Some 50,000 people took part in the Tel Aviv Marathon on Friday, with over 3,000 running the full race — more than any other previous year.

The half-marathon also saw record participation, with more than 12,000 runners.

In the women’s full marathon, Baraki Gabriela of Ethiopia set a new record of 2:35.20, a 31-second improvement on Kenyan runner Margeret Njugana’s record-setting 2:35:5 in the race’s 2017 edition.

Among men, Nyakundi Dickson Simba of Kenya came in first with a time of 2:10.14, just seconds short of the record.

Speaking before the start of the race, Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai expressed hope that it would signify a return to normalcy after more than two years of war.

“This is the largest marathon we’ve had, and I believe this marathon will be a symbol of a return to regular life in the State of Israel,” he said.

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