From the Alumim standby squad to the Tokyo Marathon: The run that beats trauma
Nitai Nahutomi, who fought on October 7 and is currently dealing with PTSD, will run 10 km at the Be'er Sheva Light Run Festival in memory of his fallen friends, and on the way to the Tokyo Marathon, he will raise funds for the children of the Shalva organization.
After fighting for his home, Nitai Nahutomi is finding his way forward through his feet. A member of the Kibbutz Alumim standby squad, who fought for hours on October 7 and has since been dealing with PTSD, has turned running into a central tool in his coping process.
Nahutomi, 45, married and a father of five, participated in the fighting in Alumim as part of the standby squad, which numbered only 15 fighters and faced several terrorist infiltrations that day. During the battles, he participated in defending the kibbutz and rescuing the wounded under fire.
After being evacuated to a hotel in Netanya, he began going out for night walks and runs. Over time, running became a real anchor for him, and today he runs at least three times a week and trains with the Beit HaLochem Be'er Sheva running group.
At the Be'er Sheva Light Run Festival, which will be held this year under the theme "Saluting the Runners," Nahutomi will run 10 km in memory of the fallen members of Kibbutz Alumim, including the late Ranni Guieli, who fought at the gates of the kibbutz and defended the community.
But the race is only a stop on the way to a bigger goal: the Tokyo Marathon. Nahutomi is participating in a project by the "Shalva" organization, in which runners raise funds for the treatment and rehabilitation of children with disabilities and their families. His personal goal is to raise 42,000 shekels.
"Running is almost the opposite of that feeling of being stuck. At a time when trauma leaves you in place for a moment, running requires moving forward, one step and another step. It gives me a framework, a goal, a sense of control, and physical proof that I am capable of continuing even when it is hard."
According to him, "For me, running is not just a sport: it is a way to regain capability, routine, and a connection to the body, and above all, to turn the principle of 'not staying stuck' into something I do in practice."
Now, as he continues to serve as a member of the Alumim standby squad, Nahutomi uses running to turn the difficult experiences he went through into a source of strength — for himself and for others.
"The story of Alumim, of the friends who fell, and of the foreign workers we lost goes with me everywhere," he says. "Running is another tool of mine to fight for my sanity."
