Crane Race

If birds could talk they would probably tell you about the Crane Race – the perfect connection between the love of running and nature and contribution to the crane project, in one of the most beautiful places in Israel, and the perfect season for running.

The Crane Race offers a Half Marathon, 10km, 5km, a Family course and Special Ability course around the Hula Lake, where you will meet spectacular views, migratory birds and a flat, fast course that just begs you to achieve a great PR to end the year on a high note.

In recent decades, the Hula Lake has become one of the most important stops in the migration route of the Gray Crane. Out of the 100,000 cranes that pass southwards, 30,000-40,000 cranes remain for the winter in the Hula Valley.

On one hand the cranes are a unique tourist attraction in the Galilee, yet on the other they are a disaster for farmers in the area, without an appropriate interface. Since 1999, many nature organizations have joined a unique project aimed at preventing damage by the cranes while protecting them. The project is very successful, and in the last decade most of their damage to agriculture has been avoided. In addition, hundreds of thousands of visitors get to enjoy crane spotting every year.

The project requires a lot of resources every year. The purpose of the Crane Race is to help raise funds for the existence of this important project, and to raise awareness of the conservation of migratory birds in particular. Each year the excess funds from the race are transferred to the project.

The race itself is funded by private sponsors led by EY, and the sponsors do so without any profit in order to support nature in Israel’s northern region. Participation in the race is a contribution and support of the Hula Lake, the crane conservation project and the entire area.