Press releases 2022

• Mattoni Olomouc Half Marathon attracted thousands of runners, the winners are Ukrainians Shafar and Zinenko

  Jun 20, 2022 | Download (PDF; 158 KB)

  Vitaliy Shafar from Ukraine is the king of the Mattoni Olomouc Half Marathon. In the race, which boasts a five-star European Athletics certificate, he coped best with the hot weather and finished in a time of 1:05:31. "It was amazing here. A wonderful experience. I had a great time," said the winner. The women´s champion is also Ukrainian Valeria Zinenko. She managed to run the twenty-one kilometre course in 1:12:57. "I'm glad I finished the race at all. I'm used to running ten km, so this was super hard for me. But I made it and I'm very happy to be here, said the best woman of the race." A total of 4 600 runners participated in Saturday's race in the streets of the Hana region metropolis. And almost 2 000 runners joined the dm Family Run "The atmosphere of the twelfth Mattoni Olomouc Half Marathon was great. I am glad that we inspired Olomouc to run again," said Carlo Capalbo, President of the RunCzech Organizing Committee.

• Pavlišta has reached a double! Almost 4 thousand runners participated in the tenth Mattoni České Budějovice Half Marathon

  Jun 5, 2022 | Download (PDF; 160 KB)

  Vít Pavlišta has been dominating the RunCzech races outside Prague so far. After Karlovy Vary he also won the annual 10th Mattoni České Budějovice Half Marathon. He managed to deal best with the difficult conditions, as it was raining heavily just before the start. "I am glad that I confirmed my form from the last race. I didn't mind the colder weather, the rain was refreshing," Pavlišta said. On the other hand, Tereza Hrochová scored her first triumph this year and thanks to her performance she become the third fastest woman on the half-marathon course in the Czech Republic. "It is my best personal performance. But it was very difficult, at the beginning I ran with the boys, then alone," Hrochová said. Apart from the race boasting a five-star European Athletics certificate, on Saturday the runners also had a chance to participate in the dm Family Run, the relay race or the 2Run. "In total, we brought almost four thousand people to run today. The atmosphere was great, so I believe that everyone had a great time," RunCzech Project manager Igor Murko mentioned.

• Winners of the Mattoni Karlovy Vary Half Marathon are Petra Pastorová and Vít Pavlišta

  May 21, 2022 | Download (PDF; 145 KB)

  One of the most beautiful Czech running races, which has a European Athletics Five Stars Certificate, knows its winners. The new king of Mattoni Karlovy Vary Half Marathon is Vít Pavlišta, with the time of 1:08:16, and the best Czech woman is Petra Pastorová, with a time of 1:17:41. The popular event, which took place in the beautiful West Bohemian City for the ninth time this Saturday, was a celebration of Czech athletes. “The atmosphere of the race was great. The fans pushed me to the finish line with all their support, and it helped me a lot," said the women´s champion." I really like racing in Karlovy Vary. It was confirmed once again that the local races fit me. I am satisfied also with my time," added Vít Pavlišta.

• Favourites of the Mattoni Karlovy Vary Half Marathon are Vrabcová-Nývltová and Pavlišta. Acrobatic aviator Kopfstein and volleyball champion Hudeček will run too.

  May 20, 2022 | Download (PDF; 156 KB)

  One of the most beautiful Czech running races Mattoni Karlovy Vary Half Marathon takes place already tomorrow. Vít Pavlišta and Eva Vrabcová-Nývltová are top favourites for victory. One of the world´s best aerial acrobats Petr Kopfstein and the manager of the Karlovarsko team Ondřej Hudeček, who recently won the volleyball extra-league, will also stand at the start line. "I would like to say that Karlovy Vary is the smallest city in the world that has a European Athletics Five Stars Certificate, which is the biggest possible award from European Athletics. And this is the RunCzech standard. I hope that all runners will enjoy the race as much as they can," said RunCzech Regional Race Manager Igor Murko.

• RunCzech opens registrations for Prague Half Marathon and Prague Marathon 2023

  May 19, 2022 | Download (PDF; 609 KB)

  This year´s Prague Half Marathon and Marathon have their winners, but runners can already start getting ready for next year. RunCzech is opening registrations for the two most prestigious Czech races of the 2023 season - the Half Marathon will take place on April 1st, the Marathon on May 7th. "It was very important that the Prague races came back after the break caused by Covid-19. The response to them was very positive. We sensed a huge interest and demand for next year. That's why we decided to open the registration already now. I hope that marathon tourists from abroad will return in larger numbers," said Carlo Capalbo, president of the RunCzech organizing committee, whose races boast the World Athletics Elite Label Race.

