This year’s Tel Aviv Samsung Marathon took place on February 23, 2018. In total, 40,000 runners participated in Israel’s biggest sporting event of the year. A record number of 2,500 international participants from Germany (335 runners), Poland (192), Russia (185), US (182), UK (118), Italy (105), France (102) and more hit the city to take part in this year’s event.
A large delegation of elite international runners were also in attendance, attempting to break the marathon record and potentially win a prize of US$40,000. The standing record was set in 2016 by William Kiprono Yagon from Kenya with a time of 2:10:30.
This year, the Tel Aviv Marathon took participants on a ‘stunning 42km route winding its way through the beating heart of the city’. Runners started at the Tel Aviv Convention Center in northern Tel Aviv and then followed the route through many of the city’s most celebrated neighbourhoods, including Sarona Market, Rabin Square and Old Jaffa – one of the most ancient port cities in the world. The route also took runners along the white sandy beaches of the Mediterranean Sea.
An estimated 150,000 spectators attended the event this year to cheer the runners on. The Marathon Expo, the largest sport and active lifestyle exhibition in Israel, was held at Rabin Square during the week leading up to the marathon. CineMarathon, a free film festival, was also held on the premises, showcasing a selection of acclaimed films about running.
The Tel Aviv Samsung Marathon continued this year to support social and community engagement, and encouraged marathon runners to take advantage of their participation to raise funds for charity. On the official Tel Aviv Samsung Marathon website, participants could choose from a list of more than 90 charitable organizations to support and create a donation page to share with their friends, family and colleagues. In addition, the Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality invited more than 1,000 soldiers to participate in the marathon at no cost.
Ron Huldai, Mayor of Tel Aviv-Yafo said “The Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality is proud to promote sporting culture in the city. We are pleased that every year the number of international participants rises, placing the city as an important destination for marathon runners from Israel and abroad. We welcome the 2,500 runners joining us from abroad to participate in the unique experience that we create annually in the city.”
