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Holidays for Christian Singles

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Take a trip to the Holyland with likeminded singles

Group holidays for singles are a great option for individuals who want to travel and socialise with like-minded people while enjoying the benefits of group travel. We organise trips specifically for solo travellers.

Here are some reasons why you might consider joining a group holiday for singles:

  1. Social Interaction: Group holidays provide an excellent opportunity to meet and connect with other solo travellers who share similar interests and passions. It can alleviate the potential loneliness of solo travel.

  2. Safety and Comfort: Traveling in a group can provide a sense of security, especially if you’re concerned about safety in a new destination. You can rely on the group for support and assistance.

  3. Expert Guidance: Our group tours are led by experienced guides or tour operators who are knowledgeable about the destination. This can enhance your travel experience by ensuring you see the best sights and engage in unique activities.

  4. Structured Itinerary: Our group trips have a well-planned itinerary that covers the key attractions and activities in a destination. This can save you the time and effort required to plan your own trip.

  5. Shared Costs: Group tours include accommodation and transportation which can be cost-effective compared to planning an individual trip.

  6. Solo-Friendly Accommodations: Group tours for singles often arrange accommodations that are suitable for solo travellers, such as single rooms without a single supplement.

  7. Cultural Immersion: Our group trips focus on cultural experiences and interactions with locals, providing a deeper understanding of the destination

  8. Reduced Planning Stress: If you prefer not to deal with the logistics and planning of a trip, joining a group tour with us can relieve you of these responsibilities.

 

 

Want to know more about holidays for Christian Singles? Get in touch today!

Pace setting

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How to figure out your marathon goal pace

Jerusalem Marathon ambassador, Andy, shares top tips on pace setting…

It’s one thing taking that big leap to booking a marathon…. But how do you plan to train and actually run at a set goal pace?

There’s a few ways of doing this and I’ll start with a vague way of working out your finish time. This theory of predicting your marathon finish time is called YASSO 800s.

How this works is, you complete 10 x 800m with your rest time being half of your work time. Whatever your average time is for the 800s, you add a couple of dominations and there’s your predicted finish time.

For example, if the average time it took you to complete the 800s was 2 minutes and 58 seconds, then in theory your marathon time will be around 2 hours 58 minutes.

Obviously, there is a big difference between 800 metres and a marathon but some people do use these alongside a structured marathon plan.

The second way of gauging roughly where your marathon time is, is by using previous races to work out roughly what time you should finish.

A good way of doing this, is looking at a recent Half Marathon you have run, doubling the time it took you to finish and adding 15 minutes which should allow for the extra distance you will be running.

Some people add as little as 6 minutes when using this method so it does depend on marathon experience.

Another good way of predicting your marathon finish time is using the Jack Daniels method, where you can input your finish time from any race distance you’ve done recently and it’ll give you a predicted time for every distance from 5km to marathon. The link for this website is here https://vdoto2.com/calculator/ .

Whichever method you go with, the sooner you know what pace you need to be running at, the better.

It’ll give you a clearer image in your head and will hopefully stop you from going too fast or too slow in your training runs.

What to know more about Jerusalem 2024? Get in touch today!

Building a training base

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In his latest blog, Jerusalem Marathon ambassador Andy, talks about the importance of building a base before marathon training…

With any marathon, a lot of miles go into the 12-16 week training plan leading up to the big
day. However, a lot can be gained way before the training plan even starts by utilizing
something called ‘base building’.

Base building is basically building the foundations for what’s to come and getting the
muscles, joints and body in general prepared and ready for the training plan itself. I found
this really worked for me before my London Marathon.

I started my 15 week plan in theJanuary but before the plan had even started, I had 8 weeks of consistent 70km weeks so I was starting from a strong position.

I find building a base to start with softens the shock of the mileage when the training plan
peaks later on. Building a base can be done by largely using easy miles in your training but
also a mix of tempo and interval sessions.

I wouldn’t be running any further than a half marathon in this base building phase…. The longer miles will come in the plan so there’s no need to over stretch yourself.

These miles should feel comfortable enough to hit week in, week out and you should arrive
at the first week of proper marathon training fresh and ready to build the mileage from the
base you’ve built.

