Brooklyn, NY – If you regularly run laps around Brooklyn’s Prospect Park on Sunday mornings, or Thursday evenings, you might pass a pack of bearded men, with one striding confidently in front. This is Chaim Backman, the leader of the TriChai Triathlon Club, the first triathlon group geared specifically to Orthodox Jews.
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Backman, a Lubavitcher who works as a physical therapist, is a longtime runner who has completed the New York City marathon, but never used to bike or swim, the other elements making up the grueling triathlon.
He began triathlon training three years ago, and took a course to be a certified triathlon training coach and started up TriChai. Now he trains 40 Orthodox triathletes.
“These guys have mostly sat all these years and never did anything,” he says of some in his community feel good that I can help [make] a healthy change in people’s lives.”
Backman, a 43-year-old father of four, often sees the same runners in Prospect Park, and has a friendly relationship with many. “I get a lot of ‘Shalom!’ comments,” he says. Some of the women who train with him run in traditional clothing, while others don the shorts and T-shirts more typical of competitive runners.
Michelle Choina, a mother of three and one of TriChai’s members, started out running and bicycling in long skirts and long-sleeved shirts but says at a certain point she decided it wasn’t necessary anymore.
Choina, who will turn 50 later this year, was biking up the West Side Highway when she encountered people completing the New York City Triathlon. After speaking to them, she decided to set her sights on completing a triathlon, something she’s done four times over the course of this year.
“Most people don’t do in a year what I accomplish in one day as a triathlete,” says Choina, whose youngest daughter now rides a road bike with her.
Next up Backman hopes to expand his training into schools, to help combat the obesity epidemic plaguing many young children today. But first, he’ll cheer on Choina and others from the club who will complete the NYC Triathlon on Sunday.
“People feel Jews aren’t that sportsy,” he says, but “[running-swimming-biking] challenges them to get out there and do things they’ve never done before.”
not tzious. hashem does not approve.
Good for them. This is a great example.
Ich hobe nisht koach
this is fantastic. can we star this in bp???i would love to be in such a group…after all these years of cholent/kokash and rugelach i cant move anymore…
Men and women training together? Is this matir? Do they learn together too?
Reply to #6 I hope you understand that there is a dissrence between swimming in a pool with machitzas and being like that on the west side highway
,God should keep the rechte hand
yes and if more chasidishe and litvishe boys got more exercise,they wouldn’t be going “outside” to look for ways to relieve boredom and pent up energy.
This is getting silly. Every time VIN posts an article highlighting the efforts of some ehrleche yiddin to improve their personal health and well being and providing role model for others, the same ignorant and backward schlemmeils immediately jump in and yell gevalt, it is not tziniusdike, the time spent exercising is bitul torah etc. They even quote rabbonim who have made similiar stupid comments. We don’t need to get another telephone call late at night about a levayah the next morning because some young father/mother had a heart attack in their 30s or 40s or a close friends father/mother died from aterial disease or diabetes.
Dr. Susan Schulman will be pleased
chaim is a very nice guy have known him for long long time. fit and healthy in body and mind, physical and spiritual
Why is it that every story here attracts a banda baheimas. You’re just busy with tzinies and paast nisht faar a bahaimishe yid. Fressen vi a chazer paast yuh, a ausgepashata key paast, here comes a guy a does something and the critics get up from furtzen and put the guy down.
Are you guys toit meshiga?????
as a former runner please be careful. I had to have surgery for a torn meniscus. die hard runners will tell you 99 percent of people got get any injuries. just speak to the dr’s for a different story…
way to go Chaim Backman.. Ehr iz ah feiner yungerman
my father uses his services in Williamsburg. He is a great physical therapist servicing the Williamsburg community.
To #1 – When you can PROVE you’ve spoken to Hashem, and heard Him say this isn’t tznius or ANYTHING for that matter, PLEASE do let us know.
P.S. AND have respect for our Lord, and capitalize His Name when typing.
As someone who takes a lot of advice from Chaim..and does not live in NY …i highly recommend you give trichai a shot …if you are looking to spend many more healthy years with your family
Run Forest Run.
