For the fourth consecutive year, the MTA varsity hockey team had the honor of partnering with Chai Lifeline, which supports children and their families facing life-threatening illnesses, in running the annual Miami Half-Marathon. The 14 varsity hockey players gladly joined Team Lifeline to show their support for this incredible cause. Collectively, the team raised more than $25,000, with another $25,000-plus generously matched by an anonymous donor.
The team flew down to Miami late Thursday night, and beautiful weather on Friday provided the start to a warm and wonderful weekend at the Grand Beach Hotel. On Friday morning, the boys honed their marathon skills by playing life-size chess on the hotel lawn. On Friday night, everyone davened together at the Eden Roc Hotel, where hundreds of runners, Chai Lifeline families, and support staff demonstrated the truly wonderful nature of the organization through a spirited meal and melodic zemiros. The MTA students were truly taken in by the zeal with which Chai Lifeline and Camp Simcha counselors engaged with their campers. That the counselors had flown down to run with their kids was truly inspiring, and well-worth the rigorous 13.1-mile run that would take place the next morning. The magic continued on Motzei Shabbos with a pasta party to “carbo-load” in advance of the flat, winding marathon that runs through Miami and Miami Beach.
The following morning, the boys took their positions near the American Airlines Arena at 5:45 a.m., and hit the pavement shortly after six, shaking off the cool 52-degree weather alongside 13,000 other runners. The boys wound their way through Miami’s Art Deco district, past idling cruise ships, and a spectacular sunrise above the Miami-Dade skyline. The runners were heartened by the cheering sideline spectators, as well as Lifeline staff members running alongside their campers. It was a truly inspiring experience, and an event in which the MTA hockey team hopes to participate for years to come.
The weekend finished with a delicious barbecue at the Eden Roc Hotel, where the boys reminisced and compared finish times. Chaperones Dovid Tauber and David Leshaw (’09) spent time with the group, with Leshaw having finished first of the MTA team with a 1:38 run, and Zev Markowitz (’15) close behind at 1:48. The boys capped off the morning with Shachris in a finish line tent. It was a rigorous and inspiring experience for all.
