Eilat, Israel's premier resort on the Red Sea, is more than just vacationing - it is a serious sporting destination for athletes who come to take advantage of the warm winter weather, the varied desert landscapes, the calm waters of the bay of Eilat and a host of international professional and amateur sporting events. Budding athletes and triathletes can even spend a week in Eilat, training in optimum winter conditions while the rest of Europe suffers from freezing weather that makes outdoor training virtually impossible.

The warm winter sun will be a sharp contrast to weather in the US and Europe as athletes gear up for the first international Eilat Desert Marathon on November 28, 2014. Participants can choose between a full marathon (42.1), half-marathon (21) 10k or 2.5k distance course, all of which begin and end at the Big Shopping Center on the northern edge of Eilat.

The course takes the runners through the picturesque Holland Forest , climbs up along Roded creek, past the remains of an ancient gold mine in the Tuchin valley and then continues upwards towards the Shchoret mountain - truly breathtaking scenery.

Running in the desert presents formidable challenges that may be difficult to appreciate fully before coming to a race, no matter how realistic one’s training might be. The forbidding nature of the desert environment - the heat and the cold, the sand and the wind, the merciless sun - all of these factors combine to make the race much tougher than the distance itself would suggest. The website information for the desert marathon is full of tips of how to best deal with these challenges which are not part of any regular marathon course.

Registration ends online: November 10, 2014


TRIEILAT Red Sea training camp

TRIEILAT was founded on the belief that Eilat has optimal conditions throughout the year to host athletes from around the world for structured week-long camps that include everything needed to allow an athlete to perform at his/her best. The camp includes accommodation and full board, as well as well-organized training sessions accompanied by professional and technical assistance. All the staff at the TRIEILAT are triathletes and iron-men themselves.

The TRIEILAT Red Sea training camp focuses on all three main sports: swimming, cycling and running.  Swimming practices take place either in a pool or in the clear warm sea waters over coral reefs. Cycling the Israman route will work on uphill cycling with beautiful and challenging desert topography with slopes of up to 12% with changing wind direction along the course. Running practice takes places along the beach with spectacular views of mountains scenery and the Red Sea. There is little car-traffic while riding and endless trails to run in the hills or along the shore. The weather is warm and dry and water temperature never drops below 21 degrees celsius.