Marathon 8/40: Israel Dead Sea Marathon Friday February 7, 2020 [6:15AM] Less than three weeks after returning from Hong Kong, Erik and I set out for what would be our last time leaving Japan for over 15 months. COVID-19 had been declared “A Public Health Emergency of International Concern” (WHO) but not yet a global pandemic. We were nervous though - news had just broken that the virus was spreading through a cruise ship off the coast of Japan and passengers were being quarantined onboard. We didn’t know if flying to the other side of the world was the safest thing to do but there really were no additional safety precautions required - or even suggested - yet. We found masks (which momentarily were tough to find at our local convenience store due to the cruise ship news) at the airport and, as our own precaution, took our first ever masked up flight. We made it to Israel feeling good, landing Wednesday night in Tel Aviv, where we spent one night before making the trek to the Dead Sea for the Friday marathon. We had an easy morning - going on a shakeout run and having a delicious breakfast (Bagels! Smoked salmon!) - before hopping on a bus to start our journey. We caught a city bus to another bus that took us to Jerusalem. From there, we got on our third bus of the day, this one taking us the rest of the way east to the Dead Sea and south - through the West Bank - to Ein Bokek. We literally crossed the country by bus in a couple hours and got dropped off a few minutes walk from our hotel. First order of business: float in the Dead Sea. Such an incredible experience to bob around near the surface. I also became aware of any little cut or chafe on my body. Even a hangnail stung in that amount of salt water. The Dead Sea is the earth's lowest elevation on land, 430 meters below sea level. Depending on the source you reference, the Dead Sea is ~9x as salty as the ocean. We then had to pick up our bibs (Erik ran the half marathon!). It was a cluster. I think there were ~3000 people in total running the five different races they offered, 5km through 50km (majority in the 10km and half), and the pick up process was not organized in a way to handle even half that many people. But, it was located outside, the weather was lovely, and we had views of the sea the whole time so - it could have been worse. We went straight to an early dinner at a restaurant we found that served pasta dishes in the shopping center. It is not a big town and there were a lot of runners so I’m actually grateful we were able to get a table! We had a very early Friday morning due to a 6:15am race start. Woof. Our hotel was across the street from where the races finished and it was only a ~10 min walk to start. Love it when I can take care of all the bathroom needs in my own space before heading to the start line! Erik’s race started 45 min after mine so he walked me to the start just as it started to get light out and sent me on my way. For 3:32:54 I had the privilege of running one of the coolest marathons I’ve experienced. We literally ran across the dead sea, and spent many miles running along the natural border with Jordan. Crazy to be that close to another country that I still have yet to set foot in! Of course there were some headwinds - pretty gusty at points. I also lost some of the pack of runners I was with (blocking the wind!) when the course for the ultra took a different turn. It was at that point, about halfway, however, when I realized I might have a place on the overall podium based on my current position. I also realized at the turning point that I had quite a gap between myself and whoever was in fourth. I just needed to not fall apart! While the last five miles were slower - the part of the course where there are slight hills, paired with general fatigue of not really being in good enough shape to hammer out 8mm for 26.2 - I pulled off third place. The awards ceremony was just as chaotic as the bib pick-up. We went back to the hotel to change because it was delayed by more than an hour. Then they announced the winners and I wasn’t listed so I had to go chat with the officials and explain their spreadsheet. I’m not too fussed about age group awards but for this race, the top three overall got money! We got it sorted, I got my picture on the podium, and I was sent 700 shekels (exchange rate at the time brought this to just under $200 USD) via paypal. I was hangry by this point and we crushed some kebabs - and a nap. Shabbat starts at sundown so there were buffet style dinners available at the big resort hotels. We made our way over to one for dinner and we celebrated with a feast. Then woke up and had another buffet feast the next morning. It was a perfect post-marathon recovery, paired with a massage and facial at the spa. We couldn’t get a bus back to Jerusalem until nightfall so we also took the opportunity to go on a hike up the hills. My marathon legs didn’t love that but the views were worth it. The rest of the trip was pure vacay mode. We got to Jerusalem and wandered to a beer bar and continued our trend of eating fantastic food. Sunday was spent really exploring - it was pretty rainy the whole day but it didn’t stop us from walking everywhere. Even as a non-religious person, I respect the significance of this place. Monday we went back to Tel Aviv - this time staying further in the city center. Again a day of wandering, which included a hummus house and it made me incredibly happy. Food was a clear highlight of the trip! Our whirlwind trip finished up with a long layover in Frankfurt. Long enough that we took the train to the city and hung out in a market for a couple hours before our long flight back to Tokyo. Funny that Frankfurt ended up being the first place we flew back to once we left Japan 15 months later - on our move to Europe. These marathons are about to come at me real quick.
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AuthorA Midwest girl gone global. I choose happiness everyday: I run, eat well, travel, and love completely. Archives
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