(haipo) About two weeks ago, Hila, Ron's mother and Oren's wife, completed her first full IRONMAN competition in Italy: 3.8 km swimming, 180 km cycling, and 42.2 km running.
This is an extraordinary sporting achievement, but the story behind it is much bigger than the competition itself. One Haifa family, where inspiration passes between generations in both directions, has turned the path to Ironman into a journey of ability, resilience and learning, one that naturally connects to the start of the school year and an important message for students and young people in the city: The path to the goal is almost never a straight line..
An old dream, a new path: the preparation that became a family journey
The idea of doing a full Ironman had been with Hila for years, but was repeatedly postponed due to injuries, a busy life, and a busy routine. This year, a window of opportunity opened. The body recovered, the dream came closer, and the whole family came into the picture.
Ron, a triathlete and European champion in Special Olympics, joined in on the long training sessions. Oren, the partner, accompanied them on rides and runs. Eden, the teenager, joined in on some of the training sessions. Sports hours became family time, and Hila's journey became everyone's journey.
"The child I have been accompanying throughout his life has become someone who teaches me about perseverance, adaptation and resilience," Hila wrote in a personal text. "It's not always clear who is accompanying whom, and who is learning from whom."
Moments of crisis on the road: When the plan changes in the middle of the competition
The start in Cervia, Italy, was exciting, but also challenging. An elbow in the water that caused the binoculars to come loose, high waves, heavy rain, a slippery road, and then, just before the ride: a flat tire in the rear wheel.
"Man plans, God laughs," said Hila. While other athletes were already on their way, she waited 15 nerve-wracking minutes for a correction. The urge to make up for lost time was great, but she stayed within the power limits set by her coach, Dan Alterman. "Good preparation doesn't guarantee that everything will go according to plan," he told her before the flight. "It should also prepare you for the moment when the plan changes."
And the plan did change, again and again.
The marathon: two legs, four laps, one family on the track
After 180 kilometers of riding, relief came. "All that's left is the marathon," Hila wrote with a smile. And at every turn, the family waited: Oren coordinated the cheering points, Ron ran alongside her in one of the sections, and Eden, who usually doesn't show much emotion, shouted over the fence: "Mom, you are my inspiration, you are a role model, I love you!"
This sentence accompanied her to the finish line.
Ability, Regulation, and Resilience: From Sports to the World of Education
Hila is a PhD, researcher, and lecturer in physical education at the Levinsky-Wingate Academic Center. Along the way, she found herself returning again and again to the concepts that accompany her work: competence, self-regulation, resilience, learning from experience.
According to her: "Capability is not just willpower. It is built. Training and more training. Precise feedback. A coach who prepares you even for scenarios you wouldn't want to happen. A family that makes room for your goal and sometimes actually joins you along the way."
Even in moments of crisis, when her stomach refused to accept any more gels and her pace slowed, she chose not to fight her body but to change: pretzels, bananas, breathing, regulation. Gradually, her energy returned.
"That's perhaps my understanding today of resilience," she said. "Not ignoring difficulty and pushing forward at all costs, but listening, regulating, changing when necessary and still maintaining direction."
The red carpet: The moment she imagined – and this time it's real
In the last few kilometers, the smile never left her face. The music got louder, the crowd cheered, and the family waited at the finish line. Hila entered the red carpet, rang the Ironman bell again, and then heard the sentence she had been waiting for: "Hila, you are an IRONMAN"
This time it was no longer guided imagery.
A message to students and young people in Haifa: The road is not a straight line
The story of Hila and Ron connects with young Haifa residents who lead the city through sports, education, and community. In recent years, Haifa has become a center of sporting excellence and inspiring family models, and Hila's journey is part of this picture.
At the beginning of a new school year, Hila wishes to convey a simple but profound message: To dream, to set goals, to persevere, but also to understand that the path is almost never straight. The plan changes, the goal remains..