The Mountain to Valley Relay Race – April 2018

The Mountain to Valley Relay Race 2018 is one of the top Israel events to be held on 26-27 April 2018. This will be the 10th annual Mountain to Valley (M2V) race. M2V is a 215 km group relay race which takes place over the course of about 20 hours. Although the race offers a competitive and non-competitive category there are no monitory prizes. Instead participants take part for the social interaction, personal challenge and to enjoy the stunning scenery of this unique race.

Mountain to Valley Relay Race Rout

The race starts in Tel-Hai. The route takes you through the Hula Valley, past the Sea of Galilee, the Beit Netofa Valley and the Menashe Mountains.The finish line is in the Yizrael Valley near Timrat. The route is divided into 24 segments each measuring 5-12 km.Teams of 4, 6 or 8 runners take turns running the segments in a rotation order.
Due to the nature of the run which takes place over the course of about 20 hours runners can sleep in a car or hotel when it is not their turn to run. The race takes place during day and night hours and so some runner will be running in the dark. This is a truly unique race experience. Runners should have flashlights and luminous vests to help them on their way through the dark. Runners can be accompanied by an assistant runner. Most of the race is run along trails and off-road. Along the route roads are not closed to traffic and so runners need to be very careful. It also means that the runners can be accompanied by a vehicle. The vehicle is used for carrying food, water, assistance and as a place to rest.

Mountain to Valley Relay Race 2018 Routes and Categories

The race has competitive and non-competitive categories. Running teams are classified according to the number of runners (8/6/4); whether the runners are all women, all men or mixed and whether the team is competitive or non-competitive. Competitive runners must run on a rotation basis with each runner resting while all the other runners have a turn to run. With non-competitive teams it doesn’t matter the order of the runners or number of legs each team member runs.
Teams can register for the race online. Teams can determine their own starting time from Tel-Hai and the line-up of starting times will be staggered. The first team will head out on 26 April at 6 a.m. and the last team will set off at 2 p.m. There will be a closing ceremony on 27 April at 10 a.m.