Marathon Runners in Israel, Too !

 Nadene Goldfoot                                             

Yes, Israel has a vibrant marathon culture with elite runners competing internationally and several major local events, such as the Tel Aviv Marathon and Jerusalem Marathon. Elite Israeli runners like Maru Teferi, Gashau Ayale, and Lonah Chemtai Salpeter have won medals at the European Athletics Championships and World Athletics Championships.  A recent marathon: The recent major, large-scale marathon in Israel was the 15th International Winner Jerusalem Marathon, rescheduled to take place on Friday, April 17, 2026. This event includes a full marathon, half-marathon, 10k, and shorter community races through historic Jerusalem. 

Volcano Race (Rishon LeZion): May 29, 2026 (includes various distances).

Eilat Desert Marathon: November 27, 2026.

Tel Aviv Marathon: February 26, 2027. 

In 2025, Israel's men's team won gold and the women's team won silver at the European Athletics Championships in Brussels.  

Key Marathon Events in Israel:

• Tel Aviv Marathon: Known for being a fast and flat course along the Mediterranean coast.
• Jerusalem Marathon: Known for running through a historic, hilly city.
• Bible Marathon: Held annually in Rosh Haayin.
• Desert Marathon: A challenging race ending on the Red Sea Shore. 
• : Elite Israeli Runners:
  
  
  
  • Maru Teferi: Teferi was born in Dangila, Ethiopia, and is Jewish. He was born to an Ethiopian-Jewish family August 17, 1992 and is now 34.   He immigrated to Israel at the age of 14 in 2006 along with most of his family. Maru made history as the first Israeli to medal at a world championship, winning silver in the 2023 World Athletics Championship marathon. He is an Israeli marathon and half marathon runner, and an Olympian. He won a silver medal in men's marathon at the 2023 World Athletics Championships, a silver medal in marathon at the 2022 European Athletics Championships, a gold medal in the 2022 European Marathon Cup, and the gold medal at the 2022 Fukuoka Marathon. He represented Israel at the 2016 Summer Olympics in the men's marathon, and again represented Israel at the 2020 Summer Olympics in the 2020 Olympic Marathon. He has set Israeli records in both the marathon and half marathon. Teferi represented Israel at the 2024 Paris Olympics in the Men's marathon, and came in 26th.
    
    
    
  • Lonah Chemtai-Salpeter: A highly decorated Olympic runner who won the 2020 Tokyo Marathon, bronze at the 2022 World Championships, and finished 3rd at the 2023 Boston Marathon.  Lonah Korlima Chemtai Salpeter (Hebrew: לונה צ'מטאי-סלפטר, née Chemtai, born 12 December 1988) now 38 is an Israeli Olympic runner. Born in Kenya, she represents Israel internationally. She won the bronze medal in the marathon at the 2022 World Athletics Championships. At the European Athletics Championships in the 10,000 metres, Salpeter won the gold medal in 2018, and earned a bronze medal in 2022. She won the 2020 Tokyo Marathon, won the silver medal at the 2022 New York City Marathon, and finished third at the 2023 Boston Marathon.
    
                                        
    
                     2024 Summer Olympics
  • Gashau Ayale: Won gold for Israel's team at the 2025 European Athletics Championships and has been a top finisher in elite international races.Ayale was born in the village of Gojam in Ethiopia to Tabak (his father) and Tesfia (his mother), and is Jewish. He was born into the Beta Israel ethno-religious community of Ethiopian Jews. Fellow Israeli long-distance runner and Ethiopian Jew 

    Ayale immigrated to Israel in 2010, at 13 years of age, with his parents and five brothers. They initially lived in an absorption center in Safed, Israel, and then later the family moved to Jaffa, Israel. (I was living in Safed when the first Ethiopians came to our

  •  city.)   His father worked as a cook, and his mother as a cleaner. He began running at 18, after initial interest in soccer. He trains with Maccabi Tel Aviv.

  • Gashau Ayale (Hebrew: גשאו איילה; born 22 August 1996) 30 years old, is an Israeli long-distance runner. In May 2022, Ayale set an Israeli record in the 10,000 metres, running 27:49.88. He won the bronze medal in the marathon at the European Athletics Championships, and a gold medal in the 2022 team European Marathon Cup. In February 2024, he won a bronze medal at the Seville Marathon with a time of 2:04:53, setting a new Israeli record. Ayale represented Israel at the 2024 Paris Olympics in the Men's marathon, and came in 31st.
    
    
    
  • Beatie Deutsch: age 37, A prominent Israeli national champion known as the "marathon mother" for winning titles while being a mother of five.Bracha “Beatie” Deutsch (Hebrew: ברכה "ביטי" דויטש; née Rabin; born August 29, 1989) is an American-Israeli marathon runner. She has won the Tiberias Marathon and the Jerusalem Marathon, as well as the Israeli half-marathon and marathon national championships. In 2024, a documentary of her life called Marathon Mom was released.

  • Deutsch was born in the United States, the oldest of five siblings, grew up in Passaic, New Jersey, and emigrated to Israel in 2008. Her father is a doctor. She has a master's degree in school counseling from Northeastern University, as well as a black belt in taekwondo.

    A religious woman, Deutsch lives in Moshav Neve Michael in central Israel with her husband Michael, a yeshiva teacher and computer science student whom she married in 2009, and their five children. Before she committed herself to running, Deutsch worked full-time as a communication officer for the non-denominational Olami international Jewish outreach organization, which brings college students closer to religion and helps professionals get in touch with their roots by coming to Israel.

