Fitness influencer Yoel Levy will take part in this year’s London Marathon dressed as Batman, just weeks after running the Jerusalem Marathon in the same costume.
Levy, 26, known to his 165,000 Instagram followers as thejewishfitnesscoach, is dedicating the run to Ariel and Kfir Bibas, who were held hostage and brutally murdered by Hamas terrorists.
Levy, who is from Manchester, who ran in Israel to raise money for disability charity Shalva, said: “The Bibas boys were big lovers of Batman, so it was a way to dedicate the run to them, but also to inspire those around us.”
Levy first ran the London Marathon in 2017, aged 18. This year will mark his return under very different circumstances.
“It’s my redemption marathon for the London Marathon,” he said. “I did it seven years ago, but I had no clue what marathon training was.”
Preparing for the race has been especially challenging this year as it falls shortly after Pesach, he said. “It’s very hard to prepare for the marathon right now. I’ve been eating a lot of potatoes because that’s my only option, as well as matzah.
"But what’s very important are my electrolytes – salty water is exactly what you need, and, obviously, at Seder night, we have salty water, so there’s the benefit,” he joked.
Levy is wearing the superhero costume in memory of the Bibas children, who were brutally murdered in captivity in Gaza[Missing Credit]
Looking ahead to the London Marathon, Levy knows the atmosphere will be different from Jerusalem.
“This is a bit of a different challenge because it has the same meaning, but we know that London has had its challenges with antisemitism, so this just brings some non-political Jewish Israeli pride.
"I think we need some just to show to Israelis, as British Jews, that we still care here, and that we are very proud to be pro-Israel in the UK.”
Levy acknowledged feeling some nerves about taking part in the London event.
“In Jerusalem, it was the hills and the heat that were the challenge. Here, it’s the safety,” he said. “There’s always going to be hate messages. I’ve had plenty. But at the same time, me doing this inspires many people to show pride in Israeli and Jewish joy.”
Wearing the Batman costume, he said, had become a powerful tool for dialogue especially with his non-Jewish followers.
“What’s been so nice is that this has been a way to remember, but we’ve also had feedback where [people] have actually learnt about what’s happened in a way that’s not been shouting in their ears,” he said. “They’ve done their own research to find out why I am dressed as Batman. They’ve read, and then they’ve learnt.”
Still, long-distance running remains outside of Levy’s comfort zone.
Levy said his strength lay in daily weight-training at the gym, but he is determined to spread his message globally – and is already considering running the Sydney Marathon later this year in support of the same cause.