• Generali Česká pojišt'ovna won the unique Battle of the Teams. Captain Šlesingr cheered at the finish line

  May 9, 2022 | Download (PDF; 167 KB)

  The Volkswagen Prague Marathon revolutionised the world of road running, as for the first time, the Battle of the Teams project was completely open to every participant and a total of six teams contested top honours. The times of both the professional athletes and all others in the marathon, were counted in the final team scores where, after a close battle, the title went to the Generali Česká pojišt'ovna team, whose captain, biathlete Michal Šlesingr, cheered for every one of his team at the finish line. The prize money will go to his team’s selected charity, the Leontinka Foundation. "In total, around 2,000 runners took part in the team race. We had to wait for every single one to finish, as every individual who had signed up for a team, could influence the result. It gave the marathon a unique and completely new edge," Carlo Capalbo, the president of RunCzech, said.

• The Kenyan Kigen „The King“ of the Volkswagen Marathon Prague, Homoláč as the best Czech

  May 8, 2022 | Download (PDF; 162 KB)

  The most eagerly awaited event in the Czech running calendar has celebrated its winners today, with Kenyan Nobert Kigen becoming „The New King“ of the Volkswagen Prague Marathon, with a time of 2:07:54, and the Ethiopian Bekelech Borecha triumphant among the women, in 2:2:56. Jiří Homoláč garnered a third Czech title, saying "Reaching the thirtieth kilometer, I started to feel a cramp in my foot, so I was afraid I would not finish, but I made it," he rejoiced. Marcela Joglova was the best Czech woman. "The sunny weather was not conducive to fast times, but more importantly, it certainly contributed to a beautiful race and a great atmosphere," RunCzech Organising Committee President Carlo Capalbo, whose race boasts the World Athletics Elite Label Race, stated.

• World-class performance and a unique team race are being expected at the Volkswagen Prague Marathon

  May 6, 2022 | Download (PDF; 195 KB)

  The most expected sport event of the season is here. The 26th Volkswagen Prague Marathon, a World Athletic Elite Label Race, starts this Sunday at 9:00. Thousands of runners will fill the streets of the Czech capital city, the race record is expected to be attacked. However, the race will not only be about the victory among individuals. A new concept, the Battle of the Teams, is going to thrill until the last seconds of the race. "We are delighted that after a three year break due to Covid restrictions, this wonderful event, for which people from all over the world travel to Prague, is coming back to the capital city,“ said Carlo Capalbo, President of the RunCzech Organising Committee. "I'm really looking forward to Sunday. I have a lot of goals I want to achieve. I want to be the best Czech, to win the Battle of the Teams with my team and to meet the limit for the European Championships," the Czech pro-athlete Jiří Homoláč stated at the pre-race press conference.

• Unicredit Prague Relay returns to Prague after three years

  Apr 27, 2022 | Download (PDF; 613 KB)

  Runners’ favorite team race – the Prague Relay – newly bearing the title name of RunCzech’s partner UniCredit Bank, is returning to the capital city of Czech Republic, after three years. This unique race, in which a 4-member team of friends or colleagues can complete four-times-five-kilometers will take place on June 23rd at 6pm starting from the Prague’s Exhibition Hall in the huge Stromovka Park. "The Prague Relay is a celebration of running and life. It's a great combination of healthy activity and fun during a beautiful summer day, "says Carlo Capalbo, president of RunCzech, the organizer of the popular Sportisimo Prague Half Marathon and Volkswagen Prague Marathon.

• Run for all. All for run. The Volkswagen Prague Marathon will bring a unique score system

  Apr 20, 2022 | Download (PDF; 611 KB)

  On May 8, the runners will try a completely new concept of the race. For the first time in the history, the Volkswagen Prague Marathon will introduce the Battle of the Teams for ALL RUNNERS. The final results will be announced with the last runner who crosses the finish line at the after-party in hotel Hilton Prague. Key points are earned using the points system of the RunCzech running league, which is based on existing world athletics tables. Each of the six teams will have four elite professionals and the rest will be joined by thousands of enthusiasts. "The system we have devised is groundbreaking and attracts the attention of the athletic world. We have changed the royal individual race into a team sport and the race time of each participant will be important, "said Carlo Capalbo, director of RunCzech.