The best running weather in recent years delighted the participants and fans of the Mattoni České Budějovice Half Marathon, the second part of the EuroHeroes series supporting European athletes. The sun was shining but the evening temperature dropped to 18 degrees. Tomasz Grycko from Poland (1:04:01) and Militsa Mircheva from Bulgaria (1:14:56), second two weeks ago in Karlovy Vary, ran to victory in the World Athletic Road Race Label quality race at their personal best.
More than 4600 pairs of legs ran from the Přemysl Otakar II Square in the South Bohemian capital in the Mattoni České Budějovice Half Marathon, the dm family mile and dm bambini run. And not only the best of them were appreciated by Dagmar Škodová-Parmová, the Mayor of České Budějovice.
“The first half was more free, in a group, then there were only three of us left. I kept my own pace and then could easily fasten up it at the eighteenth kilometer and break away at the front. I’m really happy, even with the time,” rejoiced Tomasz Grycko from Wladyslawowo on the shores of the Baltic Sea. He beat his four-year-old personal best by three seconds to 1:04:01.
Maxim Raileanu, an endurance runner from Moldavia finished at the second place (1:04:30), followed by the Dutch Olympian Khalid Choukoud as the third (1:04:51) – the same order as in Karlovy Vary. “It was a very nice race, but I faced a big crisis twice, I don’t even know what happened,” shrugged Choukoud, wondering why he didn’t quite fulfil the role of the favourite.
The two best women Melitsa Mircheva from Bulgaria and Monika Jackiewicz from Poland were in the group with two Czech men for a long time. Only at the sign with the last kilometer did the Bulgarian runner take off like lightning. “I ran very well, the pace was more marathon like. But it was better to stay in the group in this windy weather. It was only at the end that I trusted my finish and went as hard as I could,” smiled Mircheva who was heading back home to Sofia between the two Czech starts. She now ran 1:14:56, Jackiewicz coming 27 seconds after her.
The third place belongs to the German runner Katja Fischer, who ran in the Czech Republic for the first time. “I had a knee injury and returned after nine weeks without racing. That’s why my coach (Tobias Singer) preferred to run with me, but he didn’t set my pace too much. The atmosphere along the course was great, I have to come to the RunCzech race as soon as possible again,” she smiled.
Ondřej Fejfar (1:09:31) came at the ninth place as the best Czech and Gabriela Veigertová (1:20:09) from Jičín became the best Czech woman in her local premiere.
Race results
Race results
