Holy Trails - Running Adventures in Israel

20/02/2024

רגע לפני שהיום מתחיל (ת׳כלס כבר התחיל 😉)...תודה ע נ ק י ת (אבל באמת ענקית) לכל מי שטרח ועזר והצביע לפודקאסט שלי ״לטייל בקלילות״ בשלב המקדים של תחרות הפודקסט של השנה 2024.

נחשו מה???? אנחנו ממשיכים לגמר!!!! זה באמת מרגש.
אבל אני צריך אתכם שוב והפעם זה הרבה הרבה יותר פשוט. רק צריך להיכנס לקישור (מומלץ להעתיק את הקישור החוצה מפייסבוק אם זה לא מסתדר) ולהצביע בקטגוריה היחידה שאני מתמודד ״הלייפסטייל״, לטייל בקלילות.

איך לייפסטייל? באמת אין לי מושג...אבל בסוף מה זה ״לייפסטייל״ (מילה מעצבנת) - זה באמת הדברים שגורמים לנו להרגיש טוב ולהעביר את הזמן בנעימים. יש כאלה שמה שעובד להם זה ספא, בגדים, תכשיטים, קוסמטיקה (בדקתי בויקיפדיה) אבל בסוף מדובר באמת ב״סיגנון חיים״. ומה שעושה לי את ה״לייפסטייל״ זה להיות בחוץ, לדבר ולעשות מסעות ולפגוש אנשים שיש להם מה לספר על זה. אז לייפסטייל!!

ואם כבר מדברים על הפודקאסט - עוד יומיים עולה הפרק המטורף ביותר שעשיתי. למה מטורף? כי מדובר באדם שיודע לספר סיפורים בצורה מדהימה והתרומה שלו לטיול ומסעות בארץ היא אדירה בכל קנה מידה וזה בלי שדיברנו על המסעות שעשה בעולם כל זה בימים שהיה הרבה פחות פשוט להסתובב על ההרים.

אז הנה הקישור להצבעה בגיקטיים - מוזמנים לנצל את כל חשבונות הגוגל שלכם 🙏

https://www.geektime.co.il/israel-top-best-podcasts-of-the-year-2024-vote-now/

שימו לב גם לפודקאסט ״מטוסי נייר״ שעוסק גם הוא בטיולים בעולם מזוויות אחרות - בקטגוריית ההעשרה. מומלץ להצביע ולשמוע. איתי הוא חבר טוב והתארחתי ואירחתי אותו גם אצלי.

15/10/2023

Through this horrific days we go through here in Israel, this is just one testimony out of endless stories.
Events that are beyond imagination and ability to fully understand.

https://runpanel.co.il/last-run-near-yad-mordechai/?fbclid=IwAR3NnqttDQcthp4JDhNm0qJvGSKOodjYTupeu0GmbSmK9vV75ImRnGhXvKc

This is a heart-shuttering story of 3 good friends who went for a run in the picturesque fields next to the kibbutz Yad Mordechai.

03/09/2023

It's all about timing.
That moment when you reach the correct spot exactly at 5:30am.

And on this time the horizon above the dead sea started coloring itself in layers of orange and red, revealing the colors of the beautiful desert just waking up after a full moon night.
All we had to do is keep running towards the rising sun watching this magnificent show happening in front of our eyes, reaching the dead sea cliff exactly when the sun finally came out.

We traveled this night by foot, walking and running. No headlamps were needed. The bright, silver light of the full moon guided us clearly through the ridges and narrow trails we slowly followed.
The wind was pleasant and cooling, the night was quiet as the desert is normally. The remote horns of El Hajar were there as usual, accepting us with silence.

I have been coming to these horns for almost 20 years now, and always happy to be back.
This time, I enjoyed the company of Tanay, a young bright man from Singapore. We shared a nice conversation and many questions and answers. It's a privilege to keep bringing the ones who choose me for a running adventure to these remote and unique places. Rarely a tourist will get to enjoy these gems which are the real wild nature of Israel.

Thank you Tanay, for choosing Holy Trails - Running Adventures in Israel for your running adventure, deep in the Israeli desert on this bright night just before the beginning of a new Jewish year.

