An Israeli has committed to running 342 miles in 11 days, with each day being dedicated to one of the 11 members of the Israeli athletic team brutally murdered at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, Germany.
Assaf Stolarz brainstormed the idea with Hungarian friend Peter Edgo prior to the 50th anniversary of the massacre on Sept. 5, 1972.
“Because it’s 50 years since the murder of the 11 Israeli athletes, we decided to run from Budapest, Hungary, all the way west to Munich, Germany, as close as possible to the date of the terror attack,” he explained to i24News about his challenge, which equates to 31 miles a day for the veteran runner. The distance is more than a full-length marathon.
At the Olympic games in Munich, eight gunmen from the Palestinian terrorist group Black September murdered two Israeli athletes and held hostage nine other members of the Israeli Olympic delegation. All nine hostages, including one German policeman, and five of the terrorists were killed in a botched German rescue attempt.
The families of the team went on record to support Stolarz’s project, as did the Israeli Maccabi World Union and the Israel Olympic Committee, according to i24News. Stolarz will end his run this weekend.
“We want to dedicate it to those athletes who were killed in the temple of sport for no reason, or rather, because they were Jewish and Israelis,” said Stolarz. “The message is very clear. Run to remember.”
