A Runner’s Passion

How the sport of running changed my life.

In eighth grade Joseph Benun, now a sophomore at Yeshivah of Flatbush, discovered the joy of running. Today he applies the sport’s discipline to all aspects of his life. He excels in school and maintains a vegan diet.

by Joseph Benun

I was 8 years old and my parents were attempting to get me to go to the pizza store.
“But why can’t I stay home with Daddy?”

“Because Daddy is going jogging and the rest of the family is going to go eat.”

I was having a fit. Eventually my mother, sick and tired from frustration, departed only to leave me and my dad in the house. I managed to coax my dad into allowing me to go jogging with him (at that time I had no idea what jogging actually was; it was this stubbornness that played a vital role throughout my life molding me into who I am today.)
I slipped on a pair of muddy sneakers, whose latest

adventure involved scaling the school playground, and were now going to experience something entirely different. And on that note I went running with my dad through the local park.

It was a frigid December day, the park’s water fountains and bathrooms closed. A couple of miles rolled by and I felt surprisingly fine. My goal was to exceed my dad’s prediction of me only being able to run one or two miles. I remember telling myself that whatever my dad planned on doing, I was going to do — which was six miles. Every mile I asked my Dad, “Did you think I would make it this far?” and every time I would receive the same answer, “Ha-ha no, Joe.”

Exceeding my father’s expectations fed my desire to trek forward. About an hour later I had finished. I then took my first sip from my chilled Gatorade bottle and thought, “Wow, now I’m a real runner.” As a kid I was under the impression that only real athletes could drink the legendary Gatorade beverage. After that first sip, I passionately guzzled down the thirst-quencher and it was then that the seed of my future was planted.

Twenty-four hours later and I was back to the same old me, more interested in the latest cartoon show then actually considering running again. It was not until five years later that I realized that the event was not as trivial as I had thought. I was an eighth grade student in Hillel Yeshiva when I met the school’s new gym coach from Israel, Shlomo Weiss.

Shlomo introduced me (or should I say reintroduced me) to running. He told me about the JCC Maccabi Games. The games are a simulation of the Olympics for Jewish teens from around the world. The event takes place in four different venues annually. The plan was for me to participate in the sport of track and field but I decided not to attend the games that year mostly because a close friend of mine decided not to go. However a year later I made up my mind to go to the Maccabi Games.

I was so excited! Not sure what to expect and with six months to go, I started to prepare. My father, eager to encourage my new-found hobby, bought me my first pair of running shoes. They were bright white with orange stripes. I was eager, just as a child wants to play with a new toy, I wanted to get the most use out of my new sneakers.

I then began to run a couple of times a week. Then I started to eat well, slowly cutting out unhealthy foods. First to go was ices, then was ice cream and eventually my sister’s home-made, melt in your mouth, deliciously chewy sugar cookies. Now I’m a health nut and practically a vegan.

The novelty of running began to wear off and I started to make excuses why I could not run on any given day. The excuses ranged from a sprained finger to a bruised bottom to being just plain sick. And when I did run, I would make it quick and painless.

One day after a run of just one mile my dad had a stern talk with me. He told me that my strategy was not going to work. I could not just run one mile a few days a week and expect to see an improvement. “There are no shortcuts,” he told me. My ego was crushed and I painfully admitted to myself he was right. Luckily, I still had a couple of weeks left till the Maccabi Games and with a different outlook, I whipped myself into shape.
Before I knew it, I was on my way to Vancouver, Canada, to participate in the Maccabi Games. Turned out, I wasn’t such a bad runner, garnering seven medals (five gold, one silver, two bronze) in various track and field events. Upon returning home I had gained a fresh view of life. I had learned from my training that nothing is served on a silver platter and one must work for it. My eating habits began to evolve with this new outlook and my academic performance started to climb.

One year later and I was off to the JCC Maccabi Games once more, this time in Orange County, California. I received five medals and the same ideas that I learned the year earlier were further etched in my mind. I had become a health fanatic, cutting out any white flour, artificial sugars and meat. And with my increased training I learned to budget my time while still maintaining (and slightly improving) my scholastic abilities.
The notable difference between my first Maccabi Games and the second was that now I had the “runner’s high” and wanted to race every chance I got.

I started to seriously train for every upcoming meet. Since my school, Flatbush Yeshivah, does not have a track team, I compete in local races. Typically I would win awards for my age group but occasionally I would receive an award for overall performance.
As perverse as this may sound to some I enjoyed pushing my body to the limits and running was a great way for me to test these limits. In the Long Branch half-marathon, for example, I had become highly unmotivated about two-thirds through the race. (Scientists think this occurs as a result of low carbohydrate stores.) My body was screaming at me to stop, or at the very least walk. It was at that moment that I was testing my true limits not necessarily physically, but mentally.

With about two miles to go my vision had become increasingly blurry (I think it was due to a lack of oxygen); however, I endured. Upon finishing the race I collapsed on a spectator, was rushed to the medical tent on a stretcher and was hooked up to an oxygen tank (due to a bad case of hyperventilation). But when the dust cleared I was the same old runner, fervent to take on another race.

Running has taught me self-discipline; it has transformed me from a slacker into a diligent student. From an unhealthy child who would succumb to cravings, to someone who could resist even the tastiest treat. I currently do not eat refined sugars, refined grains, meat or fish. I exercise four to six days a week; I run for four and bike or swim the other two days.

My average workout takes about 40 to 45 minutes, not including the time it takes to get ready to run. I need to reach a certain mindset before putting myself through any sort of running-related pain (training runs can become difficult); although I usually spend my just munching on a pre-run food, typically a banana. This running routine can become quite a chore when I leave at 7 a.m. for school, get home at 6 p.m. and try to remain diligent in my studies in a dual curriculum school — and this is where my time-management skills come into play.

If I could take just one idea that I learned throughout my quest in finding who I am it would be that: “There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.”

That mindset has made all the difference.n

Joseph Benun is a sophomore at the Yeshivah of Flatbush in Brooklyn.

Westchester Jewish Conference

Westchester’s Jewish Community Relations Organization