Over 4,000 runners participated in the Mattoni Liberec Trail Run, 2,800 of whom set off into the surrounding countryside of the Jizera Mountains. The ninth edition of the race brought perhaps the best weather in its history, which undoubtedly contributed to a record turnout. The final event of the RunCzech season was dominated by Tereza Hrochová, for whom it was a victorious debut on the longer distance, and Vít Pavlišta, who celebrated below Ještěd for the seventh time already.
The all-day program kicked off with non-competitive runs as part of the dm family mile, followed less than an hour later by the youngest runners in the dm bambini run. In Dr. Edvard Beneš Square in Liberec, besides the sunny weather, there was a great atmosphere supported, for example, by the participation of top athlete Lurdes Gloria Manuel. In addition to an autograph signing at the Mattoni booth, the 21-year-old 400-meter runner also started the main 23 km race of the day together with the mayor of the city, Ing. Jaroslav Zámečník. The Liberec course, which traditionally led not only through the forest but also around the Bedřichov Dam, through a granite quarry, and back through the Jizera Mountains, was unusually 1 km longer this year due to reconstructions in the city streets. However, this did not detract from the race’s appeal, and runners from 44 different countries filled the maximum possible capacity of 2,800 runners to the very last spot.
Vít Pavlišta ran fastest over asphalt, forest roots, stones, and gravel, having seemingly been born for the Liberec course. He turned his eighth participation below Ještěd into his seventh victory, making him the supreme hegemon of the Mattoni Trail Run. The multiple national champion praised especially the favorable conditions of the race. “Today was great, the weather was an advertisement for Liberec and the Jizera Mountains, it was a beautiful run in nature, and I enjoyed it to the maximum.” However, he didn’t want to compare this year’s victory too much with previous successes: “It’s hard to compare, the course changes a bit every year and the aforementioned weather also plays a big role, which is why performance cannot be measured solely by the final time, but also a lot by how it feels, and that feels simply super. Plus… since I’ve now moved just outside Liberec, I haven’t run through here in a long time, so I always have to be careful so that nothing surprises me,” concluded the 41-year-old endurance runner. Tomáš Hudec finished the race exactly 3 minutes minus one second later, while Dominik Chlupáč claimed the bronze spot in the results with a time of 1:29:45.
Tereza Hrochová completely dominated the women’s race, proving once again that she thrives at RunCzech events and crossed the finish line in a time of 1:32:12. “I evaluate today’s performance as very high quality; until about halfway through I was running with the guys around third place,” the 30-year-old competitor appreciated her start to the race. “Overall, I like trail races, it was a very nice run for me, even though I was a bit surprised that the race was a kilometer longer this year, and as at all RunCzech events, I really enjoyed the atmosphere,” added the Czech Olympian with a smile. Second place with a final result of 1:39:51 went to Elizabeth Ungermanová, and bronze fell to Adéla Hluchá with a time of 1:41:05.
The shorter 13 km course offered a significantly more exciting battle for first place. Ondřej Chour stayed together with Damián Vích for a long time, but at the finish line, the latter was ultimately 14 seconds faster, recording a time of 48:31. “Today’s race was fun also thanks to the fact that Ondra and I ran together and could pull each other along,” admitted the winner of this year’s Mattoni Karlovy Vary Half Marathon at the finish line. “But it was demanding, a kind of Hrdlořezák 2.0 (laughs), but I enjoyed it to the maximum. The weather turned out almost good enough for swimming, I have nothing to complain about,” added a very positively minded Vích. According to him, the penultimate hill decided the victory, where he managed to gain a lead on Chour. “I was more keeping the pace, Ondra then slowed down slightly, but that’s what races are about. It was a nice battle, I thank him for pulling me up while I dragged behind him like a noodle going up, and I congratulate him on second place and a great performance. I believe he enjoyed the race too, that he didn’t run alone and that we helped each other maintain a good pace all the way to the finish,” concluded the 28-year-old runner. Theodor Popp from Germany took third place with a time of 50:24.
Among the women, the talented Josefína Šturmová confirmed her autumn form, stopping the clock at 51:12, turning her first participation in Liberec into a victory, and following up on her triumph at the adidas 5 km Women’s Race held four weeks ago in Prague. “I’m thrilled, I really enjoyed the varied course, both the road and the terrain. Although I like the road, it’s faster, I love the mountains, they are closer to my heart, and I will definitely race in trails in the future too, to keep things varied,” evaluated the 18-year-old competitor regarding the route, and continued to evaluate the course of the race and the form she has been confirming over the last month. “From the start, we ran at the front in a group of three girls, which gradually broke apart, and then I ran alone most of the time. But that didn’t bother me, I feel great running during autumn, I really enjoy it, no health complications are bothering me, so I’m enjoying it to the max!” Michaela Novotná finished just 5 seconds behind her, with the bronze position falling to Vendula Šoukalová with a time of 52:05.
Mattoni Liberec Trail Run closed the RunCzech season and introduced heroes with 100% participation in this year’s season. Nearly a hundred male and female runners took part in the main races across all eight major events of 2026, receiving a special commemorative medal and an honorable spot in the “RunCzech Stars” group. Not even in Liberec could the Running Doctors line-up be missing, although this time exceptionally without their signature flags that help identify them safely. “Since it is run in the forest and terrain, it wouldn’t be realistically possible,” stated the project coordinator, MUDr. Dagmar Heroldová. “Even so, we were evenly distributed among the runners and close by to those who needed help directly on the course. Also due to its profile, we had to pay closer attention to sprained ankles, for example,” commented Heroldová on the race.
The RunCzech season is officially closed with the Mattoni Liberec Trail Run; runners have plenty of time to write to Santa for a gift from the Running Mall and, equipped with new adidas shoes, prepare for the 2027 season, which will be launched by the Prague Airport Valentine’s Run 7 km.
Official results of the Mattoni Liberec Trail Run 2026
Men – 23 km
- Vít Pavlišta – 01:24:01
- Tomáš Hudec – 01:27:00
- Dominik Chlupáč – 01:29:45
- Martin Kubíček – 01:31:47
- Jan Moraveček – 01:32:37
Women – 23 km
- Tereza Hrochová – 01:32:12
- Elizabeth Ungermanová – 01:39:51
- Adéla Hladká – 01:41:05
- Adéla Bogarová – 01:41:56
- Aneta Drobníková – 01:45:29
Men – 13 km
- Damián Vích – 48:31
- Ondřej Chour – 48:45
- Theodor Popp (GER) – 50:24
- František Musil – 51:54
- Matthias Aust (GER) – 53:32
Women – 13 km
- Josefína Šturmová – 51:12
- Michaela Novotná – 51:17
- Vendula Šoukalová – 52:05
- Tereza Lajdová – 53:26
- Jana Pekařová – 55:24
