reat Britain will be represented once more at the second stop of the EuroHeroes series—the Mattoni Half Marathon České Budějovice— by three athletes. With the event limited exclusively to European runners, it offers a unique opportunity for British talent to shine on the international stage. This year’s UK lineup looks especially strong and ready to make an impact.
Leading the group is Paulos Surafel, one of Britain’s most consistent road racers, who finished 5th (1:06:20) in the opening race in Karlovy Vary. With a personal best of just over 62 minutes and an aggressive, front-running style, Surafel is ready to challenge the overall EuroHeroes crown.
Joining him in the men’s race is Josh Lunn with a PB of 1:04:54, set in Houston in 2022. Lunn, who has been quietly climbing the UK distance running ranks, will be targeting a breakthrough performance in České Budějovice as he tests himself against a strong competition including Germany’s Sebastian Hendel, Ukraine’s Bohdan Ivan Horodyskyi, and Belgium’s Lahsene Bouchikhi.
On the women’s side, Natasha Wilson (Cockram) provides strong Welsh representation in the British lineup. The Welsh runner holds a personal best of 1:10:06, achieved in 2024 at the Santa Pola Half Marathon, showing she’s ready to challenge some of Europe’s fastest. In České Budějovice, she will compete against top contenders such as Germany’s Alina Reh, who holds a personal best of 1:08:42, and Hungary’s Nóra Szabó, the winner of the season opener (1:11:00), and Maryna Nemchenko, the last year’s winner and event record holder (1:11:25).
The British contingent arrives in strong form and with something to prove. With all races certified by European Athletics and recognized with the World Athletics Road Race Label, the stage is perfectly set for UK athletes to make their mark.
It is worth noting that British hobby runners are also taking part in the race, ranking sixth among nationalities (after Slovaks, Austrians, Germans, Ukrainians, and Indians) with several dozen participants.
About EuroHeroes
Created in 2018 through a collaboration between RunCzech and European Athletics, EuroHeroes was launched to spotlight European distance runners and build excitement around road racing on the continent. The series includes four certified half marathons across the Czech Republic—Karlovy Vary, České Budějovice, Olomouc, and Ústí nad Labem—and is open exclusively to elite European athletes.
Athletes’ two best performances are scored using the World Athletics Scoring Tables, and the top male and female athletes are crowned champions at the season’s finale in Ústí nad Labem. For example, a time of 1:04:50 in the men’s half marathon or 1:16:31 in the women’s earns 1,000 points.
All races hold the World Athletics Road Race Label, a mark of quality and excellence in race organization and competition.
EuroHeroes 2025 Race Calendar
17 May – Mattoni Half Maraton Karlovy Vary
31 May – Mattoni Half Maraton České Budějovice
14 June – Mattoni Half Maraton Olomouc
20 September – Mattoni Half Maraton Ústí nad Labem
EuroHeroes Winners
2019 Yassine Rachik ITA
Darya Mykhailova UKR
2023 Sebastian Hendel GER
Tereza Hrochová CZE
2024 Sebastian Hendel GER
Maryna Nemchenko UKR
