Marathon de Jérusalem

Three thousand years of history stacked on eight hills, and a starting line placed right in front of the Parliament: hard to imagine a more inhabited setting for a race 🏛. March each year hosts the Jerusalem Marathon, in Jerusalem, obviously, officially named Jerusalem Winner Marathon ✍️. Organized by the municipality and certified by the AIMS, the event has climbed in about fifteen years to become one of the most popular fixtures around the Mediterranean, carried by a rare blend of religious fervor and athletic excellence 🏃‍♀️.

The revival of racing dates back to 2011, after an initial attempt stalled between 1992 and 1994 📚. From its return, the event hit hard with 10,000 runners coming from 40 countries, even if the inaugural edition left a humorous memory: the three men at the front of the pack took a wrong turn and headed toward the wrong finish 😅. The following year, rain, wind and hail showed up without warning, but without deterring the organizers 💪. Attendance then climbed year after year, eventually surpassing the 25,000 participants by 2014 🗓️. In 2025, the race peaks at almost 40,000 runners across all formats, confirming its place among the major marathons of the Middle East 📍.

Six formats share this backdrop: the full marathon traces the circuit to Sacher Park; the half marathon cuts through the city center and the Old City before tracing along Armon Hanatsiv promenade, and there is also the 10 km and the 5 km which stay on flatter routes 🛣️. Here, everyone is invited and these two races show it well: the family race with 1.7 km tocover and the community race of 800 m 💞. This latter attracting up to 5,000 participants! For the backdrop, runners first pass the blonde stones of theGivat Ram campus, where stands the National Library and its five million works 📖, before the horizon opens onto the Hill of Judea hills from the vantage of the Mount Scopus 🏞. Next comes the most anticipated shift: the golden walls of the Old City that reveal themselves in the distance, with the domes and towers of Armenian, Christian, Jewish and Muslim neighborhoods in the backdrop 🌐. The view finally sweeps toward the Jerusalem Hills, a lush piney carpet contrasting with the nearby desert 🏜️.

Perched at 800 m above sea level, Jerusalem imposes a hilly profile that leaves no room for mercy: organizers even scheduled the date in March to enjoy mild, dry weather, far from summer heat 🌤. They also set up an expo village at the Cinema City in the days leading up to it, while on race day, Sacher Park turns into an open-air stage with group warm-ups, drums and Zumba before the start 💃. All of it creates an atmosphere that is both demanding and good-natured, where the marathon finisher crosses paths with the families running the 800 m community races 👯. Here, the records belong to specialists from East Africa ➡️. The Kenyan Ronald Kimeli Kurgat holds the men's best since 2014, while his compatriot Joan Jepchirchir Kigen has held the women's record since 2016 🏅. A lasting foothold in the calendar of AIMS-labeled races, alongside the world's greatest marathons 🌎.

Once the medal is around the neck, head to the market of Mahane Yehuda for a creamy hummus and some honey pastries 🍯, before wandering the alleys of the Old City as a regular visitor this time 🚶‍♀️. The Mount of Olives, with its sweeping view over the Temple Mount Esplanade, deserves a special pause, just like the City of David and its archaeological excavations that trace the city back to its origins 🏺. The bravest can even push to the Dead Sea, less than an hour's drive away, for a buoyant swim to finish off the legs 🧘‍♀️.

To close the loop on a peaceful note: in Jerusalem, you don’t just run a marathonyou traverse a city that has spent three millennia preparing to welcome it 😊.