Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat took part in both the Shalva run and the 10k race, which he completed in 55 minutes.
By JEREMY LAST
Ethiopia’s Biekla Bieza won the 18th Jerusalem International Half Marathon on Thursday in a time of one hour 10 minutes and 50 seconds.Bieza was followed in second place by Israel’s Asaf Bimro, who completed the course in 1:11:04, and third-placed Asaf Mamo, who had a time of 1:11:22.The women’s champion was Kalkidan Blachie, who crossed the finish line at the Hebrew University Stadium in Givat Ram in 01:19:34. Israeli runner Orna Blau came second in 01:31:07 and Keren Martz finished third in 01:37:47.The event was the biggest of its kind in the country, with a total of some 3,500 athletes participating in the half marathon and 10k runs.Included among the runners were 150 children from Shalva, The Assocation for Mentally and Physically Challenged Children in Israel, who ran a specially organized 400 meter race.Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat took part in both the Shalva run and the 10k race, which he completed in 55 minutes.Yimahan Yosef won the men’s 10k in 32:01 and Mari Elias triumphed in the women’s section in 38:15.“I run average,” Barkat told The Jerusalem Post before the race. “I don’t go for the speed, I go for the sport.”Runners from at least eight countries around the world came to compete, including Ann Thompson from California, USA.“I thought it would be a fun challenge and a nice way to see the city and meet new people,” she said.Ben Spier contributed to this report.
Related TagsShalva
if(catID != 151){
var cont = `Take Israel home with the new Jerusalem Post Store