Amelie Botbol | JNS

Eli Wininger, an IDF reservist and avid fitness enthusiast, ran 251 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.

Inspired by U.K. fitness coach Yoel Levy, Wininger ordered a

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