Central Europe’s biggest running event has 17,000 runners this weekend, with Natasha Wilson leading the British charge on Saturday.
The Generali Prague Half Marathon’s maximum capacity of 17,000 runners sold out just 2 hours and 23 minutes after registration opened, with interest in the iconic event roughly six times higher.
“Thousands more participants than last year will run in our beautiful city, and many will break their personal records and push their limits,” said Karlo Capalbo, president of the RunCzech organizing committee.
One of the most popular half marathons on the planet has long boasted the World Athletics Elite Label Road Races mark of quality. The Prague race is also one of six elite European half marathons that make up the SuperHalfs series.
Historical athletics performances are common at the Generali Prague Half Marathon. When the Czech capital announced on April 1, 2017 that the 65-minute ban in the women’s category had been broken for the first time in history, it was no April Fool’s joke. Joycelyn Jepkosgei of Kenya ran a record time of 1:04:51.
Three years later, another world record was set in Prague. In a Covid-era specialized start format, Kenyan star Perez Jepchirshire set a world best performance (1:05:34) in the all-women race.
The 26th edition of the Generali Prague Half Marathon features a strong field. The men’s category will feature six endurance runners with personal bests under the one-hour “magic” mark. Among the favorites is the reigning champion Rodrigue Kwizera, who won in Prague a year ago with a Burundian national record of 58:54. He has since improved his time to 58:38, just 14 seconds off the event record held by Sebastian So. Another favorite who can run up to 59 minutes is Ethiopian Tadese Worku Gebresilase.
“The competition is going to be amazing and the atmosphere is going to be really great,” commented Jan Frisch, the top Czech runner on the start list. “My goal is to lower my time from Naples ($1:05:22). I think Prague is an ideal place for that.” Other domestic stars include 14-time Czech champion Jiri Homolac and mountain running champion Matej Zima. Running icons Vít Pavlišta and Patrik Vebr will serve as pacers for the women’s race.
The main contenders for victory in the Generali Prague Half Marathon will be two Kenyans. Jeska Chelangat, who completed the half marathon in Valencia two years ago with a time of 1:06:13, will start with the best personal record. Caroline Makanti Gitonga, the world’s third-ranked woman in the 10km road race, is just 13 seconds behind her. He ascended to this lofty position after a sensational victory in Castellón, Spain, with a time of 29:34.
Natasha Wilson (née Cockram), a 2:24:21 marathoner, leads the British entries with just over 2,100 Britons expected to travel to Prague for the event.
Tereza Hrochova from the Czech elite is going to Prague. The participant of two Olympic marathons ranks fourth in the Czech all-time standings with a time of 1:11:38. It is this personal best from last season that he intends to attack in Prague.
The Generali Prague Half Marathon will start on Saturday, March 28 at 10 a.m. local time from the main entrance of the Holešovice Market (Holešovická tržnice).
