FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Volkswagen Prague Marathon promises to be a great sport spectacle
A champion looking to defend his crown against a deep field of challengers,
a women's race featuring eight under-the-radar sub-2:30 marathoners, and a
final chance for runners to achieve the Olympic qualification standard are
among the top storylines in the 22nd edition of the Volkswagen Prague
Marathon on May 8.
Since it's inception in 1995, the Volkswagen Prague Marathon has developed
into one of the world's highest quality marathons and is the jewel in the
Run Czech Running League, which includes seven IAAF Gold Label Road Races,
the most for any country in the world. With a turnout of 985 runners in its
first edition, organizers will once again have a capacity field of 10,600
entries for this year's race, with bib numbers selling out last year after
the opening of registration.
"The Volkswagen Prague Marathon is an unbelievable success story," said
race founder Carlo Capalbo, president of the organizing committee and newly
appointed chairman of the IAAF Road Running Commission. "I have to thank
all those who made it happen. In total RunCzech has now had over 845,700
runners within 22 years. We can be really proud of this."
Headlining the men's field will be Kenya's Felix Kipchirchir Kandie, who
overcame a soar throat and sluggish early pace to earn an 18-second victory
over 2014 champion Evans Chebet in 2:08:32 during last year's race. Kandie
went on to improve his PR to 2:07:07 in the Valencia Marathon last fall.
The 29-year-old comes into this race having tested his fitness with a
sixth-place finish in 60:04 in last month's Sportisimo Prague Half
Marathon.
But if the Czech capital is to once again be turned into "Kandie Land," he
will have to stave off a number of contenders keen to take the title.
Leading that charge will be 2010 Prague Marathon champion Eliud Kiptanui,
who showed he is still among the leading marathoners in the world last
fall, running a personal-best 2:05:21 in Berlin, a time slightly faster
than his Prague course record of 2:05:39.
Other runners who have tasted victory in Prague and will be seeking to
dethrone Kandie include Kenyans Peter Kirui, the 2014 Prague Half Marathon
champion, Patrick Terer, winner of the 2014 Prague Marathon (2:08:07), and
Daniel Wanjiru, who has won the last two editions of the Prague Half.
All totaled, the men's field will feature 11 runners with PRs under 2:08,
so if the weather cooperates, a fast winning time could be in the making.
On the women's side, the field includes a group of contenders capable of
producing eye-opening finishes that could disrupt the presumed East African
Olympic selection process. Topping that list are Ethiopians Biruktayit
Degefa Eshetu and Marta Lema.
The 25-year-old Eshetu should be quite familiar to American road racing
aficionados having finished in the top four at the Chevron Houston Marathon
each of the last three years, performances that include a PR 2:23:51 for
third in 2015 and a victory in 2:26:07 in January's race.
Meanwhile, the 26-year-old Lema enters the race on a hot streak having run
personal bests in a runner-up finish in January's Xiamen Marathon (2:24:32)
and a fourth-place effort in last month's Ostia Half Marathon (67:58).
Standing in their way, of course, will be a group of archrivals from Kenya.
Purity Rionoripo is at the head of that group, having run a PR 2:25:09 in
Lisbon last year. Right behind figures to be Lucy Karimi, who clocked a
personal-best 2:27:08 in Dubai in January and tested her fitness well in
last month's Prague Half Marathon with a PB 68:43.
Other runners not to be discounted include Kenyans Beatrice Jepkemboi
Toroitich (2:27:41 PR) and Elizabeth Chepkanan Rumokol (2:29:32 PR) and
Olena Shurkhno of Ukraine (2:29:26 PR).
With the qualification window for the Rio Olympics closing on July 11, the
race figures to be make-or-break for many athletes with aspirations of
competing at the Games this summer. As such, the race will feature
competitors from Brazil, Mongolia, India, Israel, Finland, Hungary,
Kyrgyzstan, Italy, Croatia, South Africa, Great Britain, Germany, Eritrea,
Portugal, Ireland, and the Netherlands looking to achieve the Rio standards
of 2:19 for men and 2:45 for women.
Headlining that collection of international Olympic hopefuls will be
Brazil's Marilson Dos Santos. At age 38, competing in his home Olympics
would be a fitting end to a competitive racing career that has see him
twice triumph at the New York City Marathon. This will be just his third
marathon since competing at the 2012 London Olympics.
With the goal of reaching the Olympics in mind, there will also be intense
local interest focused on Czech runners, especially Eva Vrabcova, a
three-time Winter Olympian in cross-country skiing who will be making her
marathon debut in a bid to become the 35th athlete ever to compete in the
Summer and Winter Olympics. The 30-year-old finished 10th in a
personal-best 71:06 in last month's Prague Half Marathon.
