Junior marathon 2025

Rules

Running rules

A team of male and female high school or multi-year grammar school students runs a 42km course in relay fashion. Each team must have at least three girls (sections 3, 5 and 7 run). In the semi-final race, the length of the section may be changed based on local conditions so that the total of all ten runners corresponds to the distance of the marathon course. Each competitor runs his part of the race and after the handover, the next one runs. During the handover, he must touch the hand of the runner running out in the designated section and hand over the relay pin, chip or ribbon. The team whose last member is the first to cross the finish line wins. No one may help the running member of the relay by pushing (no one may touch him).

School team

Each school is represented by a ten-member team (a school can nominate more than one team) composed of full-time students from the given secondary school. Each team must have at least three girls. A school that cannot field a team of students from its school and joins forces with another school must notify this at the latest upon registration. However, a team composed in this way participates outside the competition without the right to advance to the final. Secondary school students can participate in the competition. There is no minimum age limit. The oldest participant can be born no later than 2005.

Teachers’ relay races

In 2025, it is officially allowed to form teacher relay teams. The ideal composition of a relay team is 4 or more members who overcome the marathon course together. After prior agreement, an exception can be made regarding the number of members and the distance overcome. The teacher relay team is not counted in the number of participating teams and does not enter into the final evaluation and progression ranks of the race.

Semifinal

The semi-final rounds will take place from April 1 to April 28, 2025. Fourteen semi-final races will be held in regional cities throughout the Czech Republic (the Central Bohemian Region and Prague will have a joint semi-final round, but the results will be separate).

A school may participate outside of the competition if at least 3 girls in the team do not participate, if a student from another school participates, or if a student participates who is not a full-time student or does not meet the age requirements according to the rules above.

Entry into the referees’ designated area is prohibited during the race. The referees are not obliged to provide information about the course of the race during its duration. Communication during the race is possible only with the race director or a representative. Protests against the race results can be filed no later than one hour after the end of the race; later complaints will not be taken into account by the organizer.

All race participants who are not currently competing are prohibited from moving on the running track during the race.

Furthermore, it is not permitted to use so-called guides, i.e. people who are running outside the competition at a given moment as an escort for another currently competing runner.

Refreshments on the course may only be served to a currently competing runner in the area reserved for the relay handover. Serving refreshments to a runner elsewhere on the course is not permitted.

Penalties for not meeting the predetermined number of laps

Any violation of the number of laps completed during the handover of the baton must be verified by a referee with a timepiece. In the event of a confirmed incorrect handover of the batons, the following procedure shall be followed:

• A team member makes a wrong substitution for the first time in an ongoing competition: a time penalty of 4 minutes to the final time of the entire team.
• Another or the same member of the same team makes a wrong substitution for the second time in an ongoing competition: DISQUALIFICATION of the entire team.
• If a team member runs one lap less than they should, they wait until the next runner has finished their leg, take over the baton and finish their one lap, then hand the baton to the next runner in line. The team is then penalized by applying 1 point
• If a team member runs more laps than specified (e.g. instead of 7 laps, he runs 8), this does not affect the obligation of the following runner to run the specified number of laps (laps are not deducted, the runner still runs his 7 laps – the team runs one extra lap in total). In such a case, the timer is still running (and point 1 is also applied).

Detailed solution to the situation:

• A team member passes the baton incorrectly for the first time in an ongoing competition:
  • A team member who incorrectly handed over the relay chip is (after verification of the incorrect handover by the timekeeper and referee) obliged to run the missing circuit immediately after discovering this violation according to the rules.
  • Example: Student A, who runs section 1, hands over the baton 1 lap early to runner B, who runs section 2. While runner B is running section 2, a bad handover is detected. The assessment of the bad handover takes so long that runner B from the second section hands over the baton to runner C on section 3. At this point, the bad handover is definitively confirmed. Runner C on section 3 is still on the course. Runner A prepares to handover and runner C hands over the baton to him after finishing his section. Runner A runs one lap that is left of his section and the team is further penalized by applying point 1, then he hands over the baton to the next runner in line. In this case, runner D on section 4.
• The same team made a bad substitution for the second time in the given competition: DISQUALIFICATION of the team.

Procedure key

The following number of teams will advance to the final from the semi-final round:

• In the case of 16 participating teams, only the winner of the semi-final round advances.
• If 17 to 29 schools participate, the first two teams advance.
• If 30 or more schools participate, the first three teams advance.

School teams from abroad or from a region other than the one in which the given semi-final round is held can advance to the final only if they win the given semi-final round. However, this does not affect the number of teams advancing from a given region – for example, if 10 teams participate in the semi-final and a team from abroad or another region takes first place, the teams from first and second place will advance. A school can only participate in one semi-final competition.

In the event that a school sends two or more teams to the semi-finals, only one team may advance to the final (an exception may occur if the school makes a significant positive contribution to the organization of the final competition). If a school sends two or more teams, these teams must compete in the same semi-final round.

Wild card for participation in the final

There are several types of wild cards that will ensure a team’s direct participation in the project finals. Below is an overview of the awarding of wild cards.

1. A wild card is awarded to the first three teams from the national final in 2024 (Gymnázium, SOŠ and SZŠ Jilemnice, Gymnázium Dr. Antona Randa, Gymnázium F. X. Šalda Liberec). To be eligible for this wild card, the teams must participate in the semi-final race and complete their relay stages without breaking the rules. Regardless of their result, they can advance even from last place.
2. These teams have their travel and accommodation for the finals covered.
3. Each team that participates in the semi-final race and does not advance has the right to apply for a wild card. After all semi-final races have been completed and the advancing teams have been selected, the organizing team may award wild cards to supplement the participants in the final race based on written requests, which must be received by email at jmc@runczech.com. These teams are not entitled to reimbursement of travel and accommodation in the final.

Final

The final race will take place as part of the Prague Marathon on May 4, 2025 and will be attended by:

• schools that qualified for the final from the semi-final competitions,
• schools that received a wild card,
• invited teams from abroad (participating outside the competition).

The advancing teams (according to the results of the semi-final races) have the cheapest transport option to Prague and back paid for by the company Juniorský Maratonský klub z. s. For cities where a train connection is considered (Olomouc, Ostrava, Pardubice and others), train transport is considered such an option. The teams also have accommodation from Saturday to Sunday for 12 people.

The relay handover points are located on the marathon course at kilometers 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 28, 32 and 36. The organizer will arrange the placement of runners for the handovers.