The city of beer and culture will welcome over 8 thousand runners in competitive and non-competitive categories on Saturday, May 30. The capacity of the Mattoni Running Festival České Budějovice 2026 is almost entirely full, and alongside the Czech and European running elite, well-known faces are also heading to the center of the South Bohemian metropolis.
The center of action of this year’s 14th edition is traditionally located on the second-largest square plaza in the Czech Republic. Přemysl Otakar II Square offers breathtaking architecture, and the prestigious World Athletics Road Race Label guarantees professional organization and the atmosphere of a world-class race. Legend has it that there is an erratic boulder with a cross on the square, and whoever steps over it will get lost. However, this will not happen to our runners, as the route is precisely measured and certified, and more than five hundred volunteers will take care of the runners at the start and during the race.
The race has been held since 2012 (with a pandemic break in 2020), and the prestige and tradition of the event are evident in the number of registrations. All competitive categories, i.e., the Mattoni České Budějovice Half Marathon, relays, and the Vodafone 5 km Run, are at their maximum capacity. Over 6 thousand runners will participate in the half marathon, relays, and the 5K, and more than another 2 thousand are expected in the non-competitive runs. The half marathon starting field will traditionally be dominated by men, at a ratio of 62% men and 38% women. On the other hand, the fairer sex rules the five-kilometer course at a ratio of 61% women and 39% men.
Mattoni Half Marathon České Budějovice is the second stop of the EuroHeroes 2026, a series aimed at supporting elite European runners. The announced starting field promises a fast pace, with as many as six men boasting personal bests below the current European course record. The top contenders for victory among the men are a pair of runners from the Iberian Peninsula, Jorge Blanco and Miguel Borges. Both have their personal bests under 1:02—32-year-old Blanco finished in 1:01:45 in Valencia in 2024, while the Portuguese runner, 15 months his junior, was only 9 seconds slower during his record run in Barcelona last year. Another Spaniard, Pol Espinosa, Mykola Mevsha from Ukraine, and last year’s EuroHeroes series winner, Khalid Choukoud from the Netherlands, will undoubtedly also have medal ambitions. Along with the Spaniard Arturo Bossy, he is the only one from the elite roster to follow up on his participation in Karlovy Vary, and if they finish the race, one of them will jump to the provisional first place in this year’s EuroHeroes standings. The biggest contenders for the fastest Czech is the literally local David Vaš and last year winner, Patrik Vebr from Run Czech Racing Team. They could potentially be threatened by one of the trio Pechek, Zemaník, and Hřebačka, but the first two mentioned have not been able to get closer than two minutes to Vaš and Vebr in the last few years, and for Hřebačka, this will even be his first-ever half marathon.
Among the women, there is a high probability that the fastest female competitor will have the Czech flag next to her name. Running with number 1 will be Olympian and Czech course record holder Tereza Hrochová, with a personal best of 1:11:09. On paper, closest to her is Olga Nyzhyk from Ukraine, whose maximum is 20 seconds slower. The standings could also be influenced by Portuguese veteran Monica Silva or a strong line-up of Czech competitors led by Michaela Čepovou, who will want to improve on her fourth-place finish from Karlovy Vary, Barbora Stýblová, or Eliška Poborská.
In addition to the elite series, the race is part of the RunCzech Halfs and thus offers the third opportunity this year to start or expand one’s collection of completed RunCzech half marathons. The project was created in 2025, and the goal is to complete all 5 races of the series within 36 months. For those who succeed, special medals and an entry into the RunCzech Halfs Hall of Fame, which to date already counts over 200 successful runners, are prepared.
The men’s course record of 0:59:49 was set right in the first edition in 2012 by Kenyan Daniel Chebii. The current women’s record was broken in 2017, when Kenyan Agnes Jeruto crossed the finish line in a time of 1:09:53. The European records stand at 1:03:02 by Italian Yassine Rachik from 2019 and 1:11:26 from 2024 by Ukrainian Maryna Nemchenko, so it is possible that we will witness them being broken. The Czech men’s maximum was broken last year, when Patrik Vebr recorded a time of 1:06:29. Among the women, the aforementioned Tereza Hrochová reigns supreme with a time of 1:12:04 set in 2022. The winners can look forward to unique glass trophies from the workshop of the Ajeto glass studio, which also produces prizes for the famous Tour de France.
Runners of 60 nationalities are heading to České Budějovice. Together they make up 13% of the registered participants, and the countries with the largest representation include Slovakia, Austria, Germany, Ukraine, the United States, Great Britain, India, France, and Poland. Among the famous personalities, former professional football midfielder and Czech Republic national team player Karel Poborský is returning to the starting line of the half marathon to try and improve his time from last year. After his, hopefully final, leg surgery, renowned hairdresser and hair and skin care expert Tomáš Arsov is also returning to running, and the race will be part of his upcoming documentary. The oldest participants in the half marathon are the Wallinger spouses from Great Britain, who are 78 (Trevor) and 74 (Wendy) years old, and who also ran the recent Karlovy Vary Half Marathon.
As is tradition, we pay attention to the charitable and ecological dimension of the event. The main partner is the Vodafone Foundation, which has teamed up with the Záchranka application team to support its further development. Today, Záchranka helps nearly 4 million people in the Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary, Finland, and Slovakia quickly contact emergency or mountain rescue services, and investing in its development helps rescuers protect what is most valuable—human lives.
The Running Doctors will also take to the course alongside the runners. This specialized unit of medical professionals in running shoes was established in 2026, and with its ability to intervene immediately, it complements and significantly accelerates the professional care of the Emergency Medical Services of the South Bohemian Region. There will be 6 ambulances, 9 first aid stations, and 4 bicycle patrols with AED defibrillators, which are also located in the technical zone or near the finish gate.
Refreshment and cooling stations strategically spread along the entire length of the course will provide refreshment. And there will be no shortage of supplies—1.3 tons of bananas, nearly 800 kilograms of oranges, 27,785 liters of Mattoni water, and more than 3 thousand liters of Gatorade isotonic drink are prepared. In case of the anticipated warm weather, misters and a sprinkler truck will be ready. For recreational runners, the dm family run is prepared, and we do not forget about the little athletes who will run the dm bambini run.
Program of the Mattoni Running Festival České Budějovice 2026:
FRIDAY, May 29
- 12:00 – 20:00 Running Expo (Exhibition Grounds, Pavilion H, Husova tř. 523)
- 17:00 Shake-out run with elite athletes (coaches: David Vaš, Eva Vrabcová Nývltová, Mattoni Freerun)
SATURDAY, May 30
- 9:30 – 17:00 Running Expo (Exhibition Grounds, Pavilion H, Husova tř. 523)
- 15:30 – Vodafone 5 km Run
- 17:00 – dm family mile
- 17:45 – dm bambini run
- 19:00 – Mattoni České Budějovice Half Marathon
