ealtll & fitness >> sports Marathon End 70-year-old runs his final 26-miler. Steve Stein Special to the Jewish News F "I USED TO WONDER IF MOM WAS LONELY NOW SHE HAS MORE FRIENDS THAN I DO." hen your mom moves to The Park at Trowbridge, you won't have to worry about her being lonely anymore. She'll be too busy rediscovering the things she loves to do. See for yourself why seniors living at The Park at Trowbridge experience an invigorating sense of independence, freedom and optimism. Call today! Your story continues here.. k Yca Qi q For more information or to visit, call today! at Trowbridge (248) 352-0208 24 111 Civic Center Drive Southfield, MI 4 80 33 F1 9,WPTIlivINY I www.horizonbay.com Specializing in services for daily living such as: • Bathing • Dressing • Meal prep • Assistance with transportation, paying bills, making appts • Companionship and emotional support Available 24 his 7 days per week For more information or to set up an appointment, please call: 586806-4822 DON'T MISS THE BUSINESS SECTION INSIDE THE JN THE SECOND WEEK EVERY MONTH Call 248.351.5107 for more information 38 May 26 • 2011 fifteen days after his 70th birth- day, Ben Alalouf ran in his 21st and final marathon. The West Bloomfield resident fin- ished the Country Music Marathon last month in Nashville, Tenn., in four hours, nine minutes and 59 seconds, placing him second among 24 run- ners in the men's 70-75 age division. Not bad for someone who hadn't competed in a marathon since the 2002 Free Press race. "I'll admit it. It was an ego thing," he said. "I'm still very active. I work out seven days a week. I wanted to prove I could run a marathon Ben Alalouf at age 70. I've now done marathons in my 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s. "But that's it for marathons',' he quick- ly added. "I was floating after the race in Nashville. I felt great. No aches or pains. But the training is just too hard. You have to be engrossed in it and get your miles in regardless of the weather, which is especially difficult around here." Alalouf isn't hanging up his running shoes. The spry 5-foot-4, 134-pounder will continue to compete in shorter races like the Dexter-Ann Arbor Half- Marathon on June 5. He estimates he's run in as many as 50 half-marathons. His first marathon was the 1979 Free Press event. He finished it in 3:30. "I got caught up in the running craze back then but when I first started run- ning it was a struggle. I was breathing like a pig',' he said. "I really thought I was in shape to run. I don't smoke, and I barely put away a six-pack a year." Alalouf got himself into running shape, and he hasn't stopped running. His best marathon time was 3:16 in the 1980 Free Press race. He competed in the New York City Marathon, Big Sur International Marathon in California, Marine Corps Marathon in Virginia, and the Midnight Sun Marathon on Baffin Island, Canada, 480 miles north of the Arctic Circle. Alalouf speaks with a bit of a Brooklyn accent even though he hasn't lived there for decades. He graduated from New Utrecht High School in Brooklyn. The front and rear of the building were used for the opening scenes of the TV sitcom Welcome Back Kotter, which starred New Utrecht grad Gabe Kaplan. Curly and Moe Howard (Jerome and Harry Horwitz) of the Three Stooges and comedian Buddy Hackett also were New Utrecht alumni. Alalouf played college football for one season. He was a 190- pound offensive guard at Central Washington State. He transferred to Murray State in Kentucky but was told by doctors that he couldn't play because of a bad back, but he stayed to earn bachelor's and master's degrees. He moved to Michigan in 1964 after accepting a job offer at Garden City High School, and he hasn't left. He spent 45 years at the high school as a teacher, football coach, athletic director and associate principal before retiring in 2009. Alalouf keeps himself in shape these days with weight training, kickboxing and running. He does at least one of the three disciplines every day. He's fit enough to compete in the Jewish Football League, a touch football league for guys ages 30 and older. Players are still talking about the devastating block he threw and the touchdown pass he caught in the 2008 league championship game. He was 67 years old at the time. He and his wife, Martha, have been married 46 years. Their daugh- ter Amy Alalouf lives and works in Nashville. That's the main reason why the Country Music Marathon was chosen for his marathon swansong. Let's Make A Deal Bloch/Israel and Pisgah/Zeiger B'nai B'rith units are holding their 11th Texas hold'em tournament June 5 at the Jewish Community Center in West Bloomfield. The tournament features new twists. Cash bounties are being offered for beat- ing the dealer, the champion will receive a free entry into the January 2012 tourna- ment, and proceeds will benefit local B'nai B'rith softball and basketball leagues. Call B'nai B'rith Great Lakes Region office, (248) 646-3100, or Rick Sherline, (248) 613-5400, for a registration form. II Send news to sports@thejewishnews.corn.