press guide all runners are beautiful mattoni olomouc HALF 15 JUNE 2019

OLhalf ENG mattoni olomouc press guide INFORMATIONS FOR JOURNALISTS media car

Dear Sports Friends, Take advantage of an opportunity to ride in a special car which will drive ahead of the elite runners throughout the race!

th Welcome to the 10 edition of the Mattoni ! • Unique experience • Unrivaled photographs The Press Guide, which you are holding in your hands, contains basic information for journalists about the Mattoni Olomouc • Live coverage from the course Half Marathon. You will also find a short introduction of elite athletes including intermediate times leading to breaking records. We hope you find everything you need to cover this year’s event, but please do not hesitate to ask anyone on the Reserve space in the car at the Press Centre or by calling Bohuslav Stehno at tel: +420 606 044 637. Seating is limited. Press Team, if you need anything else. Press team live on ČT Sport Diana Rybachenko Marketing & Communication 777 746 801 [email protected]

Bohuslav Stehno PR & Media 606 044 637 [email protected]

Matěj Hejda PR & Media 606 044 622 [email protected]

Press Centre #OLhalf

The Press Center is a place where media representatives can pick up their credentials. Also, they will find there the latest information about the race, wireless Internet access, live results and live race broadcasting. #OLhalf

Friday - Saturday (race day) Conference room of mayor City Hall of Olomouc, Horní Square 583

Opening hours: Friday from 11 am to 8.30 pm City Hall of Olomouc, Conference Room of mayor Saturday from 10 am to 11 pm City Hall of Olomouc, Conference Room of mayor

2 3 mattoni olomouc HALF MARATHON press guide RACE PROGRAM Memories of cobblestones and glory.

Friday, 14 June 2019 Olomouc celebrates race jubilee. Pre-Race Press Conference 11 am City Hall, city council meeting room The Olomouc half marathon is celebrating its 10th birthday. Yet it still manages to stay fresh, fun and new. It’s basically Press centre 11 am – 8:30 pm City Hall, city council meeting room old enough to be trendy, shiny and simply out of this world. We’ve taken all the good things we learned from the Moravia Sport Expo 10 am – 7 pm Flora Olomouc, pavilion A events and incorporated them into an amazing course set against the backdrop of a baroque city. On 15th June Pre-race run 5 pm Flora Olomouc, in front of pavilion A we will gather on Horní náměstí for this race which was the first RunCzech event to be held outside of Prague.

Saturday, 15 June 2019 Previous event years have managed to bring together the city’s residents all in one place, coming in droves to cheer Moravia Sport Expo 9 am – 4:30 pm Flora Olomouc, pavilion A runners on. This along with generous support from our partners has made it possible for us to fill this beautiful city Press center 10 am – 10:30 pm City Hall, city council meeting room with music, laughter and vitality. Olomouc has become a true running haven in the . Guest zone opening 4 pm Horní Square dm family run start 5 pm Horní Square Professionals, amateur runners, and those taking part in dm Family Run combined adds up to 10 thousand participants. Mattoni Olomouc Half Marathon start 7 pm Horní Square And all of them will enjoy the sporting show celebrating with us through exercise and spurring others on. We look th th Anticipated arrival of the first man 8:01 pm Horní Square forward to welcoming you to Olomouc on 14 and 15 June. Anticipated arrival of the first woman 8.09 pm Horní Square Award ceremony 8:15 pm Horní Square After-race party 8:30 pm Horní Square Award ceremony for relays 9:30 pm Horní Square, in front of gallery Caesar Finish of the race 10 pm Horní Square

Title partner institutional partners Title partner dm family run

Main partners

4 5 mattoni olomouc HALF MARATHON

RunCzech Running Prospective EuroHeroes is a RunCzech initiative (in cooperation with European Athletics) that was created for three reasons: To make European athletes even more competitive on the world stage. To celebrate the greatness that exists among us. And to generate a fan base for local and regional runners with the hope of inspiring a new generation to follow in their footsteps.

A dream? Of course. But dreams are where reality starts.

To fulfill our dream, we have designated four half as EuroHeroes events. Karlovy Vary, Ceske Budejovice, Usti nad Labem and Olomouc. A cluster of races that feature only European elite athletes within full support and care by European Athletics. And that´s not all. We have prepared another surprise for the athletes.

