter,“ read one “Everyone in this yeshiva could run a marathon,“ Benun said. “It’s just a matter of putting in the effort.“ Rogoff, Benun’s roommate, said he once heard the Team Tzvi captain speaking in his sleep, saying, “You can do it, I guarantee it!“ “Joe is an animal, he doesn’t stop,“ asserted Fisher. “I’ve never seen anyone so motivated in my life. He makes us more motivated every day.“ This is no understatement. Benun will attend Princeton University next fall, where he plans to try out for the cross-country team. Fortunately, weekly runs of over 15 miles and interval training (alternating between fast and slow speeds) keep him in perfect shape.To maintain an energy level high enough to complete his workouts, Joe consumes over 4000 calories and six liters of water per day. Further complicating matters is his vegan diet – he eats no processed grains, only whole grains, fruits, vegetables and nuts.Being a vegan, running a marathon and coaching Team Tzvi are not enough for Benun; he also intends to raise money for a charity to be decided upon by the team.It would seem that the modern day yeshiva experience these days is not all books, benches and black hats after all.Word Chart
if(catID != 151){
var cont = `Take Israel home with the new Jerusalem Post Store
