Prague is known the world over for our world-class, record-setting competitive races. And when COVID-19 forced us to cancel them, tens of thousands of runners who had hoped to visit this magnificent city, planning to participate were disappointed. And so were we. This is what we live for.
So we set out to create another type of event altogether. A one-of-a-kind race that would signal to the world that the running spirit was alive and well in the Czech Republic. A race that would inspire other organizations to chart new courses for the future of running. And that would be a sign to cities everywhere that even COVID-19 has a finish line.
Our proposal? An exclusive, star-studded half marathon limited to 35 of the most celebrated distance runners in the world today. Men and women will compete separately, running on a flat, fast oval course through Letna Park in Prague. 16.5 laps. A course and a field designed to wage an all-out assault on current world record.
The men will set their sights on breaking 58:30, a time surpassed only twice in history. The women will be looking to shatter the current world record time of 01:06:11 in women-only race.
Start time for the men’s event is slated for 6:20. The women will start at 8:00. Weather permitting. Czech TV will broadcast the event live via satellite and global streaming.
As a partner and collaborator in this event, adidas has designed what everyone believes will be the company’s fastest running shoe ever. The adidas adizero Adios Pro. adidas worked closely with world class athletes to develop the technology that they expect will contribute significantly to world record performances. This event will serve as its global unveiling in high performance setting.
Assembling this field of runners turned out to be a monumental feat. And that was only the start. Ensuring their health and safety posed other challenges. But we have established a set of protocols designed to make sure that no one is compromised.
