The Tiberias Marathon is an annual marathon road race held along the Sea of Galilee in Israel. At approximately 200 meters below sea level, this is the lowest course in the world. The competition was first held in 1977, and also hosts the annual Israeli marathon national championship. It was Israel's first international marathon event.[1]
The course follows an out-and-back format around the southern tip of the sea, and the event also includes a half-marathon (21.1 km) and 10 and 5-kilometer runs. In 2010 the 10 km race was moved from the afternoon to before the marathon. The half-marathon race was added in 2018.
In 2007, a Kenyan-born Bahraini athlete, Mushir Salem Jawher (Leonard Mucheru Maina), won the race and was briefly stripped of his Bahrani citizenship by the Bahrani government for competing in Israel.[2] In 2012 Patrick Tambwé, a former Congolese runner representing France, ran a course record of 2:07:30 hours – a time which was the fastest by a European since 2007.[3]
In 2022, David (Necho) Tayachew of Ben Shemen Youth Village and a member of the Maccabi Tel Aviv athletics club, won the men's marathon category with a (then) personal record time of 2:13:00. Beatie Deutsch won the women's category for the fourth time in 2:41:20.[4]
In 2025, Tachlowini Melake Gabriyesos, an Eritrean-born athlete who lives and trains in Tel Aviv, won the men's marathon with a time of 2:19:19. Beatie Deutsch won the women's category for the fifth time in 2:55:41.[5]
In 2026, David (Necho) Tayachew of Ben Shemen Youth Village and a member of the Maccabi Tel Aviv athletics club, won the men's marathon category with a time of 2:17:00. Beatie Deutsch won the women's category for the sixth time in 2:48:40.[6]
Past winners
Key: Course record Race longer than marathon distance
| Edition | Year | Men's winner | Time (h:m:s) | Women's winner | Time (h:m:s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 1977 | Werner Dörrenbacher (FRG) | 2:19:33 | Zehava Shmueli (ISR) | 3:02:58 |
| 2nd | 1978 | Kevin Shaw (RSA) | 2:14:02 | Claire Taylor (RSA) | 3:08:18 |
| 3rd | 1979 | Werner Dörrenbacher (FRG) | 2:18:31 | Mazal Shalom (ISR) | 3:16:06 |
| 4th | 1981 (Jan) | James Dingwall (GBR) | 2:16:19 | Zehava Shmueli (ISR) | 2:52:45 |
| 5th | 1981 (Dec) | Colin Kirkham (GBR) | 2:17:11 | Gillian Drake (NZL) | 2:46:37 |
| 6th | 1982 | Ralf Salzmann (FRG) | 2:16:39 | Sally Strauss (USA) | 2:46:15 |
| 7th | 1983 | Hans Pfisterer (FRG) | 2:20:00 | Chantal Langlacé (FRA) | 2:41:58 |
| 8th | 1984 | Lindsay Robertson (GBR) | 2:16:28 | Siv Larsson (SWE) | 3:05:19 |
| 9th | 1985 | Lindsay Robertson (GBR) | 2:15:39 | Sharlet Gilbert (USA) | 2:42:54 |
| 10th | 1986 | Yair Karni (ISR) | 2:23:12 | Kerstin Preßler (GER) | 2:36:33 |
| 11th | 1987 | Lindsay Robertson (GBR) | 2:16:06 | Maija Vuorinen (FIN) | 2:42:15 |
| 12th | 1988 | Patrick Joannes (FRA) | 2:18:08 | Maija Vuorinen (FIN) | 2:40:01 |
| 13th | 1989 | Reta Negasa (ETH) | 2:15:23 | Maria Starovská (TCH) | 2:40:39 |
| 14th | 1990 | Ahmed Hussein (ETH) | 2:18:55 | Valentina Enachi (URS) | 3:00:32 |
| — | 1991 | Not held | |||
| 15th | 1992 | Lemi Chengere (ETH) | 2:17:07 | Marika Starovska (TCH) | 2:34:17 |
| 16th | 1993 | Lemi Chengere (ETH) | 2:17:30 | Frith van der Merwe (RSA) | 2:39:11 |
| 17th | 1994 | Ahmed Hussein (ETH) | 2:14:52 | Liora Leibowitz (ISR) | 2:51:36 |
| 18th | 1995 | Ahmed Hussein (ETH) | 2:15:10 | Tatyana Leonova (MDA) | 2:56:38 |
| 19th | 1996 | Wodage Zvadya (ISR) | 2:19:30 | Nili Abramski (ISR) | 2:57:19 |
| 20th | 1997 | Lemi Chengere (ETH) | 2:16:41 | Alemitu Bekele (ETH) | 2:52:48 |
| 21st | 1998 | Moges Taye (ETH) | 2:12:51 | Abeba Tolla (ETH) | 2:41:21 |
| 22nd | 1999 | Dube Jillo (ETH) | 2:17:38 | Orna Blau (ISR) | 2:48:39 |
| 23rd | 2000 | Asaf Bimro (ISR) | 2:19:45 | Nili Abramski (ISR) | 2:42:06 |
