Brother and Sister Cross Country Runners Qualify for National Championships

Lev Marer, 12, a seventh grade student at Kadima Day School in West Hills, and his older sister Batya, 14, an eighth grader at Abraham Joshua Heschel School in Northridge, have both qualified to be at the national championships for cross country. 

The Marer siblings run for United Track Club in Agoura Hills. Lev’s team, comprised of 11 to 12-year-old boys, placed first in their age group at the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) Cross Country National Championship on December 4. Batya beat her own personal record for the 4K by 40 seconds.

“It was really a team effort and following the better experienced runners on our team pushed me to do better,” Lev told the Journal “I did not want to disappoint the team and my friends. It all comes down to how well we have been training.”

Batya added, “It is important to be part of a team, to work together. The adrenaline rush during running and at the finish line is rewarding.” 

Melissa Gorlick Marer, Lev and Batya’s mother, told the Journal the siblings run four times per week for a total of 12 to 16 miles at meets in Agoura Hills, Simi Valley and surrounding areas. They only just began running in August of 2020. 

“This was a wonderful outlet for Lev and Batya to be out in the fresh air, to exercise and socialize with their friends,” she said. “This intense training helps them to persevere in all aspects of their lives.”

When running, Lev said, “I feel free. The process is all about me and my thoughts. I like the physical rush of doing well.”

Batya experiences something similar. “I feel healthy and good after a run,” she said. “It is a sense of accomplishment.”

Lev and Batya’s athletic ability and determination seem to be genetic; Melissa  ran cross country and track in high school and earned a letterman jacket, and her father, David, was a Korean War vet “who taught them the values of family, persistence, Judaism, going the extra mile and hard work,” she said. “They continued [their] Jewish education, largely in part because that was Saba David’s final wish.”

Melissa believes that because of what Lev and Batya have learned about the Jewish value of caring for others, they’ve excelled on their respective teams. 

Melissa believes that because of what Lev and Batya have learned about the Jewish value of caring for others, they’ve excelled on their respective teams. “Judaism teaches us to try our best and to be kind to one another,” she said. “This ties into being part of the team and looking out for their friends and teammates.”

While Lev has discovered how important it is to set personal goals and believe in his ability to do better from cross country, Batya is focusing on pushing herself harder each time she runs. In the future, she envisions she’ll be able to “achieve milestones that I have never achieved.” 

Lev looks forward to continuing with cross country and hopefully excelling in it. “Regardless, it will be a solid platform to be building on for whatever comes next,” he said. “Doing well in running with a team will transfer [to] many other areas. This type of activity is what helps make champions.”