EuroHeroes Challenge. The runners’ top 2 out of 4 finishes will determine who will be honored at the end of the season as a EuroHero, with the competitive series encouraging local fans to follow every step in their quest.

matton mattoni had its running heroes once. Emil Zátopek. , Stefano karlovy vary české budějovice Baldini. Sebastian Coe. And it will again. With EuroHeroes. half marathon half marathon 18 may 1 june

mattoni mattoni olomouc ústí nad labem half marathon half marathon 15 june 21 september 2015 Mary Keitany reigns supreme at the sixth Mattoni Olomouc Half Marathon OLOMOUC HALF MARATHON TIMELINE finishing with an exceptional time of 1:06:38. The Kenyan runner enhances the race record by more than two minutes, delivering her fourth best performance of that year. The race’s first year as an IAAF Gold Label race.

2010 RunCzech stretches its legs beyond the borders of Prague and holds its first half marathon outside of the capital. The first year attracts a total of 1 788 runners. An interesting turn of events happens seeing Stephen Kibet falsely crowned the winner, when 2016 in reality the true winner is Joseph Marego as the organisers learn It’s 36 degrees Celsius in the Olomouc Region. Whenever Stephen has taken a 400 m short-cut. RunCzech asks runners to tell them which was the most demanding race year, most state 2016.

2011 Race capacity doubles to meet growing demand.

2017 2012 The Moravia Sport Expo takes place for the first time while fans get to The half marathon picks up the IAAF Silver Quality Label. watch a live broadcast of the race on ČT Sport.

2013 The half marathon reaches its capacity of 3500 runners in April already. The Family Run and the main race combined take the number of participants to a record 5000. 2018 The city is blessed with cooler weather for the first time. This is accompanied by a new and likely long-standing record among the men’s elite field. Meanwhile Eva Vrabcová-Nývltová snatches a record time among the Czech women. 2014 The race plays host to another sensation. Pacemaker to the elite field of runners, Geoffrey Ronoh ends up taking first place, leaving other Kenyan long-distance runners chasing his tail. This includes the phenomenal Wilson Kipsang – winner of highly celebrated races in , and New York plus 2019 Dennis Kimetto – later world record holder in the marathon. The tenth event year goes down in history for introducing the EuroHeroes The sensational half marathon winner also broke the Olomouc initiative – inviting only European athletes to take part. Registrations are still record finishing there in 1:00:17. Spectators were able to follow open – make sure you’re there! the action live for the first time on Stream.cz. mattoni olomouc half marathon mattoni OLOMOUC HALF MARATHON

Description of intermediate times A runner’s story: I was overworked. And I got hooked on running. Using the table on this page you can calculate the times the elite athletes are running. By the intermediate times you can estimate if runners have a real chance to break the world record, the race record and/or the Czech record. I used to run when I was at high school but as I got older, I got more into cycling and running well and truly fell by the wayside. As my work commitments grew it became more and more difficult to head out on my bike after work when it was already dark. I told myself that running would be safer and more accessible. 1 5 10 15 20 21,0975 0:02:46 0:13:50 0:27:40 0:41:31 0:55:21 0:58:18 WR M When I heard the news that RunCzech was organising a race in Olomouc – where I’d been living for several years during which time I’d fallen in love with its beauty and history – I felt a new impulse to start running again. 0:02:48 0:13:59 0:27:58 0:41:57 0:55:56 0:59:00 I decided right away that I would try to take part every year. 0:02:54 0:14:02 0:28:25 0:42:50 0:57:15 0:59:49 I went into the race with a huge sense of respect and the expectation that I’d run out of steam at some point along the way. But they were just fears. I didn’t manage to get my time under two hours but the euphoria I experienced 0:02:51 0:14:13 0:28:26 0:42:40 0:56:53 1:00:00 crossing the finish was unforgettable. It instilled me with the courage to persist and set myself higher goals. 0:02:55 0:14:16 0:28:49 0:43:21 0:58:13 1:00:15 ER M It’s fair to say I got hooked on running. I discovered it was the best way to unwind from my stressful job, to clear my head, brainstorm ideas as well as get to know new places. Prague, Karlovy Vary, České Budějovice, Ústí nad 0:02:56 0:14:42 0:29:23 0:44:05 0:58:46 1:02:00 Labem. I would never have got to see those places without RunCzech. 0:02:59 0:14:56 0:29:52 0:44:48 0:59:43 1:03:00

