This year’s edition, already the fifth of the EuroHeroes series, has reached its halfway mark. Following the Mattoni Half Marathon Karlovy Vary and the Mattoni Half Marathon České Budějovice, some runners have already met the criterion of two starts required for the overall classification. In the current standings, last year’s defending champion Khalid Choukoud from the Netherlands holds the highest number of points, alongside Natasha Wilson from Great Britain among the women.
The battle for the overall men’s standings remains wide open, as only three elite runners have completed both races within the Mattoni Half Marathon series so far. The best performing among them was last year’s overall winner Khalid Choukoud from the Netherlands, who has so far recorded 1,981 points according to the Hungarian scoring tables. The 40-year-old veteran is showing a slight dip in form compared to last year, when he recorded 2,034 points. Exactly 2,000 points is the milestone that has historically proven to be the necessary minimum for an overall victory. Choukoud will have the opportunity to improve his results as early as next week at the Mattoni Half Marathon Olomouc. Artur Bossy, the bronze medalist from Karlovy Vary, currently holds second place. However, the 32-year-old Spaniard failed to replicate his performance from the spa town in České Budějovice, and his total of 1,945 points will not be enough even for a medal in the final standings. Third place is currently held by Jiří Homoláč, whose total for the two completed races is 1,576 points.
For the overall result, we must also consider the runners who have only completed one race so far. The top contenders are therefore the winners of the first two events: Czech runner Damián Vích, who scored 1,050 points in Karlovy Vary, and Jorge Blanco from Spain, whose triumph in České Budějovice earned him 1,045 points and who revealed in a post-race interview that we will also see him in the Haná metropolis. Other previous medalists are not out of the running either, including Mykola Mevsha from Ukraine, Germany’s Jan Lukas Becker, and Aziz Boukebal from France. They all have over 1,020 points in the current table, and another strong performance could significantly push them up the rankings.
The situation among the women is very similar, with a trio of women having completed two races. Natasha Wilson from Great Britain has started the season exceptionally well, securing bronze in Karlovy Vary, silver in České Budějovice, and a total of 2,145 points. However, to claim the overall victory, she will have to try to improve upon her current performances, as the women’s benchmark in previous years has hovered around the 2,200-point mark. Second place is currently held by the highest-ranked Czech woman, Michaela Čepová. In both races so far, she finished exactly one spot behind Wilson, and a score of 2,111 points shines next to her name. Third place currently belongs to Cristina Silva of Spain with 1,952 points.
The winners of the two previous races will undoubtedly impact the overall standings. Czech favorite Tereza Hrochová brought home from České Budějovice not only the European race record for the fastest half marathon ever run by a Czech woman on home soil, but also 1,112 points. Carolina Robles from Spain scored just 2 points more, thanks to her victory in Karlovy Vary. Last year’s winner, Nóra Szabó from Hungary, is also in contention; she earned 1,083 points in the spa town and, like the Czech-Spanish duo, is heading to Olomouc.
The overall classification of the EuroHeroes series counts a runner’s two best performances, which are converted into point values according to the tables. The highest total will then determine the male and female winners of the individual categories for the 2026 season. For instance, reaching the “magical” world-class threshold of 60 minutes yields 1,186 points, while a performance of 70 minutes in the women’s category is awarded 1,130 points. And world records? The historic men’s half marathon time of 56:42 min. represents 1,323 points, and the women’s world record (achieved in a mixed race) of 1:02:52 amounts to 1,281 points.
The EuroHeroes project launched with its pilot edition of two races in 2018. The following season, its full-fledged version took place in the form we know today. EuroHeroes is an initiative by RunCzech, which, in cooperation with European Athletics, aims to identify, promote, and develop European sports personalities, while also striving to motivate the general public to take up sports. The elite field of these races is strictly limited to European athletes.
In the 2026 season, the EuroHeroes project will once again span the entire territory of the Czech Republic, giving participants the opportunity to experience the atmosphere and charm of remarkably attractive cities. Following the half marathons in Karlovy Vary and České Budějovice, the series moves to Olomouc (June 13) and culminates on September 19 in Ústí nad Labem. This year, World Athletics has once again awarded all half marathons in the EuroHeroes series the prestigious “World Athletics Road Race Label.” So far, 64 athletes from 14 European countries have participated in the two half marathons of the EuroHeroes series.
EuroHeroes: standings after 2 races
MEN
- Khalid Choukoud NED 1981 bodů (990 + 991)
- Artur Bossy ESP 1945 bodů (994 + 951)
- Jiří Homoláč CZE 1576 bodů (741 + 835)
Best runners with 1 result
Damián Vích CZE 1050
Jorge Blanco ESP 1045
Mykola Mevsha UKR 1035
Jan Lukas Becker GER 1032
Aziz Boukebal FRA 1020
WOMEN
- Natasha Wilson GBR 2145 bodů (1067 + 1078)
- Michaela Čepová CZE 2111 bodů (1058 + 1053)
- Cristina Silva ESP 1952 bodů (987 + 965)
Best runners with 1 result
Carolina Robles ESP 1114
Tereza Hrochová CZE 1112
Nóra Szabó HUN 1083
Olga Nyzhnyk UKR 1048
Bára Stýblová CZE 1042