Chaim keep up the great work.
he is a physical therapist at Parcare in Williamsburg. check him out!!
Go Chaim go!. Apparently many overweight people are jealous!!!
“Michelle Choina, a mother of three and one of TriChai’s members, started out running and bicycling in long skirts and long-sleeved shirts but says at a certain point she decided it wasn’t necessary anymore.”
Why does she feel that it is not necessary anymore. Tznius is not necessary??? I run and power walk at least four times a week at a high school track. I wear a long skirt and a loose t-shirt that covers my elbows and collarbone. In addition, I cover my hair since I am a married woman. It is sad that Orthodox women feel they have to compromise on their tznius in order to exercise.
Chaim I’ll drink La fin du monde for you, and you run for me.
in his Parcare physical therapy center ther are two separate gyms, one for men and one for women. if you are concerned about tnius but want a good workout for your health run with Chaim at Parcare in Williamsburg.
chaim backman is known to the Williamsburg, Crown Heights and surrounding communities for many years. He is an expert in Physical Therapy, pain relief and knows hoe to put your beiner together after an injury or fall. GO Visit him.
Everythings an issue. Get off your duff and excersize. And get out of the deli. You can jump rope in the privacy of your home, swim with a mechitza, and run in your shtriemel.
sorry, chasidic youth don’t veg out in front of the tv. Probably healthier. Men, that’s a different story…
i had knee replacement and chaim’s staff at Parcare is great. i feel so much better.
do you know how nice he treats the old men and women at his Parcare physical therapy place. The holocaust survivor population knows they have a place to call their own. He even brings social workers to talk to them and his staff listens to their stories.
This article and the postings only confirm somthing that we all know but many won’t acknowledge. An obsee frumme yid who rarely learns a yiddeshe vert will suddenly become a real talmid chacham regarding the dinim governing tzinius etc. if it provides him/her a religious excuse to stay away from the gym or engage in exercise.
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I wrote the 1st comment from my mobile phone and couldn’t really fully express my opinion. To clarify, I was referring to this part “Michelle Choina, a mother of three and one of TriChai’s members, started out running and bicycling in long skirts and long-sleeved shirts but says at a certain point she decided it wasn’t necessary anymore”. On top of that, I run the treadmill everyday and think its very important to work out. I do not believe Hashem approves of this woman not dressing properly, and I do not need Hashem to speak to me personally to tell me the halachos of tznious. I am sorry for not capitalizing the Lord’s name as I said I was on my cell phone.
I think no. 7 is being sarcastic. I don’t think you understand him/her
Again, the usual suspects are out in force tonight to invoke the memory of gadolei yisroel as to why exericse in a public venue is a gioyeshe concept that corrupts vulnerable yiddin. If they lived in our time, its very likely that Rav Moshe Feinstein, Z’tl, Rav Twersky , Z’tl, or Rav MM Schnerson, Ztl would have been proud of these yidden and in thier younger days would have out there running themselves.
my father was an olympic cyclist and and a personal trainer. for years he tried to implement sports like running, cycling , and swimming into the curiculum, but the rabbanim didn’t want. at the end they came to him themselves for training- private lessons. go for it chaim backman!!!!!!!! venishmartem me’od lenafshoseichem!
and btw, there’s a big group of frum guys who cycle in prospect park & in the velodrome in queens!!!!!
Go chaim go! May the almighty bless you for helping the fat get fit.
R Elyashev R voznor r shteinman R lefkovitz don’t do all this
& they are in the high 90
gr8 thing! this has 2b spread in bp & willi.. most of us chareidim drei zich arim w/rustige bodys… just eating chulent 3x a wk.. sitting hunched all day drinkin coffee & smoking… (+ don’t 4get the lchaims)…& when we reach age 45 we can’t walk 2 blocks 2 shul…
this is vry vry neccesary doin evry day excersize & keepin ourselves loose… (l’havdil look by d goiem who excersize they still in the big league running bases by the 40’s..)