| 24th | 2001 | Paul Tangus (KEN) | 2:17:06 | Nili Abramski (ISR) | 2:44:57 |
| 25th | 2002 | Simon Bor (KEN) | 2:16:13 | Nili Abramski (ISR) | 2:36:40 |
| 26th | 2003 | Moges Taye (ETH) | 2:12:45 | Esther Einer (ISR) | 2:51:06 |
| 27th | 2004 | Habtamu Bekele (ETH) | 2:15:39 | Nili Abramski (ISR) | 2:38:42 |
| 28th | 2005 | Habtamu Bekele (ETH) | 2:18:08 | Nili Abramski (ISR) | 2:44:50 |
| 29th | 2006 | John Rotich (KEN) | 2:15:43 | Nili Abramski (ISR) | 2:54:49 |
| 30th | 2007 | Leonard Maina (BHR) | 2:13:13 | Nili Abramski (ISR) | 2:39:25 |
| 31st | 2008 | Leonard Maina (KEN) | 2:10:32 | Nili Abramski (ISR) | 2:39:15 |
| 32nd | 2009 | Jackson Kotut (KEN) | 2:08:07 | Irene Kosgei (KEN) | 2:39:07 |
| 33rd | 2010 | Simon Kariuki (KEN) | 2:11:09.5 | Emily Samoei (KEN) | 2:36:40.3 |
| 34th | 2011 | Stephen Chemlany (KEN) | 2:10:02 | Abaynesh Sisay (ETH) | 2:44:31 |
| 35th | 2012 | Patrick Tambwé (FRA) | 2:07:30 | Tinibt Gidey (ETH) | 2:40:08 |
| 36th | 2013 | Dominic Ondoro (KEN) | 2:08:00 | Ashete Bekere (ETH) | 2:40:22 |
| 37th | 2014 | Tariku Jufar (ETH) | 2:10:32 | Divina Jepkosgei (KEN) | 2:34:41 |
| 38th | 2015 | Hailu Mekonnen (ETH) | 2:12:32 | Riki Salem (ISR) | 2:54:02 |
| 39th | 2016 | Teferi Kebede (ETH) | 2:15:31 | Edinah Kwambai (KEN) | 2:51:16 |
| 40th | 2017 | Habtamu Wegi (ETH) | 2:16:39 | Hiwot Gebrekidan (ETH) | 2:25:45 |
| 41st | 2018 | Girmaw Amare (ISR) | 2:15:31 | Ayantu Abera (ETH) | 2:40:37 |
| 42nd | 2019 | Haimro Alame (ISR) | 2:15:16 | Beatie Deutsch (ISR) | 2:42:18 |
| 43rd | 2020 | Tachlowini Gabriyesos (ERI) | 2:14:56 | Beatie Deutsch (ISR) | 2:32:25 |
| 44th | 2021 | Daniel Molushet (ISR) | 2:17:08 | Beatie Deutsch (ISR) | 2:41:12 |
| 45th [4] | 2022 | David (Necho) Tayachew (ISR) | 2:13:00 | Beatie Deutsch (ISR) | 2:41:20 |
| 46th [5] | 2025 | Tachlowini Gabriyesos (ERI) | 2:19:19 | Beatie Deutsch (ISR) | 2:55:41 |
| 47th [6] | 2026 | David (Necho) Tayachew (ISR) | 2:17:00 | Beatie Deutsch (ISR) | 2:48:40 |
Wins by country
| Country | Men's race | Women's race | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Israel | 8 | 22 | 30 |
| Ethiopia | 16 | 7 | 23 |
| Kenya | 8 | 4 | 12 |
| Great Britain | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Germany | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| France | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| South Africa | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Finland | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Moldova | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Czechoslovakia | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| United States | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Bahrain | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Eritrea | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| New Zealand | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Sweden | 0 | 1 | 1 |
References
- 1.This Week in NYRR History. New York Road Runners. Retrieved on 2011-01-14.
- 2.Sharrock, David (9 January 2007). "How an Arab who used to be Kenyan made history running in Israel — and ended up in a hell of a state". Times Online. Retrieved 2008-11-12.
- 3.France's Tambwe triumphs in Tiberias Marathon in 2:07:30 Archived 2012-01-20 at the Wayback Machine. European Athletics (2012-01-14). Retrieved on 2012-01-15.
- 4.[4.2]"דוד טיאצ'ו אלוף ישראל ומרתון טבריה" [David Tiacho is the Tiberias marathon champion]. Sports-5 Israel (in Hebrew). 2022-12-09.
- 5.[5.2]"Tiberias Marathon 2025-תוצאות". 4sport-live.com (in Hebrew). 2025-01-03.
- 6.[6.2]"ביטי דויטש ודוד טאייצ'או הוכתרו כאלופת ואלוף ישראל במרתון טבריה" [Beatie Deutsch and David Tayachew were crowned Israeli champions in the Tiberias Marathon]. shvoong.co.il (in Hebrew). 2026-01-09.