I’ll be running my tenth Mattoni Olomouc Half Marathon this year. Along with Prague it’s unarguably the best race 0:03:02 0:15:10 0:30:20 0:45:30 1:00:40 1:04:00 in terms of spectator support. As long as I stay in good health, I hope to carry on beyond this ten-year milestone. I want to run more and more, collecting t-shirts and medals as I go. 0:03:05 0:15:24 0:30:49 0:46:13 1:01:37 1:05:00

Thanks Carlo Capalbo! 0:03:05 0:15:26 0:30:53 0:46:19 1:01:46 1:04:51 WR W

Standa H. 0:03:15 0:15:03 0:30:46 0:46:34 1:02:48 1:05:50 ER NR M

0:03:20 0:15:16 0:31:11 0:47:18 1:03:35 1:06:38 ER W

0:03:19 0:16:35 0:33:11 0:49:46 1:06:22 1:10:00

0:03:22 0:16:05 0:33:40 0:50:00 1:07:08 1:11:00

0:03:22 0:16:13 0:33:14 0:50:07 1:07:15 1:11:10 ER NR W

WR — World Record M — Men ER — Event record F — Women NR — National record 10 11 mattoni olomouc half marathon - elite list men mattoni olomouc half marathon - elite list women

Num. Country Name Bib. name Date of birth Num. Country Name Bib. name Date of birth

2 ITA Yassine RACHIK YASSINE 1:02:18 1 MDA Lilia FISIKOVICI LILIA 1:10:45

3 ESP Camilo Raul SANTIAGO CAMILO 1:02:40 2 GBR Stephanie TWELL STEPHANIE 1:11:33

6 CZE Jiří HOMOLÁČ JIRKA 1:03:23 3 UKR Darya MYKHAILOVA DARYA 1:12:28

7 UKR Roman ROMANENKO ROMAN R 1:03:22 5 BLR Katsiaryna KARNEYENKA KATSIARYNA 1:13:53

9 IRL Paul POLLOCK PAUL 1:02:10 6 CRO Matea PARLOV MATEA 1:14:03

10 UKR Igor OLEFIRENKO IGOR 1:03:36 7 UKR Olha KOTOVSKA OLHA 1:12:19

11 IRL David FLYNN DAVE 1:04:32 8 UKR Yulia SHMATENKO YULIA 1:11:22

12 GER Tobias BLUM TOBIAS 1:04:38 9 POL Aleksandra BRZEZINSKA ALEKSANDRA 1:15:55

14 POL Blazej BRZEZINSKI BLAZEJ 1:03:49 10 CZE Petra PASTOROVÁ PETRA P 1:17:10

15 CZE Vít PAVLIŠTA VÍT 1:05:09 11 CZE Hana HOMOLKOVÁ HANA 1:18:28

16 CZE David VAŠ DAVID 1:07:23 12 CZE Petra KAMÍNKOVÁ PETRA K 1:12:12

17 MDA Roman PRODIUS ROMAN P 1:03:37 14 CZE Tereza ĎURDIAKOVÁ TEREZA 1:17:48

18 ROM Marius IONESCU MARIUS 1:03:20 15 CZE Eva FILIPIOVÁ EVA 1:19:35

20 CZE Tomáš EDLMAN TOMÁŠ E 1:09:26 16 CZE Martina VÉVODOVÁ MARTINA 1:20:16

21 AUT Markus SOSTARIC MARKUS 1:08:22 17 SVK Lucia VLČÁKOVÁ LUCIA 1:21:16

22 FRA Piere COUZINIER PIERE debut 18 CZE Daniela HAVRÁNKOVÁ DANIELA 1:20:00

23 CZE Tomáš NAVRÁTIL TOM 1:09:55 19 CZE Barbora JÍŠOVÁ JÍŠOVÁ 1:18:51

24 CZE Martin KUČERA MARTIN K 1:08:38

25 CZE Tomáš MIKA TOMÁŠ M 1:11:40

12 13 Mattoni oloMouc Mattoni oloMouc start list – men half Marathon | June 15, 2019 start list – men half Marathon | June 15, 2019

7 UKR 12 POL 20 CZE 25 CZE 7 UKR 12 POL 20 CZE 25 CZE Roman Blazej Tomáš Tomáš Roman Blazej Tomáš Tomáš ROMANENKO BRZEZINSKI EDLMAN MIKA ROMANENKO BRZEZINSKI EDLMAN MIKA 1:03:22 1:03:49 1:09:26 1:11:40 1:03:22 1:03:49 1:09:26 1:11:40 ROMAN R BLAZEJ TOMÁŠ E TOMÁŠ M ROMAN R BLAZEJ TOMÁŠ E TOMÁŠ M

