The number 18 has special meaning in Jewish traditions. 18 is of course the age when generally a young person becomes mature (some do, some don’t). When written with Hebrew letters it says: hai, which mean life or alive.
It is just coincidence that Jerusalem’s International Annual Half Marathon, the 18th, falls on March 18th this year. Participating in sports events of this kind is definitely being alive, and bringing more life to the city.
As in previous years participants come from all over Israel and all over the world. The route begins and ends in the Givat Ram Stadium of the Hebrew University and goes through some of Jerusalem’s unique and pictoresque landscapes. The route will take runners on a slightly hilly and challenging route and past the Shrine of the Book, housing the Dead Sea Scroll, the Israel Museum, the Knesset, Israel’s Parliament, and the Jerusalem forest.
The Marathon is set with two lengths: half marathon of 21.1 km and the fun run of 10 km. There are 18 different race categories, split by gender and age, from below 16 to 73 and above. 6 prices will be given out.
Participants of the half marathon are invited to participate in a gala dinner of pasta the evening before the race. All runners will receive a t-shirt and a certificate and medal.
Price for participation is $25-$40. Registration can be done online through marathon page in English on the municipality’s site www.jerusalem.muni.il.
If you are lucky you may run side by side with Nir Barkat, the mayor of Jerusalem, and an avid marathon runner himself.
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PS I quite like the template you are using – where did you find it?