Mountain To Valley Relay Race

Mountain to Valley Relay Race is an annual event that takes place in the Northern Israel and organized by the Mountain to Valley (M2V) Association. The Association is a non-profit organization, whose goal is to encourage long-distance running, and its connection to nature and environment.

Route description:

The Mountain to Valley race is a group relay race of about 215 km that takes approximately 20 hours to complete. The race was the first of its kind in Israel, and will be taking place for its eighth consecutive year. This year, for the third time, the race will be divided into two separate heats. The first heat, the “Moon Run”, will start on Wednesday evening, with staggered start times between 20:00-01:00. The second heat, the “Sun Run” will start on Thursday morning at 07:00 and continue until 15:00. The race begins at Tel Hai and continues along the vistas of the Hula Valley, along the Jordan River, Lake Kinneret (Sea of Galilee), the Beit Netofa Valley, Yizrael Valley, finishing in the communal settlement of Timrat.

The race is divided into 24 segments, which are between 5-12 km in length. The participants in the race will be part of a 4, 6 or 8 runners team (men, women or mixed) whom rotate among themselves. Competitive teams will need to maintain the order of the runners each taking his or her turn to run the segment and then resting until all the team members have run in their order. All in all, each runner will run 3, 4, or 6 segments depending upon the number of runners on the team. It's possible to run as part of a non-competitive team in which case the order of the runners holds no significance. The order and number of segments completed by each runner is determined by the team.

The responsibility of the race organizers relates to the start point and the finish point as well as the exchange stations, a readily available medical team, any necessary aid to runners, and marking the route with signs that are clear both day and night. The running teams will be responsible for the teams' transport between the exchange stations as well as their food and drinking supplies. Further responsibilities of the running teams include equipping themselves with the compulsory equipment for the night runs (reflectors and flashlights) and for the day runs (a hat and water). They are also responsible to make sure that all other mandatory equipment is in their possession. Without this equipment, teams cannot participate in the race.

Although the race is divided into competitive and non-competitive categories, it is not a regular race. It does not provide any valuable prizes and the main objective is enjoyment of the unique race. The participants will be able to compete with other teams that are equal in size, and they will be able to improve their team's race time from year to year. The competition is carried out within an atmosphere of companionships and based on a large degree of trust between the competition organizers and the team members. Get out and enjoy!

Route map:

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Refreshment stations:

The runners are responsible for their lodging and food during the race. Light snacks are provided at some of the exchange stations. Water and First Aid are provided at all exchange stations.

Venue facilities:

There are 24 manned stations, marking and signs along 200 kilometers, medical teams in several places for 24 hours, security, etc.

At the exchange stations, volunteers await the runners and make sure all runners arrive and connect to their exchange runner.

Chip timing available:

Yes

Number of participants last year:

7500

Website:

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