Plus, you will have built a good level of fitness already which will hold you
in good shape for those miles ahead.

I’d recommend holding a steady base of between 50-90km a week depending on your
current mileage and experience to get you ahead of the game.

Hills, Hills, Hills

Posted on by shalom

Top Tips from our ambassador Andrew on hill training

If there’s one thing you’re going to have to build in to your training when preparing for the Jerusalem Marathon, it’s hill training.

 Hills make up 90% of the course and by the end of this marathon you will have climbed over 700 metres of elevation. It’s tough going, but if you prepare for them, you’ll be more than ready to take on this challenge.

Hill training in general will make you a stronger, faster and fitter runner. They are such useful tools to use in your training and there are many ways you can attack hill sessions. Hill sprints are great for those short sharp bursts or you can pick an undulating route and attack the up hills whilst recovering on the downhills or vice versa. Be creative with how you use them.

Uphills are going to get your quads and glutes fired up but if you shorten your stride rather than try and match your pace on the flat then that’s a good start. Don’t even think about your pace on the hills, just keep putting one foot in front of the other and keep moving. Keep yourself upright and don’t hunch over. You’ll be at the top before you know it.

Downhills are easy to just completely take your foot off the gas and coast down. If you need the recovery then by all means, take your recovery but if you’re still fighting fit by the top of the hill then I like to put the hammer down and get my leg turnover going quick again. Try not to slow yourself down too much as this will tire the Quads out quicker. Keep yourself in control with quick leg turn over. The second your foot hits the floor, flick it back off the floor.

Mentality is everything when it comes to hills. Attack each and every hill and get yourself to the top. Try and picture each hill as a mini challenge to overcome on your way to finishing the overall run.

Hills are tough but they also carry great benefit if you use them regularly. Studies have shown that runners who regularly train on hills have increased VO2 max, lactate threshold and also increases your endurance which means when you come to running on the flat again, it will feel easier.

Try these tips out and keep climbing those hills!

Interested in taking part in The Jerusalem Marathon or Half Marathon? Contact us to discuss our packages today!

Is 26.2 for you?

Posted on by shalom

Is 26.2 for you?

My name is Andy and I’m the ambassador for Shalom Tours’ Jerusalem Marathon experience and I will be guiding you through all aspects of your training with regular blogs featuring useful first-hand tips and tricks to help you tackle this Marathon.

My first blog considers why you should even contemplate running a marathon!

We’ve all been there. Thinking about signing up for a race and having our doubts. ‘Can I actually get through this?’. ‘Can I commit to the training?’. ‘Is this for me?’

I’ve been there myself. I always said that I’d never run a marathon. I thought it was too far and too difficult a goal to achieve. Fast forward 5 years from those thoughts, and my marathon PB stands at 2:37:00 and is probably my favourite distance.

Yes, you’ll need to commit to the training. Yes, you’ll need to focus on getting in the best shape of your life. You can’t ‘blag’ a marathon. It is however, one of the best experiences you’ll ever have and you’ll find out a lot about your body in those 26.2 miles.

What better place to tackle this challenge, than in Jerusalem, Israel. With plenty of hills on this course, it will offer you a chance to complete one of the toughest marathon courses whilst seeing magical parts of the city. It really is a bucket list marathon to tick off.

 

Want to know more about Jerusalem 2024? Get in touch today!

Jerusalem Marathon and Half Marathon in Pictures

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Jerusalem Marathon and Half Marathon in pictures!

Whether you are an individual, a couple or even a small group from your local running club, join us on our amazing Holy Land Tour with a chance for you to participate in the Jerusalem half or full marathon. The tour that mixes faith and a wonderful running experience! 

To inspire you we’ve put together some photographs of some of the sights you’ll see….
Contact Us to find out more!

Hills Training Links

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It’s all uphill from here

By Samantha Lawrence

Correct training and preparation for a marathon can make or break an experience.

The Jerusalem Marathon is 90% hills; with total hill climb of 327 meters. The route includes an almost 3-mile-long steep climb to Mount Scopus, with various hills along the way.

