The city’s seventh international marathon, which begins Friday morning, has 30,000 runners, with more than 3,500 hailing from 65 countries
As Jerusalem gears up for its seventh international marathon on Friday, March 17, Mayor Nir Barkat put on his running shoes for a two-kilometer warm-up Thursday morning adjacent to the walls of the Old City, with some of the premier runners visiting Israel for the race.
“It’s not just a sporting event, it’s a spiritual event,” said Barkat. “We’re in the holy city of Jerusalem, running where kings and prophets walked, where the Bible happened.”
The mayor, a long-time runner, said he first thought of holding an international marathon when he ran the New York City Marathon on his 50th birthday. That was seven years ago, when Barkat had been in office for two years.
There had been other half-marathons held yearly in the city, but the first full, 42-kilometer (26-mile) marathon open to international runners was held in 2011, with just 10,000 participants.
This year’s event will have 30,000 runners, with more than 3,500 of them coming from 65 countries, running a variety of distances. There are nine premier runners from several African countries, who are expected to complete the marathon in record time, approximately “one hour before everyone else,” said a spokesperson for the marathon.
Another participant is Indian runner and Bollywood star Milind Soman, who said he waited for years for the right opportunity to visit Israel.
“The Jerusalem marathon was the hook for me,” said Soman, who teared up as he spoke about the opportunity to visit Jerusalem. “What I thought I would feel is nothing compared to what I feel today. There’s a lot of talk about conflict and violence in the world today and a lot around this region, but when I came here I felt peace.”
He wasn’t too worried about the Jerusalem hills during the run, commenting that he’s “only” running the 21.1-kilometer half-marathon.
“The weather is great,” said Soman, referring to the overcast sky and 12°C (53°F) temperature. “I normally run in 30°C.”
Other visitors included Paco Borao, president of the Greece-based Association of International Marathons and Distance Races, who commented on the mix of competition and history in the Jerusalem marathon.
“It’s 42.5 kilometers of happiness,” said Borao.
Around 2,000 runners are expected to run the full marathon, with another 6,000 competing in the half-marathon, more than 10,000 in the 10k and the remaining participants taking part in the family and community races.
Various nonprofit organizations use the marathon as an opportunity to raise funds and awareness. The largest fundraiser this year is Yachad — OU Israel, which helps English-speaking children with special needs. The group has 600 runners, including 100 from North America, and raised over $500,000. Some 40 Yachad participants will run the 800-meter race with Hapoel Jerusalem basketball player Amar’e Stoudemire.
The starting point of the marathon is between the Knesset and Israel Museum, on Ruppin Boulevard, where the mayor will fire the starting shots for the half and full marathons.
The route begins in the western part of the city, looping around the Givat Ram campus of Hebrew University, alongside the Valley of the Cross, and through several neighborhoods on the way up to Hebrew University’s Mount Scopus campus (8:20 a.m.-8:40 a.m.) in eastern Jerusalem. The route then descends to the Old City, taking runners through Jaffa Gate and the Armenian Quarter and out through Zion Gate (7 a.m. and 11 a.m.), on the way to the Jerusalem Forest, before ending in Sacher Park.
The spacious city park will also be the site of activities and entertainment for visitors and runners, starting at 11:30 a.m.
Local restaurants will have booths along parts of the route, including Cafe Nocturno, Burgers Bar, Rebar and Pompidou, with an emphasis on healthful food. Customers can download discounts on the Yerushalmi app.
There will be cheering sections along the route, with DJs spinning tunes and stands for bystanders to root for the runners at the intersection of Bezalel and Ben Tzvi, Mishkenot Shaananim, the Oranim junction, the former HaMashbir plaza at King George street, the entrance to the Hebrew University Mount Scopus campus, the Tayelet at Armon Hanatziv (7:30 a.m.-8:30 a.m.), the Cinematheque bridge (7:10 a.m. and 10:20 a.m.), Safra Square, the First Station and Emek Refaim Street.
As reported by The Times of Israel