Race Date: Saturday 28th March 2026

Report by Aaron Francis although at no stage does he mention the wonder that is Czech beer.

Introduction

Arriving in Prague two days before the race, I wondered how the first running in 1999 might’ve been. A decade after former Czechoslovakia emerged from Soviet control and six years after the Czech Republic’s ‘Velvet Divorce’ from Slovakia. The city has witnessed much, including several thousand Red Army tanks on its streets to end the Prague Spring of 1968. The mass protest movement demanding ‘socialism with a human face’ was championed by triple Olympic gold medallist in the 5000m, 10,000m and marathon – Emil Zátopek. Emil is where my interests of late Soviet history and distance running intersect so it was exciting to be in the city where he spent much of his life.

The course is demonstrably fast with Sebastien Sawe lowering the course record to 58:24 in 2024. In 2017 Joyciline Jepkosgei broke the women’s world record by running 1:04:52, and en route to doing so took down the 10km, 15km and 20km records.

This year, Burundi’s Rodrigue Kwizera bettered Sawe’s course record by winning the race in 58:16. On the women’s side, Caroline Gitonga of Kenya ran 1:06:16 to take the win. The race was short of Brits but first home was Natasha Wilson (nee Cockram) in a personal best time of 1:09:54. First male Brit was Bracknall’s Syd Hind clocking 1:10:07.

Pre-Race

The weekend of Prague and Berlin fell four weeks before my 40th birthday. After being fortunate enough to get a Berlin ballot place and an entry into Prague via ‘fastest finger first’, I’d decided to run both as an early birthday celebration. I’d begun piecing together logistics last summer, and found a hotel in the Holešovice district positioned 700m from the start/finish line and 1km from Holešovice train station. I’d booked the 12:41 train to Berlin which, given Prague started at 10:00, gave me a generous window to enjoy the race while also allowing an hour to return to the hotel, change and walk to the station.

Although I’d experienced no delay in bib collection on Thursday, Friday became a tale of others queuing for hours in the cold as both venue and volunteers struggled to cope. I’d recommend bearing this in mind, although given how bad the situation was I’d be surprised if it’s repeated.

24hrs before the race were standard. I jogged 25mins (tripped over but thankfully bounced), ate bigger portions of oats and pasta, saw Old Town Square, Charles Bridge and Prague Castle but relied on the tram to move between sites. I wanted to protect my legs but not just stay in the hotel, and with public transport in Prague being reliable and cheap (£5 for 24hrs) there was no reason to not see the key sights.

Raceday

Under bright, chilly and still conditions, 17,000 runners gathered 3km from the historic centre overlooking the Vltava river. I realised the red carpet beneath my feet concealed cobblestones meaning I needed to take it easy once the gun went. Turning an ankle within a few metres was a possibility, and once the carpet ended there were tram tracks to negotiate. The gun fired, bizarrely three times in quick succession. Nobody knew why and I’ve since seen videos of hesitation amongst the elites upfront, but quickly the field moved away after initial confusion.

The route quickly leapt up and over Čechův bridge which was the first of four to cross, with Prague castle appearing almost Disney-esq in the sun up on a hill to our right. Early in the race I kept in mind that Berlin was less than 24hrs away, and the pact I’d made with myself was to limit perceived effort to seven out of ten. Going into the race, fitness suggested ticking off four minute kilometres should be comfortable while feeling as though I’d experienced a race rather than a jog. Once passing the 5km post (20:08), my shoulders were relaxed and I moved as I’d expected with no adjustment needed. I felt content to settle in and soak up the next hour or so.

An expansive out and back featured after 6km, which is a section I heard grumbling about after the race but one I enjoyed. Heading towards the turnaround I watched elites, sub elites and talented club runners flying back, then on the return leg I saw athletes streaming to reach the point I’d just passed. I can’t fully articulate why I liked this part, but it’s rooted in shared endeavour being evident – nothing was obstructing my view of thousands of people striving to complete the same race.

Once passing 10km (40:10) and crossing the river again, a woman next to me commented how beautiful the view across the water was. I agreed and we swung right to trace the riverbank into a shorter out and back. Although the air temperature stayed cool, extended periods of running in full sun is something I’m currently deconditioned to, so the chance to pinch a few minutes of running under shade of buildings was welcome at this point. Nearer 12km the race entered the heart of Prague, and moving under the Gothic arch of the Powder Gate Tower (one of thirteen original city gates) was a memorable point. Noise from the crowd bounced off buildings and once shuttling through smaller streets it felt as though the atmosphere lifted.

Although my shoes were on the less aggressive end of the supershoe spectrum, I found the stretches of cobbles tiring and awkward. I’d opened a gel at a daft time only for my ankle to roll out resulting in a stumble and a huge gloop of gel being lost. It didn’t affect my race other than provoking some embarrassment in front of a dense crowd.

At 15km, (still rattled by cobbles) the field passed through Old Town Square and close to the Astronomical Clock. Support was predictably loud with market stalls open, but course tape thankfully prevented anyone bumbling across. Once back to smooth roads a Czech punk band called Mad Rabbits played after 17km – this was cool to see, and there’s a short video of the guerrilla live show on their Instagram @madrabbitshc

While aerobically feeling grand I’d started to get warning shots of pain from my groin, radiating down my thigh from an injury which has been ongoing for a while. I knew if I didn’t extend my stride or move laterally at pace I’d be fine to complete, which is the way it turned out. Back to the physio it is.

Into the closing 4km with more echoing crowd support, a final uphill onto the Libeň Bridge appeared. It wasn’t much of an incline and over swiftly, but at 19km/20km it’s not where you want a rise. Dropping off the bridge, a final 800m stretch closed the course at the point it started.

I finished the race in 1:23:40 and made it to the station bound for Berlin. On the platform I spoke with a tall, expressive German dude who’d clocked 1:10:58 and was due to be on official 1:25 pace duty in Berlin. The route up through Dresden took around four hours, much of which I spent in the vestibule stretching off. Food onboard was surprisingly good so I loaded up with an omelette, bread basket and chicken wrap – paying in Czech crowns before crossing the border into Germany.

It’s a weekend I’m grateful my body held up for and allowed me to complete. Prague is conducive to running quickly, even with u-turns, cobbles and bridges – but it’s no Berlin. For scenery and atmosphere it’s up there with the best races I’ve experienced, but I plan to pick Berlin out of the two for a ‘proper’ effort in future.