Running is one of the most ancient branches of sports. It is the beating heart of light athletics, that is comprised of a variety of different competitions: running at different distances, racewalking, jumping, throwing, and any combination of these in all-round competition. Track and field competitions, and first of all running, were central to the 1st Maccabiah. The track on which they competed was prepared from charcoal donated by the railway. Today as well, this is a central branch of Maccabiah sports in which hundreds of athletes compete. The runner, Juma Jubran, Israeli Champion in the Heptathlon and the 400-meter race, won three bronze medals in the 19th and 20th Maccabiah Games.