Parcare medical and physical therapy on park ave is chaim backman. he is great. go visit him tell him you saw him on VIN. he will be happy to hear. he is a great guy
i came out of haym solomon after surgery and still did not feel well and then i found chaim in parcare in williamsburg. he put me back in shape. thank you chaim. thank you parcare
go visit chaim in parcare. it is important to let him know how we appreciate that he makes the community aware that exercise is important to our health. he is local . walk to him . that will be exercise too. he is on park ave.
Perhaps Chaim should visit some of these thursday night Chulent fresser outlets or some of these geshvulenne kiddeishem and teach them what Ushmartem meoid lenafshoisechem means. Some of these guys can barely move or breath waiting for chas vesholom something. Here comes a nice normal fellow doing the right thing, and all the nuts come out of stuffing their faces criticizing ” its nit tzinies, paast nisht, misht zecht nisht” its enough already. Stoo the crap and start thinking like a normal person if you can. And if you can’t, perhaps you can engage the services of a therapist that will get your brain straightened out.
There are major health issues in the Jewish communities as everywhere else in the world. We are not immuned from all the terrible issues, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, kidney disease, etc, r”l. There was once an article in Hamodia magazine section – a pediatrician in Williamsburg is seeing as much diabetes in children there, as in other communities.
I went into a yeshiva once and was horrified by the high fat foods in the snack machines. Please parents, encourage your schools to stock their snack machines with healthy foods, such as low-fat popcorn, soy chips instead of potato chips, pretzels (which are usually very low in fat or fat free, raisins, raw or dry roasted nuts, etc.
Exercise and eating right is part of yiddishkeit. Yes, very important for Yeshiva bochorim to sit and learn Torah. But men and woman need to exercise. People can get a stationary bike for the house – they can be pretty reasonable – while exercising, can listen to a Torah tape and therefore do 2 mitzvahs at one time – learn Torah and take care of your health!
I was noticing the other day, 2 people I have seen in my community before – these 2 men, their stomachs are getting bigger and bigger. The most dangerous fat is in their stomach. If men’s stomachs start to look like they are pregnant – time to lose the weight!
Obesity often leads to diabetes, high blood pressure and about 35 percent of the time, cancer, r’l. And often, high blood pressure, and more often diabetes leads to kidney failure. Once the kidneys shut down, one needs dialysis. And the most common form of dialsis is going to a dialysis center being hooked up to a machine 3-4 hours a day 3 times a week. If that doesn’t get one who is obese to start losing weight reading this, I don’t know what will.
Chaya Lipschutz
Kidney Donor & Kidney Matchmaker
Website: SaveALife-DonateAKidney.com
venishmarten me’od lenafshosechem. we use the excuse “jews are not athletic” as an excuse for everything, that is true bubbe meise! taking care of ourselves is a mitzva, yasher koach to Rabbi / Mr Backman
I brisk walk on the williamsburg bridge over to manhattan every day its the best thing in the world you feel invigorated all day
B”H there are a lot of frum people that started biking in prospect pk. If you go there on a daily basis you’ll see at least 5-6 different groups made up of all different sects from ultra frum to modern cycling the park and that’s all new happening in the last 2 years
Chaim is a mentch
And I do not think that he trains coed groups.
There is a group of only men runnerscalled rthe Heimishe Runners that run in Prospect Park as well as in the mountains etc.— the runners are from proffesional to novice and is agreat group to join– for more info contact Rosemark Contractors
As a patient of Chaim Backman in Williamsburg at ParCare he told me that he is starting a course for men over the williamsburg bridge starting next week
Just go to prospect park and see how many haimishe are there every morning and afternoon that’s excluding going to the gyms it looks like the community finally woke up. Continue doing exercise
Chaim is a wonderful person & a great athleet.
I’m always happy to see positive, uplifting news such as this! This man is a great role model to Jews everywhere. So get up, get out, and get moving people. YOU can prevent many health problems, by eating healthy, and exercising regularly. Not to mention the positive example we are showing our children.
Chaim has helped many of my friends and myself learn hot to run, to train and to lead healthier lives. We often run in groups and there are so many side benefits that we derive from it. It’s a big kiddush hashem when the other people see us running with our yarmelkes and tzitzis. And besides, Chaim is an icon.