As the ORLEN Prague Marathon celebrates its 30th anniversary, it has set its sights on new race records in both men’s and women’s races. While a strong field of contenders will challenge the men’s mark of 2:05:09 set two years ago, the women’s race will be headlined by two remarkable Kenyan athletes: Gladys Chesir and Evaline Chirchir. Both are determined to deliver the marathon performance of their careers and threaten the women’s race record of 2:19:46.
Gladys Chesir, 33, will be bringing her rich experience to the start line. Having run her first competitive marathon in 2017, she is well-versed in both the strategy and the challenges of the longer marathon format. She set her personal best just six months ago in Amsterdam, clocking 2:20:30 to finish fourth.
Gladys’s rich athletic journey includes, winning gold in the 3000 meter race at the 2010 Youth Olympic Games and claiming silver in the 10,000 meters race at the 2015 African Games. Shifting her focus to road running, she finished sixth at the 2016 World Half Marathon Championships — less than a minute away from a medal.
She is no stranger to RunCzech events either, having raced the Prague Half Marathon eight years ago, finishing fifth with a time of 1:07:51 — the same historic race where Joyciline Jepkosgei broke the world record by running 1:04:52.
Born in Marakwet East in Kenya’s Rift Valley province — a region known for producing world-class runners — Gladys grew up in tough conditions. Her village was frequently targeted by cattle raiders, and her education at Samibiriru Girls’ Primary School was limited.
“That’s why today I help my relatives by paying for their schooling. I really believe in supporting education,” she shared.
Gladys started running seriously in high school and spent school breaks training at the St. Patrick’s Training Camp in Iten under the guidance of the Irish coach Brother Colm.
“Although I could have trained at home, athletics gave me life opportunities that made me want to stay at the camp, where we had accommodation and meals provided,” she explained. Later, she continued her training under coach John Litei.
Her running career paused briefly between 2018 and 2019 when she embraced motherhood. Today, as the mother of a six-year-old son, she balances intensive training with dairy cow farming in Iten. She smiled, as she commented that her favorite drink is “soured milk,” often paired with ugali, a traditional Kenyan cornmeal dish.
Beyond athletics and farming, Gladys is an active member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, where she sings in the choir. When she has free time, she enjoys driving and watching basketball games.
Standing alongside her as a top favorite is the 27 year old Kenyan Evaline Chirchir. She grew up in the Nakuru region of Western Kenya, which is about 200 kilometers south of Gladys’s birthplace. Running was a natural part of life, and Evaline’s talent was spotted early during primary school. Four years later, she joined a top training group in Keringet.
Evaline made a spectacular marathon debut in Nairobi just a year and a half ago, winning with a finishing time of 2:24:31. She then improved her time to 2:20:33 at the famously fast Valencia Marathon. Her personal best is nearly identical to Gladys’s, with only a 3-second difference.
“I have never been to the Czech Republic before, but I’ve heard it’s a beautiful country full of wonderful people,” Evaline said with excitement.
The mother of a three-year-old son is passionate about running but also enjoys relaxing by watching a good movie — her favorite being Nigerian films. Like many Kenyans, she loves to eat ugali and enjoys singing gospel songs.
With their incredible life stories and world-class talent, Gladys Chesir and Evaline Chirchir are sure to make the women’s race a thrilling highlight of the ORLEN Prague Marathon 2025, set for Sunday, May 4th. The race will start at 9 a.m. from the iconic Old Town Square.
Star Profiles
Gladys CHESIR
- Born: February 20, 1993
- Country: Kenya
- Marathon Debut: 2017
- Personal Best: 2:20:30 (Amsterdam, 2024)
- Major Marathon Results: 2nd Xiamen 2023; 2nd Amsterdam 2017; 3rd Chongqing 2024; 3rd Sydney 2023; 4th Copenhagen 2022; 4th Changsha 2023; 4th Amsterdam 2024
- 2025 Season: 9th Xiamen Marathon (China) – 2:30:06
- Track Achievements: 2nd African Games 2015 (10,000m); 1st Youth Olympic Games 2010 (3000m)
- Road Achievements: 6th World Half Marathon Championships 2016
Evaline CHIRCHIR
- Born: February 2, 1998
- Country: Kenya
- Marathon Debut: 2023
- Personal Best: 2:20:33 (Valencia, 2024)
- Major Marathon Results: 3rd Doha 2024; 4th Valencia 2024
- Road Titles: Winner of the Dam tot Damloop 10km (Netherlands, 2019)
- 2025 Season: 4th Meishan Half Marathon (China) – 1:06:40
Gladys Chesir Running Prague Half Marathon in 2017
Joyciline Jepkosgei broke the world record by running 1:04:52 at Prague Half Marathon in 2017
Prague Marathon 2024 Award Ceremony