Marathon Run In Denver Sunday, May 17, 2026

 Nadene Goldfoot                                                    

         May 20, 2018

The 20th annual Denver Colfax Marathon weekend takes place May 15–17, 2026. The main race day featuring the Marathon, Half Marathon, Urban 10 Miler, and Marathon Relay is Sunday, May 17, 2026.  More than 27,000 runners are expected to participate in the 20th annual Denver Colfax Marathon weekend, which includes the main races on Sunday, May 17, 2026. 

                                         Sunday, May 17, 2026, Race Details:

• Main Events: Marathon, Half Marathon, Urban 10 Miler, and the Marathon Relay.               
  
  Our 26.2 mile marathon runner, Kaliq  Washington, caretaker at Brookdale, Oswego Springs/ Portland, Oregon.  Kaliq or Kali has an edge;  he's from Denver and happy to be back racing here.  Let's hope that helps.  
• Total Expected Participants: The total weekend (including Saturday's 5K) expects over 27,000, with a large portion of those running on Sunday.
• Status: Many of the Sunday races, including the Half Marathon and Marathon Relay, were reported as sold out or selling out quickly as of mid-April 2026.
•      Where to start?  It's a Boston Qualifier.  
• Each year, thousands of runners aspire to toe the line at the Boston Marathon. In order to do so, they need to run a qualifying race at a USATF-sanctioned marathon in the 12 months preceding Boston registration in September.  In truth, for Boston hopefuls, it’s not enough to beat the qualifying time for their age group and gender. You have to beat it by quite a hefty margin (known as the Boston “cutoff time”) to actually secure a spot in the race. The qualifying times for the 2026 race were adjusted, and now runners had to be 4:34 minutes faster than the listed time—and still nearly 9,000 runners didn’t make it into the race.Again, for 2027, the BAA will adjust qualifying race times based on net elevation loss of marathons.  
• For example: a 30-year-old man must have run a marathon in 2h55 or less to be eligible. A woman of the same age must have completed a time of 3h25 or less 🏃‍♀️. But be careful: meeting the criteria does not automatically guarantee a spot 🎫. During the registration period, if the number of candidates exceeds the capacity, the BAA selects the fastest within each category 🏁. That’s where having a “buffer” (a margin on your qualifying time) becomes crucial ✅.
• This marathon goes through Empower Field at Mile High twice, along miles of water, through a fire station, & ranked by Runner’s World!  Finish your 26.2 into a huge post-race party with live music, food, & drinks.

The big surprise to most of us is that these marathon runners must pay to run.  They win no money in return, only a medal or two or three.  

Entry fees for the 2026 Denver Colfax Marathon (May 17, 2026) are roughly $149–$159+ as of March/April 2026, with prices increasing as the event gets closer, particularly after April 16th, 2026. As of early March, the marathon was already 90% full, and fees for this 20th Anniversary event include a shirt, medal, and various on-course entertainment. 

Location: The race begins at Empower Field at Mile High.

Course Features: The course runs through the Denver Zoo and a fire station.  The Denver Colfax Half Marathon features the only race course that runs directly through the Denver Zoo, offering a "Zoo Mile" where participants pass giraffes, lions, penguins, and other animals. This annual May event serves as the primary, unique opportunity to experience the zoo during a race, often featuring in social media posts as part of the urban marathon experience. The Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance

      (These must be the 4 males sticking together like a pack)

 hosts a vibrant, growing herd of reticulated giraffes and a pride of seven African lions (four male, three female) in their Predator Ridge habitat. Recent updates include the addition of baby giraffe Thorn and four new lion cubs, alongside regular, up-close viewing of adults like Jasiri, Panya, and BB.

A Denver cheetah passed away at age 8.  

The cheetah is officially recognized as the fastest land animal, capable of reaching speeds between 104 and 120 km/h (\(65\text{--}75\) mph) in short bursts. They are built for acceleration, capable of going from 0 to 97 km/h (\(60\) mph) in under three seconds.The Denver Zoo has historically housed cheetahs, specifically popular twin brothers named Marvin and Mojo who arrived in 2012. While Marvin passed away in 2018, the zoo has featured cheetahs as part of their species conservation efforts. Past Residents: Marvin and Mojo were long-term residents and fan favorites. Location: They are usually found in the cheetah habitat at the Denver Zoo.

The question comes up:  Why become a marathon runner?  People run marathons for a mix of mental, physical, and social motivations, primarily to push their personal limits, achieve a major life goal, and improve fitness. It acts as a stress-relieving discipline that fosters mental clarity, community connection, and a sense of profound accomplishment, often marking a significant milestone on a "bucket list." 

They were probably fast runners in school during races and enjoyed the feeling, wanting to continue.  

Champoeg State Heritage Area features scenic Willamette River views, historic sites, and lush rural landscapes, popular for camping, hiking, and photography. Key sights include the Newell House Museum, Manson Barn, a visitor center, and picnic areas often used for events. 

26 miles away from Oswego Springs/Portland, Oregon are such running spots as:  1. Champoeg State Heritage Area: Near Newberg/St. Paul, offering hiking, biking, and historical sites. 2. Molalla River State Park: Located near Canby. 3. Reuter Hill: Located near Washington County farmland.Regional Landmarks:Portland International Airport (PDX): About 20–25 miles away, depending on the route.Mount Angel: A town known for its Bavarian architecture and Abbey.