In its 12th year its “bat mitzvah,” so to speak the Jerusalem Winner Marathon on March 17 drew more than 40,000 runners and participants from 72 countries.
Jerusalem is most often known as the Holy City, but on a bright sunny morning, runners from Israel and around the world turned it into a giant sporting venue as they took part in Jerusalem's annual marathon. As the race official counted down the runners for an early morning start 40,000 participants took part in this year's Jerusalem Winner Marathon and other races. That's 10,000 more than have ever joined in the event.
Elite international and Israeli athletes, along with those who like to pound the pavement, speed past Jerusalem’s historic sites, many of them to raise money for nonprofits.