Last year's marathon
Photo: Motti Kimchi
Tel Aviv Marathon leads to major road closures Friday
Annual marathon to draw 100,000 runners, 2,500 international participants; marathon to begin at 6am Friday, road closings at 4am; Tel Aviv deputy mayor urges residents to be patient, be glad city is international cultural hub.
The Tel Aviv Marathon will be held for the tenth time Friday with some 100,000 runners—2,500 of which are visitors from abroad. The city's central streets will be closed to traffic starting 4am for the marathon, which will start at 6am.
Some of the city's residents and business owners, however, did not have plaudits for the event, as they feared congestion and difficulties in getting around a city already suffering from heavy traffic due to works on the light rail.
The race's start point will be located on Rokach Boulevard near the Tel Aviv Convention Center. Runners will then split off to different tracks, passing through Rothschild Boulevard, the Tel Aviv Port and the city's beaches, the Reading Boardwalk, the Yarkon Park, Dizengoff Street, Rabin Square, HaYarkon Street, Ibn Gabirol Street, Old Jaffa and the Jaffa Port.
The Tel Aviv Marathon will commence Friday morning (Photo: Ronen Topelberg)
Runners will be participating in one of five tracks: a full marathon (42.195 kilometers), half marathon (21.1km), a 10 kilometer race, a five kilometer race and a handcycle race for handicapped persons (21.5km).
Hopeful participants will attempt to break the record of two hours, ten minutes and 30 seconds, set by Kenyan runner William Kiprono Yegon at the 2015 marathon.
The races will commence at around 6am, with road closures beginning at 4am and lasting until 1:30pm. Roads closed are as follows:
In northern Tel Aviv: Rokach Boulevard, HaTa'arucha, Levi Eshkol, Shai Agnon and Unitzman Streets, Tel Aviv Port, Highway 2040 and Glilot Junction.
In western Tel Aviv: HaYarkon, Kaufmann and Goldman Streets, Herbert Samuel Promenade.
(Photo: Motti Kimchi)
In central Tel Aviv: Dizengoff, Allenby, Rothschild Boulevard, Tarsat, Ben Gurion Boulevard, Laskov, Aluf Magen, Kaplan, HaArba'a, Ibn Gabirol and Marmorek Streets.
In southern Tel Aviv: Jerusalem Boulevard, Herzl, Elifelet and HaAliyah HaShniya Streets.
Namir Road will also be blocked to traffic between Glilot Junction and Pinkas Street going both ways from 8am until 11am. In addition, all streets either bordering or crossing the above thoroughfares will also be blocked to traffic.
Lior Kamhazi, owner of the City Market supermarket chain, presented the difficulties for businesses such as his near the race's route. He said, "It's a happy day with a festive atmosphere that brings in a lot of tourists, but we have a problem with opening up our business as far as employees coming in, and we're debating whether to open some branches at all.
"Another problem is that links with the municipality aren't good enough, and that's a shame, because if the municipality invested in keeping businesses up to date and providing transportation assistance, such as shuttles for employees, that would be a great help."
(Photo: Motti Kimchi)
Dafna, a resident of central Tel Aviv, was less than pleased with Friday's festivities. "I'm sick of the city being shut down for commercial events (the marathon is sponsored by commercial companies—ed) and residents being barred from leisurely strolling during the most beautiful time of week—Friday morning. Events are important and nice, but people also have to live here," she said.
Deputy mayor: 'Patience, everyone's living together'
Deputy Mayor Meital Lehavi, who also holds the city's transportation portfolio, commented on road blockages during the marathon in a Ynet studio interview Thursday. "Less people work on Fridays and anyone who does need to get to work, exits will be open allowing them to get to Ayalon (Highway)," she said.
"You have to park smartly in a manner that will allow you to move your vehicle and get to an exit. Ayalon Highway will be open except at the very end, near Rokach Boulevard, where the starting point is," she concluded.
Deputy Mayor Lehavi urged Tel Avivians to be patient (Photo: Dina Kleinman)
Lehavi then iterated her belief that people should be pleased Tel Aviv attracted international events of that magnitude. She said, "Part of Tel Aviv's charm is that it's an international capital, and some of the people who choose to live there do so because it's a dynamic city hosting international events.
"The annual pride parade is also a disturbance, but it is nevertheless held and is now a Tel Aviv tradition. My message is, have patience. Accept lovingly the difficulties attendant in Tel Aviv being a world capital and such a central location.
"Let's remember there are also businesses in the city, and they're very pleased with such a mass of guests coming into the city. Patience, everyone's living together."
