This year’s special edition of the Mattoni Ústí nad Labem Half Marathon, set for Saturday, September 16, will mark the thrilling culmination of the EuroHeroes series, where the finest European runners will battle for dominance. The competition promises a nail-biting race, with mere seconds separating the top contenders. Among them, German athlete Sebastian Hendel stands as the frontrunner. On the women’s side Alexandra Lisowska, who aims for the Polish record for women, will clash with Tereza Hrochová, a strong pretender for the first place.
The race kicks off at 10 am at Mírové náměstí, featuring elite runners, popular dm family mile and the SPOLCHEMIE Czech Cup in para cycling, under the patronage of the Czech Cycling Association.
Ústí nad Labem will witness the spectacular culmination of the EuroHeroes series, initiated by RunCzech in collaboration with the European Athletic Association in 2018. The mission is to nurture and discover emerging talents in European athletics, cultivating new sporting heroes. The current format adds a layer of drama as favorites such as Sebastian Hendel (Germany), David Nilsson (Sweden), and Tomasz Grycko (Poland) compete for the overall championship.
The results from the Mattoni Half Marathons in Karlovy Vary, České Budějovice, Olomouc, and Ústí nad Labem are deemed to determine the prestigious running series’ victor. Sebastian Hendel and Tomasz Grycko both possess one victory each, with a 13-second gap difference between them, setting the stage for an exciting finale. Notably, the current series leader, Khalid Choukoud, will not participate in Ústí nad Labem, alongside Belgian Hanne Verbruggen who leads the women’s scoreboard at the moment.
Poland’s Alexandra Lisowska and Czech runner Tereza Hrochová are going to challenge Verbruggen’s position. If both runners finish under 1:15:38 in the Ústí half marathon, they will dethrone Verbruggen and win the EuroHeroes title. Both women have personal records around one hour and twelve minutes, and given the race’s high-speed course in Ústí nad Labem, the race is set to be highly competitive. Alexandra Lisowska, in particular, intends to break the Polish national record, from 2021 by Karolina Nadolska (1:09:18).
“I am in the best shape ever after WCH in Budapest and I am ready to break the Polish national record” declared Lisowska. The Ukrainian Valeriia Zinenko, who also has her sights set on a new Ukrainian national record (1:09:34 – Olena Vyazova in 1996), will join the starting lineup. “I changed coach, I changed training – I am ready to attack this old national record,” added Zinenko.
Saturday’s race will also feature Czech runners Jiří Homoláč, Vít Pavlišta, and Hana Homolková, promising a captivating display of athleticism. For the first time, the half marathon will also feature the young Czech Damián Vích, a representative of the RunCzech Racing team, who was one second away from breaking the Czech record for 3000 m steeplechase last week in World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting in Zagreb 2023.
