Tel Aviv Marathon 2027 : the course km by km, race week and travel

Tel Aviv is a low course. About two thirds of it lies at or under 10 m above sea level, the whole loop climbs 87.4 m, and there is one real hill, 19 m in 1.6 km after km 31. What makes it hard is the clock. The organiser sets three cut-offs, the second at Dizengoff Square at km 31.5, right at the foot of that hill, and the race is run on a Friday in late February, when heat has put runners in hospital before. A runner near the back has to bank time early, before the hill, and a runner anywhere in the field should treat the heat as part of the course.

The course is one loop: out through the northern streets, west along the Yarkon to the sea, south along the shore to Jaffa Port, then back north and through the city centre to finish a few hundred metres from where it began. The kilometres and heights below are measured along the course file on the organiser’s maps page, uploaded in January 2026 for the current edition and matched to OpenStreetMap streets, on a 30 m terrain model. Check the page for a newer file before race day.

Km 0 to 11.3: Rokach Blvd. and the northern streets

The start gate on Rokach Blvd. sits at about 5.6 m. The first 2.6 km run west along Rokach Blvd., dead flat, and the course then turns north through Ibn Gvirol, Shay Agnon and Levi Eshkol streets, a stretch of park paths and Yitzhak Artzi Street. From km 7.5 it takes Ibn Gvirol Street north to a turn at about km 9.2 and back to km 10.9, the only out and back of the opening. None of this is hilly: the road rises gently to about 13 m near km 8 and never goes higher in the first 11 km.

Km 11.3 to 14.6: down the Yarkon to the sea

From about km 11.3 the course leaves the streets for paths beside the Yarkon river and drops to 2.6 m near km 13, the lowest point of the race. It crosses the river twice, at km 13.5 and on Wauchope Bridge at km 14.1, and reaches the sea at Tel Aviv Port, near km 14.6, where the old harbour sits at the mouth of the Yarkon.

Km 14.6 to 25.5: south along the shore to Jaffa

HaYarkon Street and Eliezer Peri Street bring a short rise, from about 4 m at km 14.5 to 18 m at km 16, and the road is back near 5 m by km 17. Then comes the longest flat of the race: Herbert Samuel along the seafront, Kaufmann Street and Nahum Goldmann Street, between about 5 m and 8 m all the way to Jaffa. The first cut-off is at Clock Tower Square in Jaffa, which the organiser puts at km 18: 2 hours 25 minutes after the start, about 8:03 per km. The course reaches the port area from km 20.6, loops round the quay of the ancient harbour of Jaffa Port, its southern end, and leaves it near km 23.2 to retrace the quayside and Goldmann and Kaufmann streets north.

Km 25.5 to 31.5: HaYarkon Street and Dizengoff

The return north runs on HaYarkon Street and meets the same rise in reverse: about 12 m of climbing between km 26 and km 28, from 6 m to 18 m, falling back to 9 m by km 28.8. Near km 29 the course turns south down Dizengoff Street and reaches Dizengoff Square at about km 31.2. The second cut-off, 4 hours 15 minutes after the start, is at the square heading south, at km 31.5: about 8:06 per km.

Km 31.5 to 35.5: the hill at km 32

From 14.7 m at km 31.2 the road climbs 19 m in 1.6 km, by King George Street and Ben Zion Boulevard to Habima Square at about km 32.1 and on to the high point of the course, 33.8 m at km 32.8 on Rothschild Boulevard. The course runs an out and back on Rothschild, passes Habima Square again at km 33.4, and comes back down Tarsat Boulevard and Dizengoff Street, through Dizengoff Square a second time at about km 34.4. By km 35 the road is down to 12.8 m. A runner close to the cut-off at km 31.5 has this climb next, so the time to save is before it.

Km 35.5 to 42.2: Ibn Gvirol and the run home

Reines Street and Ben Gurion Boulevard lead to Ibn Gvirol Street, which runs north from about km 35.5 to km 37.3 and loses about 8 m. The last 5 km follow Rokach Blvd. and paths and service roads by Park HaYarkon, between 4 m and 8 m, flat to the finish at 7.6 m near the park. The finish line closes 5 hours 50 minutes after the start, an average of about 8:18 per km.

Race kits

The organiser had not published the 2027 kit collection by 30 October 2026: the kit page says the place and times will be announced later. It has said one thing that shapes a trip: there will be no race kit distribution on race day or on the day before. The kit includes the timing chip (except for the children’s Mini Marathon), so a runner has to be in Tel Aviv by Wednesday 24 February at the latest to collect it. The children’s Mini Marathon is that Wednesday afternoon in HaYarkon Park.

Getting to the start

Every distance starts and finishes at one gate on Rokach Blvd., next to Merkaz Hayeridim, the convention centre, and opposite the University railway station. The gates open to the public at 4.30am. The half marathon goes first, in two groups at 6am and 6.15am, and the marathon, on blue bibs, at 7.15am. Inside the gate are two starting gates, A and B, set by the goal time you gave when you registered; the letter is printed on the bib, and only runners whose bibs are for the coming start are let in.

The organiser recommends arriving by public transport, and Israel Railways reinforces its lines to Tel Aviv University station on race day. A Tel-O-Fun bike and scooter drop-off station is set up next to the start and finish on Rokach Blvd. Drivers are pointed to park-and-walk lots at Ramat Gan Stadium, the Bnei Brak Industrial Area near the Rami Levy supermarket, and the Savidor train station parking lot.

Pacers, water and bags

The organiser lists marathon pacers for 2:50, 3:00, 3:15, 3:30, 3:45, 4:00, 4:15, 4:30, 4:45 and 5:00, with the warning that the schedule may change. Water is handed out in bottles, and the organiser asks runners to throw them in the bins rather than at the side of the road. Timing mats are spread along the course, and every runner must step on them. The aid station positions had not been published, and the only baggage storage on the registration page is part of a paid package.

Heat

The 2026 race, on Friday 27 February, was a hot one. 35 runners received medical attention, five of them in critical condition, and six were taken to hospital. A late-February date is no promise of a cool morning, so drink at the water points and keep the cut-offs in mind before you push the pace.