Team Lifeline Past Runner Profiles

Joey Lifschitz | Malkie Bencher | Ron Rubin

Joey Lifschitz, 31
“I went from being a non-runner to finishing the 26.2-mile ING Miami Marathon.”

I first heard about Team Lifeline when a friend approached and ask me to assist with a few logistical items. It was Ari Weinberger who told me that “anyone can do it.” I was hesitant: I had never run a block, let alone a mile. My “friends” said, “We’ll bet you 3-1 that you won’t finish.” That’s all I needed. They were my impetus to actually sign up, run, and most important, finish.

I started to “practice” running. First one block, then two, then one loop around the Central Park Reservoir, then two…and before I knew it, I was a runner. My time started out as if I was walking, but it improved with time.

If it was not for Chai Lifeline, I never would have run this marathon and would not be a runner today. (I have run two half-marathons since Miami and I am registered to run another full marathon this year.) The reason is simple. By raising money for such an important cause, I had to finish. I didn’t have the choice to cancel, wake up late, or make any other excuses to get out if. People were counting on me to finish. In the end, Ari was correct. Anyone can do it. Team Lifeline was there with us every step of the way.

We had two amazing team coordinators in New York, Jaime Rosenfeld and Adam Kaplan. They organized group runs every Sunday, which helped us to get to know each other and benefit from running as training as a group.

In September 2005, I didn’t even own a pair of sneakers. In January 2006, I ran 26.2 miles. If you want to run a marathon, I can’t think of a better way to run than with Team Lifeline. If you don’t know if you want to run, or you think you can’t, call me! After five minutes, I’m sure I can convince you why you can and should run and why you should do with Team Lifeline.

As for my friends who bet me that I couldn’t finish, they have all paid in full – to Team Lifeline.

Malkie Bencher, 32
“My seven-year-old son wants a commitment that I will run with him when he turns 14, the minimum age for the half-marathon.”

Before running with Team Lifeline, I had experience running short distances. I was very serious about the training, although I thought that I would not do it again. However, about a day or two after I ran the full marathon (26.2 miles), I was ready to sign up for another year.

I wouldn’t do this again for the sake of running a marathon, or to beat my time, nor would I consider trying the New York City Marathon. I hope to do it again for Chai Lifeline!

After the presentation (about Chai Lifeline) at the Pasta Party, and after meeting the committed people of Chai Lifeline, I just felt like doing something for this incredible organization. Since I love to run and work out a lot, I feel that G-d has given me these abilities not just for my own personal use, but to help others as well. If my running can raise money for Chai Lifeline, maybe that’s why I was given this ability. That’s the reason I hope to be in Miami for the 2007 ING Marathon and Half-Marathon.

My husband will be joining me this year. My seven-year-old son wants a commitment that I will run with him when he turns 14, the minimum age for the half-marathon.

Ron Rubin, 63
“I felt part of a noble, life-saving mission that Sunday.”

I have run six full marathons in the past. As the author of Anything for a T-Shirt: Fred Lebow and the New York City Marathon, The World’s Greatest Footrace (Syracuse University Press), I felt a special connection with Chai Lifeline.

Fred Lebow was a Holocaust Survivor who founded the New York City Marathon, and with it, the concept of a people’s marathon that anyone could run. In the last years of his life, Fred was diagnosed with brain cancer, but he refused to be defeated by it. He fought the disease through running, which apparently increased his resistance.

Lebow felt a real sadness at the notion of young children suffering from cancer. He certainly would have applauded Chai Lifeline’s participation in the ING Miami Marathon and Half-Marathon.

Personally, I felt part of a noble, life-saving mission that Sunday. The warm Shabbat atmosphere and camaraderie from fellow runners, most of whom were courageously competing in a distance race for the first time, affirmed my decision to join.