26-year-old from Ethiopia wins 5th annual Jerusalem Marathon
Tadesse Dabi crosses finish line in 2:18:20h; some 25,000 runners from 60 different countries participate in race around the capital.
By JPOST.COM STAFF
Tadesse Dabi, 26, from Ethiopia won the 5th annual Jerusalem Marathon on Friday, finishing in a time of two hours, eighteen minutes and 20 seconds.
Some 25,000 runners from 60 different countries participated in the race around the capital. The race began at 6:45 a.m. in Sderot Ruppin and continued for various distances -- the full marathon of 42.2 kilometers, the half marathon at 21.2 kilometers and shorter races of 10, five 1.7 and 0.8 kilometers.The Jerusalem Marathon is considered more difficult than than in usually hotter Tel Aviv because of the hilly topography of the capital that requires more exertion than in flat Tel Aviv.Streets that were blocked off for the race are set to reopen around 2 p.m. Friday.Over 800 police officers were dispatched across the city in preparation for the sports event. Last year, Kenya’s Ronald Kimeli Kurgat, 28, won the fourth annual Jerusalem Winner Marathon, setting a new course record of 2:16:09h.Judy Siegel-Itzkovich contributed to this report.