Germany will take center stage at the 2025 Mattoni Half Marathon České Budějovice — the second stop of this year’s EuroHeroes series — as two of the country’s top distance runners gear up to challenge Europe’s finest. Scheduled for tomorrow, Saturday, May 31, the race promises a showcase of German athletic best—with two-time EuroHeroes champion Sebastian Hendel returning to defend his title and Alina Reh, one of the most decorated German runners.
Hendel, a two-time German national champion over the half marathon and 10K, skipped the season opener in Karlovy Vary to focus on early spring road races. Now he returns to the Czech Republic as one of the top favorites, after his last-year win (1:03:38) aiming to maintain his dominance in the EuroHeroes standings. All eyes will now be on how Hendel battles against fierce international competition, including Lahsene Bouchikhi (Belgium), Paulos Surafel (Great Britain) and Bohdan Ivan Horodyskyi (Ukraine).
But perhaps the biggest buzz surrounds Alina Reh, who steps onto the EuroHeroes stage for the first time. A European 10,000m bronze medalist and a multiple-time national champion, Reh enters the race with the fastest personal best in the women’s field (1:08:42). Known for her strength on both track and road, Reh is expected to compete for the top podium spot and make an immediate impact on the series rankings. In addition, with her personal best being more than 2 and a half minutes faster than the current race record (1:11:26), there is a strong possibility that the European race record could be broken.
While Reh and Hendel headline Germany, the race also features elite athletes from 11 European nations. Among them are current women’s EuroHeroes leader Nóra Szabó (Hungary), last year’s champion and race record holder Maryna Nemchenko (Ukraine), and top local Czech contender Patrik Vebr.
Austrian and German runners make up the largest group of hobby runners visiting České Budějovice from abroad, with a combined total of 137 participants. This highlights the strong international appeal of the event, with the city located one hour from both the Austrian and German borders.
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 Marathon Karlovy Vary
31 May – Mattoni Half Marathon České Budějovice
14 June – Mattoni Half Marathon Olomouc
20 September – Mattoni Half Marathon 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
