Detroit Rabbi Trains for RCR Marathon, Blending Health and Torah

Rabbi Shmuli Wolf is heading to Florida for the annual race event.

Every week, 33-year-old Rabbi Shmuli Wolf of Oak Park, a young professionals’ educator at Partners Detroit, laces up his sneakers to train for a marathon as part of Rabbis Can Run (RCR). This unique initiative, created by Olami, a global Jewish organization promoting Jewish growth and continuity, encourages rabbis to prioritize health and inspire their communities while raising funds for community institutions.

RCR provides participating rabbis like Rabbi Wolf with personalized training plans, support from a nationwide network of running rabbis and an annual race that brings them together. This coming Monday and Tuesday, Rabbi Wolf will head to Sunrise, Florida, to join fellow RCR participants for the annual race event.

A unique aspect of RCR, unlike other marathons and races, is the main focus being on effort rather than the results.

Rabbi Wolf has always been active and is also a longtime believer in the educational power of sports — he directs Jewish sports leagues through Partners Detroit where students play basketball, flag football and other team sports.

“I’m very competitive, but when it comes to running, it’s a much more wholesome exercise — especially with RCR. It’s not promoted around the speed or results; it’s about you putting in your top effort,” Rabbi Wolf says.

   “I’m running for the sake of being present and connected, being in tune and being healthy, and really feeling connected to God.”

For Rabbi Wolf, running is more than a workout — it’s a way to teach, connect and reflect.

Since joining RCR three years ago to improve his fitness, Rabbi Wolf has discovered the meditative power of running. He’s even incorporated it into his outreach efforts, including running a marathon alongside one of his students.

Rabbi Wolf’s participation in RCR has motivated him to engage in city marathons and other races outside of RCR. Through running, he’s lost about 35 pounds.

One other Detroit-based rabbi will be participating this year, Rabbi Meir Kranczer from the Yeshiva Beth Yehudah school. About 35 rabbis are running in total.

The participating rabbis train for the annual RCR marathon for three months, both physically and spiritually.

Weekly physical training for RCR consists of two runs a week tailored to each rabbi.

Other than running, the participating rabbis have a weekly charting system where they check off certain goals — if they ran, slept well, ate well, stretched before and after a workout — and on a spiritual level, praying for success and thanking God afterwards for the success they had.

Based on that and RCR being about celebrating the due diligence and effort they put in rather than the results, awards are given out the night before the marathon rather than afterwards.

The months of preparation culminate Feb. 10-11 in Florida — the first day being full of unity, socializing, pre-race meals, some Torah study, and speeches from rabbis and health professionals talking about the health benefits of running. The second day is the marathon itself.

“The premise of the whole thing is the verse in the Torah that says you should guard your health,” Rabbi Wolf says. “So, it’s a mitzvah to keep yourself healthy and make sure you’re taking care of your body so you can live a long, healthy life.”

Run, rabbis, run!