Press releases 2024

• Mattoni Running Festival Olomouc Delights the Entire City Once Again. Italian Daniele D’Onofrio defeated last year's Olomouc champion and EuroHeroes winner, German Sebastian Hendel

  Jun 15, 2024 | Download (PDF; 158 KB)

  The Mattoni Running Festival Olomouc once again brought an amazing atmosphere and thrilling competition in the heart of Moravia, in the UNESCO heritage city. The king of the main event, the traditional Mattoni Olomouc Half Marathon, Daniele D’Onofrio took the crown with the time of 1:04:56. Among the women, Nóra Szabó fought Tereza Hrochová and won with the time of 01:12:44. A new event, the Šantovka 5 k run, was introduced and won by Slovakian René Valent in the men's category with the time of 16:22, and Eva Vrabcová Nývltová in women’s with 18:13. A total of 8,700 runners from 51 countries took part in the sport festival. "From the first year, we have felt tremendous support from the city and local residents. The atmosphere was incredible once again," said Carlo Capalbo, president of the organizing committee of RunCzech.

• German Hendel dominated the successful Mattoni České Budějovice Running Festival. Over 5 500 people took part in the race

  Jun 2, 2024 | Download (PDF; 222 KB)

  Fun and fast was this year's half marathon in České Budějovice, which was newly held under the Mattoni Running Festival. The organizers managed to fill the capacity in both competitive and family races. The winner of the Mattoni České Budějovice Half Marathon, the second part of the EuroHeroes series, was German Sebastian Hendel. Among the women, Ukraine's Maryna Nemchenko triumphed, improving the European record for the race. Patrik Vebr and Hana Homolkova were the best Czech runners of the race, which carries the World Athletic Road Race Label.

• Nearly 5500 Runners in the New Format of Mattoni Karlovy Vary Running Festival Race, Hrochová Wins First EuroHeroes 2024 Race

  May 18, 2024 | Download (PDF; 246 KB)

  The historic spa town of Karlovy Vary was once again filled with thousands of runners participating in the new Mattoni Karlovy Vary Running Festival race format. The event, part of the famous RunCzech races and one of the four EuroHeroes races saw nearly 5,500 participants, with dramatic finishes and inspiring performances across various categories. Khalid Choukoud, Netherlands won the half marathon race, defeating Spain's Abdelaziz Merzougui in a photo-finish, both clocking an impressive time of 1:04:01. Tereza Hrochová won the women's race in 1:12:29 to the delight of the Czech fans and started her road of winning yet another EuroHeroes crown.

• EuroHeroes 2024: Will the record-breaking lineup of athletes bring a new event record?

  May 15, 2024 | Download (PDF; 609 KB)

  The EuroHeroes 2024 series is set to kick off with high expectations to further build on last year's success. With several top class athletes returning, the series promises thrilling competition and potentially record-breaking performances.

• Ethiopian Lemi Berhanu Hayle is cronwned king of the Prague International Marathon. Plus Martin Eldman is a surprise Czech champion

  May 7, 2024 | Download (PDF; 142 KB)

  Ethiopian Lemi Berhanu Hayle won the 29th edition of the Prague Marathon in commanding fashion, running away from the field at 25km and not giving anyone else a chance. His winning time was 2:08:44, some 1 minute and 44seconds ahead of 2nd place Kipkemoi Kiprono. Martin Edlman (2:22:19) produced the surprise performance of the day, becoming the first Czech finisher in what, with over 8,000 runners taking part, has become one of the most prestigious marathons in the world. "The race had a great standard. You never get tired of seeing the joy on the runners' faces. We are all already looking forward to the jubilee thirtieth year," said Carlo Capalbo, president of the RunCzech organizing committee, whose events have been awarded Elite World Athletics labels.

•  The Prague International Marathon provides additional excitement in 2024, as athletes target Olympic qualification.

  May 3, 2024 | Download (PDF; 248 KB)

  This year's Prague International Marathon will be even more full of stories than usual. In addition to the group of elite runners who are looking to attack the race records of 2:05:09 (men) and 2:19:46 (women) the marathon in Prague has also become the last chance for runners to qualify for the Olympic Games in Paris 2024. The IOC moved the qualification deadline by a few days so that Olympic hopefuls could have a last chance to make the standard at this traditional event in the calendar. So, in addition to Ethiopian or Kenyan endurance runners, we will see elite competitors from China, Brazil, Mexico, Mongolia, Peru, Ecuador and India, as well as from Portugal and Bulgaria. In total, over 8,000 participants will take to the streets of Prague, and half of them will be from overseas. The 29th edition of this famous RunCzech event will start on Sunday at the Old Town Square from 9:00 a.m. Participants can also join the popular Battle of the Teams competition and be part of a team with elite runners.

• Prague Marathon runners will experience a music festival organised in cooperation with the United Islands of Prague.

  May 2, 2024 | Download (PDF; 164 KB)

  Eight thousand participants will line up at the start of the 29th Prague International Marathon this Sunday. The event takes a beautiful route through the historical centre of Prague, offering the runners their yearly fantastic event experience. In addition to the wonderful support of the spectators, this year runners will also be accompanied by a variety of music. There will be 23 musical groups along the route as part of the Marathon Music Festival, which RunCzech is organising in cooperation with the United Islands of Prague Festival.

• 4,000 runners from overseas set to take part in the Prague Marathon. Prague has a genius loci they want to experience

  Apr 29, 2024 | Download (PDF; 221 KB)

  The pinnacle of the running season is fast approaching! Next weekend, May 5th ,The Prague International Marathon will take place, with over 8,000 runners expected to participate. Half of those taking part are from overseas, heading to the city of Prague from over 91 countries. According to statistics from Czech Tourism, this hugely important sporting event brought 190 million Czech crowns into the Czech economy last year, with this year's edition expected to exceed 200 million Czech crowns (8 million Euros). Additionally, the traditional running festival will globally showcase Prague, with footage from Charles Bridge and other iconic Prague landmarks set to reach 131 countries. After a year away, the start and finish return to Old Town Square. The Prague Marathon will kick off on Sunday, 5th May at 9:00.

• Will Prague see another record-setting race?

  Apr 25, 2024 | Download (PDF; 146 KB)

  The first Sunday in May is the home of The Prague International Marathon. With an event record rewritten last year to 2:05:09, the standard of this event has been set very high, however this year, the elite field promises to bring excellent competition from the start, with four runners who have already shown they can run fast.

• Prague offers a last chance for Olympic qualification

  Apr 23, 2024 | Download (PDF; 246 KB)

  The Prague International Marathon is one of the final opportunities for athletes to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. It's no wonder that the elite start list for the race includes athletes from several countries looking for a chance to qualify for Paris. While everyone is wondering who the men’s and women’s winners will be, this year The Prague International Marathon is about much more, it’s about athletes looking to fulfill their Olympic dream.