Israeli participants in the prestigious New York Marathon run which was conducted yesterday didn’t fare too well, albeit several of the runners broke the three-hour time mark for the 26-mile plus run.
Leading the Israeli contingent in time was Chaim lvgi of Jerusalem who, with a time of 2:38:20, completed the gruelling run in the 332nd position. The next best time was turned in by the veteran competitor Barry Shor who finished in the 602nd position, who came in with 2:46:20.
Shor told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency: “I was plagued by cramps throughout the complete run of the Marathon and what with pulled muscles and cramping, my body heat at the conclusion of the grind fell to 92 degrees. I was forced to stay in the first aid room for close to three hours before I completely recovered my strength.”
Others who made fair showings in the Marathon included Yoram Tuena of Tel Aviv, who come in with a 2:47:02 clocking and finished 643rd. The last Israeli to break the three-hour time was Sharon Saadia of Jerusalem who was clocked in 2:56:12. Saadia finished 1218th. Altogether some 16,000 runners competed in the annual event.
Shor told the JTA that Israel’s champion female marathon runner, Zava Shmueli, who finished 8th in the Boston Marathon last April, cancelled her trip to the United States at the last minute due to a bout with the flu.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
