The revolutionary Battle of the Teams will once again be a highlight of the Prague International Marathon. It’s a unique event in which elite runners are divided into teams in such a way that makes each one tantalizingly capable of winning. And making the event highly competitive.

The star athletes heading up the teams for 2023 make it all the more interesting. They include Adam Ondra, Jiří Prskavec, Kateřina Neumannová, Ondřej Moravec and Jiří Ježek. Each will captain a team of six elite runners, plus thousands of other hobby runners who will be able to select a team to join, based on a favorite captain. Or by aligning with the team they believe will win. „What makes this so exciting,“ according to Carlo Capalbo, President of the RunCzech Organizing Committee, „ is that every runner on the team has an affect on the outcome—the overall winning team. Not only that, the concept ensures that the outcome is not clear until the last runner in the team crosses the finish line when all the times can be averaged, prolonging the drama. It’s a wonderful way of bringing amateur athletes and world-class runners together. Of having them invested in each other.“

What’s more, each team is linked to a charity project and will run in the colours of its title partner. This year's partners are Generali Česká pojišt'ovna, ČEZ Group, Mattoni, Prague Airport and Rohlik.cz. Runners might also select a team based on the charity that each corporate partner supports.

The legendary cross-country skier Kateřina Neumannová, will be heading up the CEZ Group team, supporting the foundation Nadace Veroniky Kašákové, benefitting children from Orphanages. The elite runners wearing CEZ’s trademark orange will be: Pamela Rotich, Yuma Hattori, Abbabiya Simbassa, Margaret Wangari, Alexander Mutiso and Jiří Homoláč.

The Mattoni team will be led by Jiří Prskavec, Olympic slalom canoeing champion.  Mattoni supports the environmental organization, Nadace partnerství. Philemon Rono, Shogo Nakamura, Benjamin Preisner, Iwona Bernadelli, Worknesh Edesa and Vít Pavlišta will run in Mattoni green.

The acclaimed biathlete, Ondřej Moravec will lead the red team of Generali Česká pojišt'ovna associated with the Leontinka Foundation, which helps children with visual impairments. Members of his team include Rahma Tusa, Silas Sugut, Justin Kent, Julien Melody, Nobert Kigen and Krystian Zalewski.

The captain of the yellow Rohlik.cz team is Adam Ondra, one of the best professional rock climbers in the world.  His team will aid Recruiting Heroes, an organization devoted to finding bone marrow donors. The team will feature Rebecca Cheptegei, Alemayehu Lema, Trevor Hofbauer, Dario Castro Perez, Ronald Korir and Moira Stewart.

Paralympic cycling champion, Jiří Ježek will captain the Prague Airport team, sporting blue jerseys. His team will support the non-profit organization, People in Need and will be represented by Sintayehu Lewetegn, Ondřej Fejfar, Elkanah Kibet, Viola Kibiwot, Sisay Lemma and Yuichi Yasui.

The winning team will receive a bonus of €30,000, which will be divided equally among all professional athletes, while €15,000 will go to the remaining four teams. The fastest amateur runner from the winning team will also share in the prize money.

Each sponsor will also be offering a host of promotional items to all participants.  And they encourage all runners and fans to visit to find out more about the good work they’re doing in their communities.  Learn more at www.battleoftheteams.com

Entering the Battle of the Teams is easy.  Just select your team during the registration process or on the profile you created at www.runczech.com