“The terrorists didn’t accidentally kill Kfir and Ariel—they kidnapped two babies,” says marathoner Eli Wininger.
li Wininger, an IDF reservist and avid fitness enthusiast, ran 250 miles (400 kilometers) in Utah last October, raising $40,000 for hostages held in Gaza. On Nov. 2, he plans to run the New York City Marathon dressed as Batman, in honor of the Bibas children murdered by Hamas.
A veteran of endurance events, including the Ironman Triathlon, Wininger had originally registered for the Utah race in October 2023. Then Hamas launched its Oct. 7 onslaught on southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people, and the Gaza war erupted.
“Oct. 7 happened. I am an IDF reservist. I dropped the race, flew to Israel, and fought for five months, two of which were in Gaza. I no longer had motivation to race,” Wininger told JNS.