The Jerusalem Half Marathon (Even the Fnish Line Is on a Slight Incline) and the Hills Were Hard on the Legs Both by Suzanne Wintrob Ascending and Descending
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Photo: Flash 90 Tere was very little fat terrain The Jerusalem Half Marathon (even the fnish line is on a slight incline) and the hills were hard on the legs both by Suzanne Wintrob ascending and descending. A shout out to my Running Room coaches Sonya I’ve been running for years—mostly short distances around my neighbourhood, alone, with Walker and Carey Levinton for not letting upbeat tunes. I’d enter the occasional 10K race, pin a number to my chest and join the throngs me bail on the all-important hill training! (who looked much more athletic than me) to sprint across town. I was never properly trained If you’re looking for a bucket-list race, and kind of slow, yet I’d get a thrill crossing the fnish line and snapping a selfe with my the hills of Jerusalem beckon. Barkat’s coveted race medal. advice? “Go slower on the hills, take Still, I never considered myself a runner in the full sense of the word until last October, some air, and recharge your batteries on when I tackled my frst half marathon in Toronto. It took four months of intense group the downhill.” I did, proudly waving the training at the Running Room’s Yonge Street store to be able to achieve a 21.1K distance in Israeli fag they handed out along the route 2:24 (not too shabby for a gal over 50). I learned terms like “tempo runs” and “hill repeats” as I crossed the fnish line in 2:25, just and why they’re important, and I met some terrifc people who were even keener than me. three minutes behind the mayor and his Te race was thrilling, especially because I’d worked hard to achieve a goal, and I wore my entourage. Not too shabby at all. RR medal proudly all day long. When Israel’s Ministry of Tourism invited me to join a group of running journalists and bloggers for the Jerusalem Marathon in March—all expenses paid—I jumped at it. I arrived in Jerusalem three days before the race and quickly set out to get my bearings, practice the hills and get used to the altitude. Te 10K route looked difcult, but do-able… until I met my fellow journalists at breakfast the next morning. Lean and muscular, they chatted about ultra marathons and trail running as they scarfed down egg white omelettes, veggies and beet juice. I caved to peer pressure and cautiously signed up for the half marathon. I knew I’d fnish it, even if I had to walk part of the way. Jerusalem has had a half marathon event for more than a decade, yet the race earned major international status fve years ago when Mayor Nir Barkat—a former high-tech entrepreneur and marathoner who often jogs to work—pushed for a full marathon course. Participation has grown steadily, with more than 25,000 runners from 60 countries joining Barkat for this year’s 800 m, 5K, 10K, half marathon, full marathon and handcycle routes. Te event’s slogan is “Feeling Jerusalem in Every Step,” and I did just that. Whether running on the cobblestones of the Old City, through the expansive Hebrew University, ------------------------------------------------ along the picturesque Haas Promenade or on residential streets, it was literally like racing Suzanne Wintrob (www.wintrob.com) through 3000 years of history. I was propelled by the energetic crowd and the exquisite views, is a Toronto-based writer now nursing and was pleasantly surprised by the hummus-and-veggies and date-and-banana stations near a sore Achilles tendon. the 16K mark. Running Room Magazine 51.