Dear journalists and running enthusiasts,
We are pleased to present the official Press Guide and the Elite Start List for the upcoming Mattoni Olomouc Half Marathon and it’s 15th anniversary! This year, you can look forward to top-tier runners from across Europe as we approach the third race in this year’s EuroHeroes series. The race will host 31 elite runners from 10 different European nationalities. Strong contenders for the podium include athletes from Spain, Belgium, Ukraine, the Netherlands, and the Czech Republic. Get ready for thrilling battles and possibly even record-breaking performances!
The race will be broadcast live with commentary in both Czech and English, allowing fans and media from around the world to stay up to date and experience the best of European road running.
Key Race Details
- Date: Saturday, June 14, 2025
- Start Time: 19:00 PM
- Official Name: Mattoni Half Marathon Olomouc (CZ: Mattoni 1/2Maraton Olomouc)
- Title Partner: Mattoni
- Main Charity Partner: Spolek trend vozíčkářů – a Czech non-profit organization that supports people with physical disabilities, especially wheelchair users. Based in Olomouc,
- 15th edition – the first race was held in 2010
- Part of the EuroHeroes Series, in cooperation with European Athletics
- One of the events in the RunCzech Halfs series
- Holds a World Athletics Road Race Label
Time Table
- 15:00 – Šantovka 5K Ru
- 17:00 – dm family mile
- 17:45 – dm bambini run
- 19:00 – Mattoni Half Marathon Olomouc
- 20:02 – Estimated Finish of the First Man
- 20:10–20:15 – Estimated Finish of the First Woman
- 20:20 – Award Ceremony first three MEN Half Marathon
- 20:35 – Award Ceremony first three WOMEN Half Marathon
- 20:50 – Award Ceremony first three CZECH MEN and WOMEN Half Marathon
- 21:15 – Award Ceremony for first three Relays, 2Run, and Oldest Runners (after they finish)
What is EuroHeroes?
EuroHeroes is an initiative by RunCzech, developed in cooperation with European Athletics, with the aim of identifying, developing, and promoting local athletic heroes while inspiring the public to lead a more active lifestyle. The project launched with a pilot phase in 2018, featuring two RunCzech races, and officially began in full in 2019.
Four Mattoni Half Marathons are dedicated to the EuroHeroes initiative:
- Karlovy Vary
- České Budějovice
- Olomouc
- Ústí nad Labem
The EuroHeroes Challenge is a special ranking system within the EuroHeroes series.
It encourages athletes to compete in all four designated races. Participants have
the opportunity to earn podium finishes at each event and accumulate points toward
the overall Challenge standings. The top-performing athletes are honored at the final award ceremony, where they can earn the title of EuroHero.
Course Overview
The half marathon course has undergone minor adjustments compared to last year—it is now faster and runs through the most beautiful parts of Olomouc. Runners can look forward to a smoother course and an impressive start and finish on one of the most stunning squares in the Czech Republic: Horní náměstí, home to a UNESCO World Heritage landmark.
You can also see the Olomouc Astronomical Clock (Czech: Olomoucký orloj) right next to the start/finish. It is part of the northern wall of the town hall. The astronomical clock was built in the 15th century and has been reconstructed several times. The current appearance is from 1955 in the socialist realism style. It is one of the few heliocentric clocks in the world (astronomical clocks that depict the solar system with the sun at the center, rather than the Earth).
Participation and Statistics:
- 6,500 participants – SOLD OUT
- Runners from 54 different countries
Top foreign nationalities represented:
- Slovakia – 39.8%
- Poland – 18.7%
- Ukraine – 4.6%
- United Kingdom – 3.9%
- France – 3.8%
- Austria – 3.3%
Gender breakdown:
- Men – 59%
- Women – 41%
Oldest participants:
- Men: Kokichi Arai (Japan) – 80 years
- Women: Wendy Wallinger (United Kingdom) – 73 years
The live broadcast with English commentary by James Thie will be available on the RunCzech website and the RunCzech YouTube channel.
Previous Course Records
- Race Record – Men: Stephen Kiprop (KEN) – 1:00:15 (2018)
- Race Record – Women: Mary Keitany (KEN) – 1:06:38 (2015)
- European Course Record – Men: Polat Arikan (TUR) – 1:02:12 (2015)
- European Course Record – Women: Trihas Gebre (ESP) – 1:09:51 (2018)
- Czech Course Record – Men: Jan Kreisinger (CZE) – 1:05:50 (2015)
- Czech Course Record – Women: Eva Vrabcová Nývltová (CZE) – 1:11:10 (2018)
Athletes and Represented Countries – Mattoni Olomouc Half Marathon
Men:
- BEL – Dorian Boulvin – PB: 1:01:25 (Gentbrugge 2024)
- NLD – Khalid Choukoud – PB: 1:01:53 (Breda 2013)
- ESP – Tariku Novales – PB: 1:01:46 (Valencia 2021)
- GER – Johannes Motschmann – PB: 1:01:03 (Houston 2025)
- CZE – Patrik Vebr – PB: 1:03:24 (Valencia 2024)
- CZE – Martin Zajíc – PB: 1:02:31 (Valencia 2024)
- MDA – Maxim Raileanu – PB: 1:03:09 (Boulogne-Billancourt 2022)
- UKR – Bohdan Ivan Horodyskyi – PB: 1:00:40 (Gdynia 2020)
Women:
- GER – Deborah Schöneborn – PB: 1:09:41 (Seville 2023)
- ESP – Meritxell Soler – PB: 1:10:21 (Santa Pola 2024)
- NLD – Jacelyn Gruppen – PB: 1:10:21 (Valencia 2024)
- HUN – Nóra Szabó – PB: 1:10:49 (Paris 2025)
- UKR – Viktoriia Kaliuzhna – PB: 1:11:16 (Warsaw 2024)
Countries Represented in this Year’s EuroHeroes Edition (10 countries):
- Belgium
- Czech Republic
- Germany
- Hungary
- Latvia
- Moldova
- Netherlands
- Romania
- Spain
- Ukraine
