Course Overview
Merotz Yerucham is a beautiful desert race offering a nice mix of street and off-road running. It's also the only net downhill 10k course in Israel that I'm aware of. For those of you looking to set a new personal best - this might be a good one to add to your calendar.
Events
There are a Community 2k and Competitive 5k and 10k events. The 2k race took place right around the Yerucham Lake. The 5k track starts in town and heads toward the lake. The 10k race has an out and back along the division of the industrial and residential part of town, then heads down toward the lake with a small switchback along its banks.
Atmosphere
The race was well organized and had a warm community-oriented atmosphere. There were many people participating as a part of running groups from throughout the country and many participants from the city's education department.
A Waze link from the event website brought me straight to he parking next to the MindCET EdTech startup accelerator, which housed the race packet distribution as well as drinks and snacks for runners, right outside the 10k start line and the DJ.
10k Course
As 10k participants ran the gentle slope down through the center of town toward the lake, groups of schoolchildren lined the streets, waving signs and holding out their hands to give a high five. Not only is the cheering uplifting for the runners, but I'd like to think that exposing children to the energy and enthusiasm of a race can inspire them to stay active.
After that gentle downhill you start to head towards the lake, and at that point, it actually becomes a trail run on easy train. Eventually the paved path gives way to packed earth and you enter the nature reserve next to the lake. Seeing people fishing in the middle of the desert was pretty funny.
My tips for anyone looking to maximize their result on this course is to break it up into 3 parts. Normally you want to hold back at the start of a 10k race so that you can save your energy to kick at the end and have an overall slight negative split. However, this course has rolling hills at the beginning and you don't want them to slow you down too much. That is because the middle 3km are a nice gradual slope down when you can pick up and maintain speed. The end is fairly flat but has some curves.
There were a number of runners who ran pretty competitive times. The top male finisher came in at 34:34 and the top female crossed the finish line in 43:14.
Organization
This was one of the more well-organized races that I attended recently. The course was very clearly marked and there were staff by every turn to make sure that all runners were following the correct signs. Each kilometer was clearly marked. Water stations were well placed and ample and there were music stations as well.
Even though I had a long drive ahead of me to get home, I appreciated that the organizers waited to start the awards ceremony until after each runner crossed the finish line. I thought that was a great display of sportsmanship.
That said, they kept the awards ceremony moving so that participants could get on a shuttle back to the start if needed.
There were prizes awarded for the top male and female finisher in the 5k and 10k events. The top finishers also got a prize. Trophies were awarded for the top 3 finishers by age category.
According to the event organizers, 700 runners participated this year, the seventh time the event was held. They appeared to represent a wide variety of Israeli society, from different religious and ethnic backgrounds. I enjoyed seeing the variety of running groups who all came together, friends who reunited, and total strangers who took pictures for each other or gave a congratulatory high five.
The only thing I wish they would have done differently is to reset the tape for the first female finisher to break through at the finish line.
Summary
Escaping the early morning chill of Jerusalem to travel through the desert to Yerucham was a fun adventure. I made sure to heed the warning signs to look out for camels crossing the highway and arrived ready to take off 2 layers and run in the desert sun. For anyone who likes smaller events, this was a well organized race with a level for everyone.
It was a fun mix of urban running and off-road running, complemented by beautiful desert landscapes.
This is a great race to get a personal record on because of all the (gentle) downhill. Just make sure you show up well hydrated.