The first weekend of May has brought the Czech capital to life for three decades with a grand sports and social event – the international marathon. With its new title sponsor, ORLEN, the event also serves as the Czech Republic’s national marathon championship and continues to be listed among the World Athletics “Elite Label” road races. Most importantly, it celebrates its 30th anniversary.
“This is a huge event. The Prague Marathon is the oldest race in the RunCzech series – we launched it in 1995,” recalled Carlo Capalbo, founder of the project and chairman of the RunCzech organizing committee.
With its scale and number of participants, the ORLEN Prague Marathon 2025 returnes to pre-COVID levels when the event reached gigantic proportions. Interest in running the Prague Marathon has been enormous, with the race almost fully booked. On Sunday, May 4, 10,000 runners will take to the main marathon course, with nearly 3,000 more joining accompanying races.
The Marathon Weekend will also include the dm family mile and the increasingly popular dm bambini run for the youngest runners at the Výstaviště exhibition grounds in Holešovice. On Saturday morning, Letná Park will host the active breakfast, where participants can enjoy a guided 4.2 km run (a symbolic tenth of a marathon) led by trainers from the Running Mall and marathon pacemakers.
While last year’s start list included representatives from 101 nationalities, this year’s marathon promises to be even more diverse. Before the elite list even closed, runners from 109 nationalities had already registered. “These are very satisfying numbers – we expect participation from more than 110 countries overall,” assures Carlo Capalbo. The ratio of local to international runners has remained stable in recent years – 46% are Czech and 54% foreign participants. Over 6% are from the UK, the largest foreign community on the start list. Women make up a quarter of all participants. The ORLEN Prague Marathon unites all generations – the youngest participant is 18-year-old Koju Chen from Taiwan, and the oldest is 79-year-old Jean-Michel Boiron from France.
The Prague event will also host the finals of the Junior Marathon Championship, one of the longest-running RunCzech events, held in three qualifying rounds and covering all regions of the Czech Republic. The Junior Marathon Championship began on April 1 and engaged around 10,000 students. The most successful high school teams will line up alongside world-class athletes during the ORLEN Prague Marathon.
The unique trophies for the Prague Marathon champions are once again crafted by Ajeto glassworks, also known for creating awards for the Tour de France.
The 30th anniversary of the Prague Marathon will also draw numerous celebrities from the sports and public spheres. One of them is Barbora Strýcová, two-time Wimbledon doubles champion. “Running has become part of my life – with two kids, it’s the easiest way for me to stay active. I just put on my sneakers and go running anywhere,” said the five-time Fed Cup champion. “Starting in Prague is special to me, which is why I chose it for my first marathon.” Representatives from major global marathons – including Chicago, Osaka, London, Brussels, and Hamburg – will also attend.
The Prague Marathon writes its 30th chapter, yet it still has its loyal heroes. Six runners who haven’t missed a single edition since 1995 will be at the start again this year.
Each has run the Prague Marathon 28 times, as the 2020 event was cancelled due to the pandemic and in 2021 it was held with strict limitations and only a few elite runners.
Television coverage of the ORLEN Prague Marathon will reach over 100 countries and nearly 60 million households. Czech Television, the official media partner of the RunCzech series, will provide local coverage.
The international audience will enjoy commentary by Tim Hutchings, renowned voice of the Diamond League and other top athletics events.
Prague will become a global running capital during the extended first weekend of May. The Marathon EXPO, along with accompanying races and a sports-social program, will open at Výstaviště Holešovice on Friday, May 2.
Ten thousand participants in the main event will line up for the start and finish on Old Town Square at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday.
Marathon Weekend 2025 program:
SATURDAY, May 3
- 9:30 – Active Breakfast (Letná Park); 4.2 km public training run
- 15:00 – dm Family Mile (Výstaviště Holešovice); 1609 m
- 16:00 – dm bambini run (Výstaviště Holešovice); 100, 150, and 200 m
SUNDAY, May 4
- 9:00 – ORLEN Prague Marathon (Old Town Square); full marathon 42.195 km
- 9:00 – Czech National Marathon Championship (Old Town Square)
- 9:00 – Prague Marathon – Pairs (Old Town Square); 2×42.195 km
- 9:00 – ČT 2Run Prague Marathon (Old Town Square); 2×21.0975 km
