The Hilton Prague Hotel witnessed a spectacular athletics event – it hosted the gala ceremony announcing the winners of the fourth edition of the EuroHeroes running series. The President of European Athletics, Dobromir Karamarinov, sent his greetings to the Czech capital.
“I am happy that RunCzech launched EuroHeroes in 2019; it is a project that gives exclusive support to European runners and motivates them,” he said. “These races give our athletes a unique opportunity to succeed, shine, and gain public recognition.”
A total of 69 elite runners from 14 European countries actively took part in the series, which traditionally features four half-marathon races in the Czech Republic.
“We want European runners to excel on the world stage, we want to celebrate local athletic heroes, and through them build fan bases and motivate future generations of runners,” summarized the philosophy of EuroHeroes the chairman of the RunCzech organizing committee, Carlo Capalbo.
In the past, the European continent celebrated running legends such as Emil Zátopek, Paavo Nurmi, Paula Radcliffe, Stefano Baldini, and others who became world-class champions. The RunCzech series seeks to support and elevate the reputation of European endurance runners today as well.
The EuroHeroes series took place in full for the first time in 2019, with the premiere champions being Ukrainian Olympian Daria Mykhailova and marathon European bronze medalist Yassine Rachik of Italy. The only runner so far to win the EuroHeroes title twice is Sebastian Hendel, a two-time German national champion. Czech fans were delighted two years ago when two-time Olympic marathon participant Tereza Hrochová claimed the overall victory.
In the 2025 season, each runner’s two best performances, converted into points using the so-called Hungarian tables, counted toward the overall standings. With the highest scores, Nóra Szabó of Hungary and Khalid Choukoud of the Netherlands won in their respective categories.
“I am really happy that I managed to win EuroHeroes on my third attempt; this year I felt in great shape and believed in victory,” said the Hungarian marathon record holder. “Running has allowed me to travel through a large part of the world, but I always love returning to the Czech Republic. I really appreciate that RunCzech gave me the opportunity to compete in EuroHeroes.”
The EuroHeroes project entered the athletics scene with a two-race pilot edition in 2018. The following season, it already expanded into the full format known today. So far, organizers have registered a total of 380 elite athletes from 25 countries participated in the project.
EuroHeroes is an initiative of RunCzech, supported by European Athletics, aiming to develop, promote, and elevate European sports heroes and to motivate the general public toward sport. The elite field of these races is open exclusively to European athletes. At the same time, participants get to discover the charming cities of Central Europe – the world-famous spa town Karlovy Vary, the baroque beauty of České Budějovice, the Moravian gem Olomouc, and the gateway to the Czech Republic, Ústí nad Labem. All four half-marathons in this series hold the World Athletics Road Race Label.
The 2026 edition of EuroHeroes will start on May 16 in Karlovy Vary.
Winners of EuroHeroes Challenge 2025
MATTONI HALF MARATHON KARLOVY VARY
Men: Damián VÍCH (CZE) – 1:04:23
Women: Nóra SZABÓ (HUN) – 1:11:00
MATTONI HALF MARATHON ČESKÉ BUDĚJOVICE
Men: Khalid CHOUKOUD (NED) – 1:04:08
Women: Mariia MAZURENKO (UKR) – 1:12:16
MATTONI HALF MARATHON OLOMOUC
Men: Johaness MOTSCHMANN (GER) – 1:03:29
Women: Meritxell SOLER (ESP) – 1:11:53
MATTONI HALF MARATHON ÚSTÍ NAD LABEM
Men: Dorian BOULVIN (BEL) – 1:04:39
Women: Valeriia ZINENKO (UKR) – 1:13:01
EuroHeroes Challenge 2025 – FINAL STANDINGS
MEN
- Khalid Choukoud (NED) – 2034 points
- Dorian Boulvin (BEL) – 2017 points
- Bohdan Ivan Horodyskyi (UKR) – 1998 points
- Damián Vích (CZE) – 1974 points
WOMEN
- Tereza Hrochová (CZE) – 2089 points
- Nóra Szabó (HUN) – 2197 points
- Meritxell Soler (ESP) – 2184 points
- Mariia Mazurenko (UKR) – 2170 points
