On Wednesday, Yoel Levy celebrated his 26th birthday not by eating cake and indulging as one might expect. Instead, he was preparing his body and mind to complete the International Jerusalem Winner Marathon, which is set to take place tomorrow.
Levy, known to his 154,000 Instagram followers as The Jewish Fitness coach, is taking on the race dressed as Batman in memory of Ariel and Kfir Bibas and their mother Shiri, who were held hostage before being brutally murdered by Hamas terrorists. Images of the young family donning various Batman t-shirts and costumes became some of the abiding images following the atrocities of October 7. They have taken on even greater meaning since the Bibas deaths were confirmed, the memory of their coffins being transferred to the Israeli authorities impossible to shake off.
Levy reveals he decided to tackle the hilly Jerusalem marathon, which he tells me contains “more elevation than the London, Berlin and New York [marathons] together,” after completing the Dead Sea Half Marathon back in February. However, he wondered “how else can I make it a bit more special?” He decided on the Batman costume following the widespread horror at the murder of the Bibas family members.
There is another meaningful aspect to his marathon too. Levy is raising money for Shalva, the Israel Association for the Care and Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities, which is based in Jerusalem. The organisation does work to provide a space for children with conditions such as Down syndrome and autism, as well as their families, allowing them to receive some care and respite.
Levy’s sister Hannah has Down syndrome and often appears in his social media content as well as finishing runs with him. His cousin in Israel also has the condition and goes to Shalva every afternoon. “I know a lot of people who volunteer, and it’s just such a lovely organisation,” says Levy, who is aiming to raise a total of £5000.
Levy has done some amazing challenges already, including walking from his home city of Manchester to London. He was also one of the youngest participants to complete the London marathon in 2017, just three weeks after his 18th birthday.
Despite that, doing this kind of run remains a bit out of the content creator’s comfort zone. “I love weight training,” he says, but he has had to “reduce weight training massively and run loads” whilst preparing for the marathon. “I would prefer for myself to go to gym and lift weights, but now you’ve got to make sure your body is strong enough, so core work, knee work… so my whole routine of training has changed massively.”
Yoel Levy training for the Jerusalem marathon
Levy says this shift has been “quite refreshing, because as a fitness coach, you are so used to routine, and actually it’s a good little challenge. It reminds you that you’re human… It humbles you a bit.”
And it’s not just the hills of Jerusalem that Levy needs to worry about. It’s likely to be hot in that Batman costume. “I would love a Mancunian cloudy weather day in Jerusalem” he says.
Having recovered from the bout of sunstroke he got after going on a run upon arriving in Israel, the training has carried on apace. “I did a 33-kilometre run in the Batman to train,” recalls the fitness instructor. Not only did this give him a mental boost, showing that it could be done, but also “it was around Purim, so the looks weren’t so odd… it was great because I was a bit nervous to run a in Batman outfit just around Tel Aviv.”
While that run was done without music, Levy’s soundtrack is usually “all the Hasidic Jewish music. Their wedding music. I will listen to, like chuppah music on my long run.”
Levy has not yet spoken to the Bibas family as “they’ve got so many things on their plate already.” However, he is in touch and has conducted social media collaborations with a football team that is close to them. “If [the Bibas family] want to chat or get a photo, then it’ll be an honour for me. But I haven’t even thought about reaching out. They’re busy enough.”
The Jerusalem Winner Marathon is a special race. It is unique in that it goes through sites of three different religions, something Levy describes as “beautiful”. He is also particularly looking forwarded to making his way through the Old City. “Just going through the streets of Jerusalem, I think it will be a really powerful, passionate thing,” he says.
The Bibas family, father Yarden (left), Ariel (second from left), Shiri and baby Kfir (Courtesy)
Given all that, it’s not surprising that Levy expects to feel emotional as he takes on the run. For now, he is staying practical, declaring that his focus is “making sure that I train, I sleep well enough, I make sure I get good night sleep, fuel well enough before.” The feelings can be processed when he gets across the finished line.
There is though likely to be a variety of reactions to the fitness instructor’s costume as he makes his way through Jerusalem. “I don’t speak Hebrew,” he confesses, “so if parents want me to speak to their children, I think it feels terrible that I’m gonna ignore them. So hopefully I’ll do lots of high fives!” Alongside that, Levy expects there to be plenty of recognition of the meaning behind the costumer from those lining the streets.
Inevitably for a content creator, he also hopes that the pictures and videos of him running dressed as the Dark Knight spread across social media and that this will help educate some people:
”I’m going to be posting on social media about it, if someone who doesn’t know much about the conflict, or doesn’t know much about this situation. They’re like, hmm, why? Why is he wearing a Batman outfits? And maybe they research it, and maybe they learn.”
And what about those hills? “I’m scared when I see the route,” he shudders. There are some things that even Batman finds a struggle.