Experienced marathons runners describe it as ‘not for beginners’. This means running with amazing, breath-taking views of the Holy Land, but it also means breath-taking running in the amazing Holy Land.

How you train may determine which race you run.

Useful links:

We’ve pulled together links to the best articles we’ve found on hill running and hill marathon training, so you can empower yourself to run your best race. Learn about the importance of strength training, foot adjustments, training plans, sprinting, training if you live in a flat area, and pace.

Other important things to consider on such a hilly course include consideration of hydration vests, fuel gels, and the changes in weather!

Previous marathons have taken place in eight degrees Celsius with rain, while others have been nearly 30 degrees Celsius. With high elevation, the air can be crisp and cold. Advice from previous runners is to not assume it’s going to be hot and humid.

Interested? Contact us for a quote

5 reasons to run the Jerusalem Marathon

Posted on by shalom

By Samantha Lawrence

Running a race abroad should be on every marathon runner’s bucket list, because the experience
becomes something much more.

Here are 5 reasons why you should run the Jerusalem Marathon:

See the Holy Land from a unique perspective

This race will give you the perfect opportunity to see the beautiful sights of Jerusalem’s city, both old
and new, when all roads are closed to vehicles. Imagine hearing your rubber trainers slapping
rhythmically against ancient limestone slabs and modern tarmac, echoing within ancient tunnels and
across a Holy landscape. Imagine hearing spiritual music that makes your hairs stand on end and
running within groups of people from the most diverse cultures in the same spiritual place. That’s
the Jerusalem Marathon.

Turn your race into a holiday

With a marathon travel package, you will be able to explore both the city and the local area with
expert guides and fellow runners, enabling you to sightsee and experience the Holy Land as both a
tourist and as an endurance runner. The travel package is done for you, so you don’t have to worry
about anything but training, running and enjoying the experience.

Experience a new culture

Jerusalem is the city of three religions and is sacred for Jewish, Christians and Muslims. Jerusalem is
more than 3000 years old, has captivating history and architecture. At the same time the downtown
is very modern.
With 90% of the route up or down hills, you’ll see breath-taking views from some of the most
treasured cultural hotspots in the World.

Great motivation for training

What else could help maintain your momentum for training, if not the commitment of joining a
group embarking on a destination marathon? It will certainly help your accountability and provide
you with that extra push when you might need it the most.

Meet new friends

Last year over 30,000 people ran the Jerusalem Marathon, with 10% coming from abroad. You’ll
make new friends throughout the whole experience from the UK and across the world. Possibly
forming friendships for life.

Want to learn more? Contact us today.

Jerusalem Marathon – All you need to know

Posted on by shalom

A chance for runners and culture lovers to come together

In 2025 we’re organising a group trip to take part in the Jerusalem Marathon and Half Marathon.

Here’s some useful information about the event:

    • It’s one of Israel’s largest marathons,

    • Around 30,000 people take part

    • Around 10% are runners from abroad

 

Get in touch to arrange your place!

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As you run this route you’ll pass a fantastic array of historical sites that highlight 3,000 years of the history of Jerusalem, Israel’s capital.

The International Jerusalem Winner Marathon is a joyous combination of fantastic landscapes, culture and heritage – as well as physical endurance! It started in 2011 and offers the chance to take in sights such as the Israeli Knesset (the starting point), Machane Yehuda marketplace, Mount Scopus, the Old City, David’s Tower, Haas Promenade and more. 

It is guaranteed to be a challenging, thrilling and unforgettable experience for all runners.

The route

You’ll begin at Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, in the western part of the city, followed by a loop around the Giv’at Ram campus of the Hebrew University.

From there you’ll pass alongside the valley of the cross, and cross through various neighbourhoods on their way up to Hebrew University’s Mount Scopus campus in eastern Jerusalem.

Runners will then drop down to the Old City, as they pass through Jaffa Gate and the Armenian Quarter and out Zion Gate, on their way to the Jerusalem Forest.

Prepare yourself for the hilly terrain of the race’s finishing point – Sacher Park – hills make up 90% of the course! Expect long climbs and breath-taking views!

This is a safe event with security taken seriously. The entire city shuts down from 5am on the Friday race day, until after midday.

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