Vitaliy Shafar from Ukraine is the king of the Mattoni Olomouc Half Marathon. In the race, which boasts a five-star European Athletics certificate, he coped best with the hot weather and finished in a time of 1:05:31. “It was amazing here. A wonderful experience. I had a great time,” said the winner. The women´s champion is also Ukrainian Valeria Zinenko. She managed to run the twenty-one kilometre course in 1:12:57. “I’m glad I finished the race at all. I’m used to running ten km, so this was super hard for me. But I made it and I’m very happy to be here, said the best woman of the race.” A total of 4 600 runners participated in Saturday’s race in the streets of the Hana region metropolis. And almost 2 000 runners joined the dm Family Run “The atmosphere of the twelfth Mattoni Olomouc Half Marathon was great. I am glad that we inspired Olomouc to run again,” said Carlo Capalbo, President of the RunCzech Organizing Committee.
The start list of the race promised a dramatic spectacle. Several Olympians, such as the winner Vitaliy Shafaret and Georgian Daviti Kharazishvili, hit the course starting at the Upper Square. But for the local spectators was the most important Czech favorite Jiri Homoláč. “The race was tough, I do not like the heat lately. I fought as hard as I could. It was very challenging. But the atmosphere here was again excellent, thanks to all spectators,” said Homoláč, the winner of both this year’s Half Marathon and Marathon in Prague, who traditionally prepares for the season in Kenya.
The first woman Valeria Zinenko was also enjoying the special atmosphere in Olomouc. “The fans were incredible, crazy and tremendously friendly. I felt that they wished me success maybe even more than to other competitors, because I am from Ukraine,” Zinenko explained. She was followed by Hanne Verbruggen from Belgium who finished the race with a time of 1:13:56. Among the Czech women, Eva Vrabcová Nývltová placed third with a time of 1:17:16. Vrabcova Nývltová showed a good form at the end. “It was very difficult today. I already know that even running hurts a lot. But I am glad that I have improved my time by two minutes since the last race and my form is going up,” Vrabcová Nývltová breathed a sigh of relief. “People cheered great. It was absolutely amazing here, but that’s at all RunCzech races,” added the Czech Olympian.
However, Mattoni Olomouc Half Marathon did not belong only to professionals. The perfect atmosphere was also enjoyed by thousands of other runners. Whether in the main race, the relay, 2Run or the three-kilometer dm family run to which the famous football player David Rozehnal, a bronze medallist from the 2004 European Championships, supported as an ambassador.
The Mattoni Olomouc Half Marathon is considered as the most prestigious race in Moravia and contributes greatly to the promotion of the city. In connection with the race, total initiated consumption of CZK 33 million (EUR 1,3 milion) was generated in 2019, while the total sales in multiplication were even CZK 65 million (EUR 2,5 milion). Thus, the public budget increased by 13 million CZK (EUR 508 000).
