Europe used to be full of running idols. Emil Zátopek, Paula Radcliffe, Stefano Baldini… And The EuroHeroes wants to achieve the same goal again. “We want to make European athletes stand on the podium all over the world, also to highlight excellent regional athletes. Last but not least, we want them to inspire the next generation,” says Carlo Capalbo, President of the RunCzech Organising Committee.
EuroHeroes was introduced by RunCzech in 2018 in cooperation with the European Athletics. This season, the EuroHeroes series includes half marathons that have been awarded with the World Athletics Road Race Labels – Mattoni Karlovy Vary Half Marathon, Mattoni České Budějovice Half Marathon, Mattoni Olomouc Half Marathon and Mattoni Ústí nad Labem Half Marathon. These events will welcome in the elite field only athletes from Europe.
EuroHeroes has been chosen by European Athletics as the best project of 2019 (due to covid restrictions, there was a two-year hiatus). At that time, more than 150 elite European runners took part in its races, a total of 105,204 competitors, including 11,904 foreigners from nineteen European countries.
“Our aim is to give European athletes a greater opportunity to compete and gain recognition for their performances in prestigious half marathons. We believe that with the support of the Czech Athletic Federation and European Athletics we could achieve several goals. For example, we would like the top three runners in the EuroHeroes ranking to automatically qualify for the 2025 European Half Marathon Championships, which is supported by RunCzech and European Athletics. With these races, we are also significantly supporting the cities where the events are held,” added Capalbo, who, among other races, organizes the Prague Half Marathon and the Prague International Marathon.
The best competitors will receive EuroHeroes status and will be financially rewarded.
Check out the EuroHeroes Facecebook live with special guests:
Marco Vasic, Running Unit Director – European Athletics
Militsa Mircheva, pro athlete
Sebastian Hendel, pro athlete
Eva Vrabcová Nývltová, RunCzech
Pavel Šikola, Český atletický svaz