On the men's side, Jan Kreisinger, Jiri Homolac, Vit Pavlista and Petr
Pechek will all be in pursuit of the Czech Athletic Federation's qualifying
standard of 2:15.
This year's Volkswagen Prague Marathon will also serve as the launch pad
for a number of new initiatives.
Among them will be the Yellow Ribbon Run, featuring relays comprised of
former prisoners, prison service representatives and corporate directors.
Each will wear t-shirts decorated with a yellow ribbon to draw attention to
the difficulties former prisoners encounter in seeking employment following
their release. This will be the very first in-race anti-prejudice endeavor
of its kind in Europe.
Also for the first time, runners around the globe will be able to
participate on race day from wherever they are through the Prague Digital
Marathon (http://www.pimdigital.com/en). Runners can download the Run
Social app for their mobile phones, create profiles and avatars, and
interact with other runners either on the course or on their treadmills.
The Prague Marathon will be cooperating for the first time with the Doctors
Without Borders charity. The race will see 50 runners, five relays, and one
team competing. Among them will be Zdenek Müller, who did the bulk of his
training in Syria during a two-month service mission, and Tomas Sebek, a
head trauma surgeon who competes barefooted and once completed a marathon
with pneumonia.
Joe Battaglia for the Organizers
| Elite Men |
| Felix Kipchirchir Kandie | KEN | 2:07:07 |
| Eliud Kiptanui | KEN | 2:05:21 |
| Eric Ndiema | KEN | 2:06:07 |
| Gilbert Kipruto Kirwa | KEN | 2:06:14 |
| Peter Cheruiyot Kirui | KEN | 2:06:31 |
| Samuel Kiplimo Kosgei | KEN | 2:06:53 |
| Seboka Dibaba | ETH | 2:06:17 |
| Marilson Dos Santos | BRA | 2:06:34 |
| Patrick Kipyegon Terer | KEN | 2:08:07 |
| Daniel Kinyua Wanjiru | KEN | 2:08:18 |
| Yared Asmerom | ERI | 2:07:27 |
| Bekana Daba | ETH | 2:07:04 |
| Beraki Beyene | ERI | 2:08:27 |
| Nobert Kipkoech Kigen | KEN | 2:09:25 |
| Lawrence Cherono | KEN | 2:09:39 |
| Solomon Kirwa Yego | KEN | Debut |
| Fikre Assefa | ETH | 2:10:01 |
| Samson Kitoo Bungei | KEN | 2:08:36 |
| Joseph Ngeny | KEN | 2:09:27 |
| Paulo Roberto Paula | BRA | 2:10:23 |
| Yohannes Ghebregergish | ERI | Debut |
| Damiao Anselmo De Souza | BRA | 2:14:14 |
| Jiri Homolac | CZE | 2:16:55 |
| Jan Kreisinger | CZE | 2:16:26 |
| Vit Pavlista | CZE | 2:17:51 |
| Petr Pechek | CZE | 2:18:28 |
| Pavel Dymak | CZE | 2:43:51 |
| Elite Women |
| Biruktayit Eshetu | ETH | 2:23:51 |
| Marta Lema | ETH | 2:24:32 |
| Purity Cherotich Rionoripo | KEN | 2:25:09 |
| Rael Kguriatukei | KEN | 2:25:23 |
| Lucy Karimi | KEN | 2:27:08 |
| Afera Godfay | ETH | 2:32:44 |
| Risper Chebet | KEN | Debut |
| Hiwot Gebrekidan | ETH | 2:34:45 |
| Beatrice Toroitich | KEN | 2:27:41 |
| Olena Shurkhno | UKR | 2:23:32 |
| Elizabeth Frumokol | KEN | 2:29:32 |
| Eva Vrabcova | CZE | Debut |
| Hirut Tibebu | ETH | 2:30:00 |
| Christine Kalmer | RSA | 2:33:43 |
| Dehininet Demsew | ETH | 2:35:00 |
| Cruz Nonata Da Silva | BRA | 2:32:47 |
| Kavita Raut | IND | 2:38:38 |
| Simona Santini | ITA | 2:43:41 |
| Khishigsaikhan Galbadrakh | MGL | Debut |
| Barbara Belusic | CRO | 2:49:09 |
| Viktoriia Poliudina | KRG | 2:49:38 |
| Radka Churanova | CZE | 2:45:00 |
| Azaunt Taka | ISR | 2:50:38 |
| Monika Preibischova | CZE | Debut |
| Dagmar Rychnovska | CZE | Debut |
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