Team Yachad Training in Full Swing for Half-Marathon

POSTED: JANUARY 2012

Excitement is in the air, and sneakers are being broken in, as Team Yachad training for the ING Miami Marathon and Half-Marathon on Sunday, January 29, 2012 is now in full swing with 135 committed runners, ages 13-60. Registration to run hand-in-hand with Yachad/The National Jewish Council for Disabilities (NJCD) is still underway on the Team Yachad website, www.TeamYachad.com.

Yachad/NJCD, an agency of the Orthodox Union, is a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing the life opportunities of individuals with disabilities, ensuring their participation in the full spectrum of Jewish life. Yachad/NJCD promotes Inclusion for these individuals through various integrated activities, such as regularly scheduled weekend getaways in different communities, called Shabbatons, national chapters, and summer programs.

According to Dr. Jeffrey Lichtman, who ran for Team Yachad in 2010, “Individually, completing the marathon is an amazing personal achievement; collectively, it was a resounding show of support to reach a common goal for Yachad and what we stand for.”

Members of Team Yachad are currently registered from across North America. Locally, the runners participating are Abby Mannis from Scarsdale and Rebecca Schrag and Sam Fragin from New Rochelle.

Each participant raises $3,000 for Yachad/NJCD. By committing to the mission, runners raise much-needed funds which allow Yachad to continue the vital work it does to promote Inclusion for those living with disabilities within the broad Jewish community. In return, Yachad provides roundtrip airfare to Miami; hotel accommodations; a personalized training regimen offered by three certified trainers; official Team Yachad race gear; guaranteed race admission; a pre-race pasta party and post-race BBQ; and an unforgettable Yachad Shabbaton at the beautiful Newport Beach Resort and Spa.

Yachad Assistant Director Eli Hagler, who will be running with Team Yachad for his second year, noted, “Team Yachad has quickly taken on a life of its own. Going from 29 runners in 2010 to more than 130 in 2012 is nothing short of incredible. The dedication that Team Yachad runners have, and the love of everything Yachad, is truly something to be amazed by. The Marathon weekend is filled with one great event after another, but nothing compares to the feeling of crossing the finish line with TEAM YACHAD spelled across the front of your running shirt. What a rush. What a feeling. What a sense of accomplishment.”

For more information and to register as a Team Yachad participant visit www.TeamYachad.com or contact Sara Pollak, Coordinator of Special Events, at (212) 613-8301.

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