I’ve been running for 40 years, and I’m always on the lookout for interesting runs. Like most Israelis, I began my running career while training for army service. Since I was applying for the elite Shayetet-13 unit (Israel’s equivalent to the Navy Seals), I used to go with my friend Zvika Goldstein and run on the beaches of Tel Aviv throughout the winter of 1977. After running, we used to go in the water and swim a bit to get used to the cold water. Zvika was a good runner. I was always behind. On runs during IDF basic training with the Paratroopers and then in Navy training, when everyone else had finished a run, they’d say, “Let’s wait for Greenfield. Don’t worry, he’ll get here sooner or later. He’s stubborn.” Zvika completed the course and I did not.
Next, while I spent two years in California following my three-year term in the IDF, my late brother, Dror, and I were involved in Zionist activity on campuses in Southern California and in the community. So my next run was the Run for Soviet Jewry. There was a 5K and a 10K. I joined Eva Beim and David Kabaker for the 5K. When we rounded the turn that ended the 5K, I continued on the course for the 10K. The T-shirt we had been given said “10K for Soviet Jewry.” How could I wear the shirt if I only ran 5K?
