Running in the Holy Land

When he heard that he had been selected to run for the US National Team in the Maccabiah, Eric Kessler, a Rockville Centre native and Florida Atlantic University track and field star, couldn’t contain his excitement.

“It was probably one of the greatest accomplishments in my whole running career,” he said. “It’s not every day you get selected for a national team.”

Kessler, 22, began running at South Side Middle School, where he tried out for the track and field team in seventh grade, and went on to win two Nassau County championships in the 4-by-800 meter relay for South Side High School — along with helping to break the school record in the distance medley relay — before graduating in 2009. He finished up Florida Atlantic this past May, graduating with a B.S. in Exercise Science and Health Promotion.

Kessler will run alongside fellow Florida Atlantic athletes Ryan Davis, his former roommate, and Adam Simon, in the second of three divisions. They will run under the guidance of FAU head coach Alex Smolka, who was selected two years ago to lead the U.S. national squad against teams from nearly sixty countries including Israel, Germany, Australia, England, Cuba and Peru.

Primarily a mid-distance runner, Kessler will compete in the 1500 meter race and either the 800 or the 5-K. And as far as his performance is concerned, he has high hopes, and is keeping his

“Competitively, I’d like to come out with a personal best,” he said. “Also, it’s my first time ever going out of the country, so I’m really just excited to be on an actual vacation and adventure.”

Kessler arrived early to the event, on June 10, for a weeklong travel program with his fellow U.S. athletes, which he said is a mix of physical training and a countrywide tour similar to a Birthright Israel heritage trip — including stops at Jerusalem, the Dead Sea and Mt. Masada.

“We had five long days of traveling all over the country,” he said. “Israel has been amazing so far.”