#156: Jewish Runner Wears State Flag and Brings Big Energy At All His Races

Run The Race

He's easy to spot at races, wearing a flashy Maryland flag outfit, from head to toe! But he's lived in Georgia the last few decades now. We talk about running and religion on this "Run the Race" episode. (2:42) Bryan Greenberg calls his race outfits the "obnoxious and beautiful" Maryland flag, from the state where he grew up. It helps him bring the fun to 5Ks, half marathons, wherever. Hear examples of how he cheers on his fellow runners, each and every mile! What's this 46-year-old's (9:24) motivation for running? It started out with him as a "short fat kid" in school, stumbling onto the cross country team, then it was lessons from fitness boot camp. And he wants to be a healthy example to his sons, ages 8 and 12. (15:01) Lately, he's been running a half marathon every month...for about 3 years now, even injuring himself to keep the streak going. We discuss difficult marathon experiences, but his goal is to still beat Oprah Winfrey's 4:29 finish time. (23:15) At his @bryankgreenberg twitter, he also posts daily about plank and crunch challenges, knowing how important core training is. (30:07) With Passover several weeks ago, Bryan shares his Jewish traditions that really launched with his bar mitzvah at age 13 when you become a man in the eyes of God. How important is faith in his life and talking to God? He discusses that and how he's not orthodox, but follows some rules for Sabbath or Shabbat, as a "Reformed Jew." Now, he lives (40:15) in Dunwoody, GA which they have coined "RUNwoody." One of the next big races, that I'll be at too, is the Peachtree Road Race 10K in Atlanta with 60,000 other runners/walkers, where it'll be a party, especially with Bryan there wearing his Maryland flag hat, shirt, short, socks. He's also improved thanks to the hills of Georgia. (52:45) I closed out the podcast with the Lord's Prayer - which has a lot of Jewish origins - on this National Day of Prayer. Thanks for listening to the #RunTheRace podcast, which I hope you'll subscribe to! Share it with your friends. Also, write a quick review about it, on Apple podcasts. For more info and listen to any previous episodes, go to www.wtvm.com/podcast/.