As Good as Gold
An avid runner and Dr. Phillips resident chases down his dreams at the Jewish Olympics
When Tom Butler first learned about the Maccabiah Games a few years ago, he was surprised he’d never heard of the sporting event that’s known as the Jewish Olympics.
After all, Tom is a marathoner and cofounder of the Orlando branch of Nice Jewish Runners, a social run club for Jewish people and their friends.
Now, Tom not only knows firsthand what it’s like to attend and compete in the Games in Israel, but he also returned to Central Florida with several gold and silver medals.
“It was good to be home, and it is good to be home,” says Tom, a Dr. Phillips resident who has visited Israel twice before.
In 2022, after initially learning about the Games, Tom reached out to Maccabi USA and expressed an interest in competing. He submitted paperwork, including his best qualifying times, and the governing group asked him to join Team USA. He was welcomed as a participant in the Maccabi Run, a four-race, multicity series in which runners compete to medal in each segment, with the ultimate goal of posting the fastest combined time.
“I trained for the next three years,” says Tom, who has also run in the New York City Marathon. “The Maccabiah Games were supposed to be in 2025, but the war with Iran stopped that from happening. I wasn’t sure if they were going to have the Games at all. There were safety concerns for the athletes and the spectators. Plus, there were travel bans, and the hosts were not sure who would show up.”
Needed Now More Than Ever
Almost a year later, after a security briefing, the Games were finally scheduled for this summer, from July 1 through July 13.
“There was a whirlwind of emotions from last summer to this summer,” says Tom. “I really wanted the Games to happen, not just for me, but for us – the Jewish people.”
Traditionally held the year after the Summer Olympics, the slogan for the 22nd Maccabiah Games was More than Ever.
Established in 1932, the Games comprise more than 40 sports with various age and ability categories. Tom participated in the masters division for adults ages 35 and up. As a 48-year-old, he competed in the 45-49 age group.
He was among the approximately 900-member delegation representing the United States, the second-largest contingent after Israel’s nearly 2,000-member delegation. There were athletes representing 40 countries, including some with only a single athlete, such as Bolivia. Tom arrived before the start of the Games so he could soak in as much of the fanfare as possible, spending a total of three weeks in Israel.
“Standing there with the American flag and receiving a gold medal while all these people were cheering for me was an out-of-body experience.” – Tom Butler
“Experiencing the opening ceremonies is hard for me to describe,” he says. “Coming out on stage with the music playing, the crowd cheering. It was just amazing. I have never been in the center of something like that in my life.”
A Master Class in Running
When it was time for the Maccabi Run to commence, Tom’s extensive training kicked in. In the first race, a 5K (3.1 miles), he won a silver medal. Next, he captured gold in the half-marathon (13.1 miles). He then went on to win silver in the one-mile run. The final race, a 10K (6.2 miles), was shortened to a 5K because of the extreme heat that day. During that last race, Tom knew the overall gold medal for his age group was in his grasp.
“I had a good feeling because of my time in the half-marathon,” says Tom, who held a 1:22 lead going into the final race. “Toward the finish line, I was suddenly at ease and so happy. All that training, all that nutrition for three-plus years was paying off. It was unbelievable.”
For Tom, the medal ceremony was a moment unlike any other in his lifetime.
“Standing there with the American flag and receiving a gold medal while all these people were cheering for me was an out-of-body experience,” he says.
Some countries were absent from this year’s Maccabiah Games, mostly due to security concerns. While the Games traditionally attract 10,000 participants, the 2026 Games drew only 5,000.
“Because the Games were smaller, it made for a better bonding experience,” says Tom.
See You in 2029
When Tom arrived at the Games, he didn’t know a soul, but he made plenty of new friends while in Israel. Because athletes who were competing in the Maccabi Run stayed at the same hotel, Tom was able to meet runners from other countries. He bonded with the athletes from Bolivia and Australia, and they hung out together during their stay.
During his free time, Tom also visited the Kotel (Western Wall) in Jerusalem and the Nova Music Festival Victims Memorial, commemorating the victims of the Nova Music Festival massacre on October 7, 2023.
Initially, Tom viewed competing in the 2026 Maccabiah Games as a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Now he’s not so sure that will be the case.
“I thought going in that this was a one-and-done, between all the training, the fundraising [participant and registration fees were $17,000], and being away from home for that long,” he says. “But in the end, we all found ourselves saying, ‘See you in 2029!’”