When Terry Robinson was chosen last summer to run the half marathon for Team USA at the Maccabiah Games in Israel, he knew it would be the opportunity of a lifetime. What he couldn’t have known was it would also be one of the physically and emotionally draining races he would ever run.
“It was one of the most excruciating experiences I’ve ever had,” he said, adding the humidity was upwards of 80 percent during the race. “But being able to overcome that and be accountable to my teammates is what really pulled me through.”
Robinson, who lived in Bellevue for some two decades before moving to Kirkland a few months ago, did more than merely pull through during the 13.1 mile the race, earning a Silver Medal against top Jewish competitors from around the world and making lifelong friends in the process at the event known as the Jewish Olympics.
He said the magnitude of competing in an international competition set in well before the race.
“Walking into the stadium for opening ceremonies was an incredible feeling,” Robinson said. “I never thought I would compete on this large of a stage.”
The stage, for Jewish athletes around the world and all athletes in Israel, has grown to become the third largest in the world for an olympic event since beginning in 1932 and this year featured around 150 athletes who also participated in the London Olympics in 2012. Along with many Paralympic events, the 19th installment of the Maccabiah Games included 42 sports and Robinson was part of a United States delegation of some 2,000 athletes.
“I felt blessed with the opportunity to represent our country and wear ‘Team USA’ on my jersey,” Robinson said. “It was pretty amazing.”
Despite the weather conditions, which sent many of his teammates for intravenous fluids and two more to the hospital, Robinson said the experience of connecting with other Jewish athletes from around the United States and world was an invaluable experience.
“The relationships I made were all unique,” he said. “It was not just competing, but representing our country and experiencing the unique atmosphere of an olympics.”
