Around 12,000 runners are heading to the historic center of the Haná metropolis, registered for both competitive and non-competitive runs of Saturday’s Mattoni Running Festival Olomouc. Hundreds of other participants, including children and adults, will consist of visitors to the Moravia Sport Expo, which was officially kicked off this morning by the city’s mayor, Miroslava Ferancová. Undoubtedly, the most exciting highlight of the program is the Mattoni Half Marathon Olomouc, featuring an unprecedented turnout of local runners, which kicks off on Saturday, June 13 at 19:00.
A total of 9,000 runners will participate in the half marathon, relays, and the Šantovka 5k Run, with another 3,000 expected in the non-competitive dm bambini run and dm family mile, for which registration is still open. Among those registered are runners from 62 countries, and a full 35% of the participants are residents of the Olomouc Region. Although the weather forecast predicts rain, the thermometer will stay around a pleasant twenty degrees, allowing the competitors to avoid the high temperatures experienced in České Budějovice.
This could play into the hands of the elite runners, who will battle at the Mattoni Half Marathon Olomouc not only for records and overall victory, but also for valuable points in the EuroHeroes 2026 series. The fastest man in the starting field, Jan Lukas Becker from Germany, who set a personal best of 1:01:20 in Barcelona this year, will take aim at the men’s European race record of 1:02:12. Hot on his heels will be the winner of the recent Mattoni Half Marathon České Budějovice, Jorge Blanco from Spain, and the current leader and last year’s EuroHeroes winner, Khalid Choukoud from the Netherlands, who took the bronze medal here last year. Spectators’ attention will naturally turn to the local stars: RunCzech Racing Team member Patrik Vebr, last year’s top Czech finisher Jiří Homoláč, and young talent Matěj Hřebačka. They will be chasing the Czech race record of 1:05:50, set by Jan Kreisinger in 2015.
A similarly fierce battle can be expected among the women. Here, the European record benchmark is a time of 1:09:51, while the domestic race record set by Eva Vrabcová Nývltová in 2018 stands at 1:11:10. The top favorites include the winner from Karlovy Vary, Carolina Robles from Spain, EuroHeroes 2025 champion Nóra Szabó from Hungary, and Norwegian runner Hanne Mjøen Maridal. They will have to watch out for Czech Olympian and winner from České Budějovice, Tereza Hrochová, who improved her personal best to 1:10:52. However, Michaela Čepová and Michaela Brtníčková—who outperformed her compatriots at the Vodafone Prague Marathon in May—will also be looking to make their mark.
Two-time ice hockey world champion and former NHL player Václav Varaďa is also planning to participate in his first half marathon. He found his love for running after ending his professional career, and it now serves as an excellent way to clear his mind and maintain overall health. This year’s edition of the Mattoni Running Festival will provide charitable support to the organization Trend vozíčkářů Olomouc, whose goal is to aid the versatile integration of severely physically disabled citizens and to create conditions for promoting an equal and equivalent status for people with physical and combined disabilities in society.
All runners, fans, and spectators are invited to the Flora Exhibition Grounds, where the Moravia Sport Expo is taking place on Friday and Saturday. In addition to exhibitors, more than forty Olomouc sports clubs will present themselves. There is a rich program prepared for children and their parents, as well as a Friday morning meeting with elite athletes, an afternoon Shake-out Run, and an all-day wheelchair relay. The sports expo is the second largest event of its kind in the country and offers a great opportunity for networking with personalities and other lovers of this beautiful sport.
A live musical accompanying program, the unique atmosphere of world-class races with the prestigious World Athletics Road Race Label, and a showcase of breathtaking performances await all visitors to the Mattoni Running Festival. In their free time, they can discover the beauty of the city and its surroundings. According to the 1st Deputy Governor of the Olomouc Region, Vladimír Lichnovský, the medieval Bouzov Castle with the nearby Javoříčko Caves, the Čechy pod Kosířem Chateau, or the Helfštýn Castle in the Přerov region are particularly worth a visit. More than 4 tons of fruit, over 35,000 liters of Mattoni, the official water of the RunCzech running series, and nearly another 4,000 liters of ionic drinks have been allocated for the runners’ comfort and refreshment.
Mattoni Running Festival Olomouc 2026 Program:
FRIDAY, June 12
- 9:00 – 19:00 Running Expo (Flora Exhibition Grounds)
- 11:45 Meeting with elite athletes (Flora Exhibition Grounds)
- 17:00 Shake-out run with elite athletes (Flora Exhibition Grounds)
- 9:00 – 21:00 Wheelchair relay (Flora Exhibition Grounds – Rudolfova alej)
SATURDAY, June 13
- 9:30 – 17:00 Running Expo (Flora Exhibition Grounds)
- 15:30 Šantovka 5k Run (Horní náměstí)
- 17:00 dm family mile (Horní náměstí)
- 18:00 dm bambini run (Horní náměstí)
- 19:00 Mattoni Half Marathon Olomouc (Horní náměstí)
