Jewish marathoners working around Yom Kippur

As the Chicago Marathon approaches, Jewish runners concerned by the race’s proximity to one of the holiest days on their calendar are changing holiday plans and taking advantage of race organizers’ and local synagogues’ accommodations.

On Yom Kippur, or Day of Atonement, the tradition is for observant Jews to fast for 25 hours, from sundown Friday until sundown Saturday. Marathoners will break their fast only the night before waking up to run 26.2 miles.

For Bruni Hirsch, 26, of Wilmette, balancing the run and her faith is about compromise. Hirsch normally fasts for Yom Kippur, but this year she won’t. She’ll spend Saturday in synagogue instead.

“Yom Kippur is a day of repentance, and I’ll have plenty of time to think about my sins of the past year during the 26-mile run,” Hirsch said.

When Hirsch ran the Boston Marathon in 2008, it was during Passover, when Jews do not eat bread and other carbohydrates, but she ate the carbs.

“I’ve learned to make compromises,” she said, adding that if the timing is too big of a problem for other Jewish runners, there are several other fall marathons to participate in.

Bank of America Chicago Marathon organizers also have made accommodations. The Saturday night pasta dinner has been extended to 9:30 p.m. so Jewish runners can come after they break their fast at sundown, marathon spokeswoman Robin Monsky said. As well, runners can send someone else to pick up their race packets if they are at religious services, or they can pick them up early Sunday morning.

“We have tried to be as accommodating as possible for all of our runners to do what they feel is necessary to honor their holiday and still have a chance at running in our marathon,” Monsky said.

Meanwhile, 21 area synagogues have agreed to host visiting runners who want to celebrate the High Holidays, said Aaron Cohen, vice president of communications for the Jewish United Fund.

“Ideally the marathon would be another weekend, but it’s not on Yom Kippur itself,” Cohen said. “Life is filled with choices, but we’ve come up with a solution that hopefully will work for a number of people.”

Cohen acknowledges there are runners who would want to be training in the days leading up to the marathon, which may interfere with their religious observance.

Hirsch, however, said she understands the difficult timing and is looking forward to spending Saturday with her family and Sunday on the streets of Chicago.

“What better way to celebrate being back in Chicago than to run the marathon,” Hirsch said. “It will definitely be an enjoyable weekend.”