Boston isn’t just another marathon. Everyone here knows that. So being able to run the Boston Marathon this year means more to me than just showing up on race day.
I’m not running this one for a time. I’m running it in memory of Ariel and Kfir Bibas, and that’s been with me through every part of this build up. I’m also genuinely grateful to be given this opportunity through Strength to Strength, an organization that stands for something real. Getting a place through them, and running with the message of standing strong in the face of terror, adds another layer to what this race means to me.
This past year hasn’t been simple. Being openly Jewish online comes with a lot that people don’t always see. Messages, comments, things that stick with you more than you’d like. It would be easier to keep things surface level, post workouts, avoid anything deeper, stay out of it. But that’s never really been me.
Training has always been how I deal with things. It gives me structure when everything else feels a bit off. Over time, I realized that if I’m showing up every day anyway, I might as well be honest about what I stand for as well.
The Batman outfit started off as something a bit different, something that would stand out. But the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. It’s about showing up even when things feel heavy. That’s what this year has felt like for a lot of people. Life doesn’t pause. You still have to get on with it, even when things are sitting in the background. You still wake up, go to work, speak to people, train, try and keep some normality.
Training in Israel over the last month wasn’t exactly ideal. Sleep was off, routines were off, mentally it wasn’t easy. But I kept going. Not perfectly, just consistently. That’s probably the biggest thing I’ve taken from all of this. You don’t need perfect conditions. You just need to keep showing up when it’s not convenient, when it’s not comfortable, when you don’t feel at your best. For me, this marathon is just the next step. I know parts of it will hurt and there will be moments where I question it. But I also know why I’m there, and that’s enough.
There’s something about doing this in Boston that adds another layer to it. This is a city that understands resilience in a real way, and the marathon means something here beyond just the race itself. To be part of that, while carrying my own reason for running, means a lot. I don’t think you need something big like a marathon to show what you stand for. Sometimes it’s just being a bit more open, saying something when it would be easier not to, and not holding back just to stay comfortable.
This is just my version of that. Running through Boston in a Batman suit, doing something that actually means something to me, and hopefully reminding people that even when things feel heavy, you keep moving forward.
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