23/07/2023

So, how crazy does it get?

Well, Israel summer has no mercy, but Jeff was persistent and booked a run.
On such a day we start with a pickup at 2am and while it's still dark and 30 degrees (Celsius) we hit the road with our head lamps.

Climbing at dark and first light has its charm and the dead sea sunrise show NEVER disappoints. We made it to the top exactly when the sun broke through and the cool breeze at the peak was unbelievable.

A short detour to observe the Hever canyon and its historic scroll caves followed and then we navigated freestyle through ancient trails just to drop 550m of sheer descent into the Arugot canyon.

At this time the heat is unbearable but you get to dip in shallow water just as an opening to the epic sights of the canyon pools. A life saver.

Keeping ourselves wet was the only way to go but when we went out of the park we had another exposed section up until the Ein Gedi spring. Another moment of glory and then just cruising through David's creek and its amazing dripping cave 💦

Back to the road for a hamburger and a dead sea swim. SWIM??? this was probably the most challenging part of the day as the water was probably 50 degrees hot!!!

Back to Tel Aviv after 14 hours+. This is what I call a good day.

You think this is crazy? Well wait.
Same day after midnight Jeff already climbed a plane to take him back home some 15 hours away to the west coast. He managed to get 12.5 hours of sleep on the way (Yea, a summer run in 40 degrees gets you tired) and less than a day after landing - he was on the start line, at 5am, of the San Francisco marathon to set a new PR.

THIS IS JUST AMAZING.

I am really humbled to repeat Jeff's words after a cold orange juice glass at the car: "This was the best run of my life".

Happy to complete another Holy-Trails epic run 🙏🌟🌼

04/12/2022

The true essence of trail running in Israel. This is a running adventure in its simplicity

11/11/2022

Marty, 73, from San Diego, arrived to Israel with a busy tour bus. It was organized by the rabbi of his reformist community.
Still, he needed to keep his training for an upcoming relay race in California. He is also preparing to qualify for the Boston marathon for his age group!!!

With that in mind, he took some days off from the busy tour for running. On one of his running days he chose to run with us.

We took Marty to the Jerusalem hills for some tranquility hours. We found initial signs of winter, cool air and some historical milestones that are an essential part of Israel's independence stories: The Burma road, the military posts overlooking road number 1 and lots of fresh nature

As usual, we concluded with a fantastic breakfast to make sure we have enough energy for the rest of the day.

It was a pleasure hosting you, Marty! Good luck on your running adventures.

28/10/2022

Sometimes, preparing for a run does not only mean checking out the trails, it might mean - cleaning them as well.

Preparing for a next week guest, we want to make sure the trails are ready and look nice. Even if it means cleaning them ourselves 💪

We got a great pre-sunset afternoon 🌄

22/10/2022

Summer is officially out. Let the fun begin.

It's really exciting to get so many messages from people all around the globe coming to visit Israel and interested in RUNNING 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️

We are here to help...and run.

Here are some photos of summer memories ❤️

14/03/2022

Two years have passed. The world has changed. But the simple things of the natural lifecycle continued their same way.

We did not disappear. On the contrary. The safest place these times proved to be nature.

So we went out a lot, maybe ran less, but explored a lot of new hidden corners. Nature, as always, seems to be infinite.

This week I found myself on a short exploration tour in Ein Gedi. I stopped to pick up two young travelers hitchhiking at the side of the road towards Jerusalem. I was on the way home after a long day out.

Surprisingly I found they were tourists from Germany. It was exciting to suddenly meet "real" tourists again.

I started the conversation, asking them about their visit. Specifically, being at the dead sea I asked how was it to take a bath in the salty water.

Surprisingly they answered they did not go in. The beaches are full with signs that you should not go in, that it's dangerous...it can be scary.

The reality, like every thing in Israel, is more complex. I immediately told them - I am taking you to dip in the dead sea. It's an experience you have to try!

We had to hurry because it was close to sunset, but we did it. Indeed, I was happy to listen to the screams of joy when the amazing feeling of infinite floating took over.

It was a fun way to complete a weekend of green, rain, winter flours and fantastic desert.

The majestic trails of Israel await. Welcome from wherever you come.