2 ITA 8 IRL 14 CZE 2 ITA 8 IRL 14 CZE Yassine Paul Vít Yassine Paul Vít RACHIK POLLOCK PAVLIŠTA RACHIK POLLOCK PAVLIŠTA 1:02:18 1:02:10 1:05:09 1:02:18 1:02:10 1:05:09 YASSINE PAUL VÍT YASSINE PAUL VÍT 3 ESP 9 UKR 15 CZE 22 FRA 3 ESP 9 UKR 15 CZE 22 FRA Camilo Raul Igor David Piere Camilo Raul Igor David Piere SANTIAGO OLEFIRENKO VAŠ COUZINIER SANTIAGO OLEFIRENKO VAŠ COUZINIER 1:02:40 1:03:36 1:07:23 1:02:40 1:03:36 1:07:23 CAMILO IGOR DAVID PIERE CAMILO IGOR DAVID PIERE 10 IRL 16 MDA 23 CZE 10 IRL 16 MDA 23 CZE David Roman Tomáš David Roman Tomáš FLYNN PRODIUS NAVRÁTIL FLYNN PRODIUS NAVRÁTIL 1:04:32 1:03:37 1:09:55 1:04:32 1:03:37 1:09:55 DAVE ROMAN P TOM DAVE ROMAN P TOM 6 CZE 11 GER 18 CZE 24 CZE 6 CZE 11 GER 18 CZE 24 CZE Jiří Tobias Jan Martin Jiří Tobias Jan Martin HOMOLÁČ BLUM KOHUT KUČERA HOMOLÁČ BLUM KOHUT KUČERA 1:03:23 1:04:38 1:06:18 1:08:38 1:03:23 1:04:38 1:06:18 1:08:38 JIRKA TOBIAS JAN MARTIN JIRKA TOBIAS JAN MARTIN

Official partners all runners are beautiful all runners are beautiful » » Lazecká » Lazecká

otočka/turn otočka/turn JeremenkovaJeremenkova 19:57 / 21:51 19:57 19:51 / 21:34 19:51 19:46 / 21:18 19:43 / 21:10 19:43 19:54 / 21:43 19:48 / 21:26 19:59 / 22:00 19:59 občerstvovací stanice občerstvovací point refreshment stanice osvěžovací sponges point sport Expo Moravia první pomoc aid first hudební produkce music point toalety toilets otočka/turn otočka/turn 17 15 21 18 19 16 20 Finish

) » Jeremenkova » Masarykova » Masarykova 4 km ) » Jeremenkova

tř. Kosmonautů tř. Kosmonautů tř. 19:40 / 21:01 19:23 / 20:12 19:31 / 20:36 19:37 / 20:53 19:37 19:28 / 20:28 19:34 / 20:45 19:26 / 20:20 19:26

Masarykova třídaMasarykova třída KaštanováKaštanová

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Dr. M. Horákové M. Dr. Horákové M. Dr.

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19:17 / 19:55 19:17 Masarykova třídaMasarykova třída 19:14 / 19:47 19:14 19:03 / 19:14 19:03 19:06 / 19:22 19:09 / 19:30 19:20 / 20:03 Předpokládaný čas prvního a posledního běžce (časový limit) (časový čas prvního a posledního běžce Předpokládaný time) (cutoff runner and the last time of the first Estimated 1 3 7 5 2 6 4 km 6 ( 7 km ) » km ) » Jablonského ( 8 » Lazecká Heydukova km ) » Jarmily 10 km ) » Na Střelnici – ( 11 km ) » Lazecká » Lazecká 12 km ) » Na ( 13 » Studentská Střelnici » km ) » Hynaisova Pöttingova Start/Cíl | Start/Finish // Seřadiště | Line-Up: Seřadiště // | Start/Finish Start/Cíl Horní náměstí/square area: | Technical zázemí Technické Dolní náměstí/square of streets | List závodu Trasa » Studentská ( » Pöttingova » Palackého » Riegrova » Horní náměstí Start 1 náměstí » Žizkovo ( 2 km ) » KJiřího z Poděbrad km ) » Dobrovského ( Kosmonautů ( 3 km ) » tř. » 17. listopadu ( 5 M. Horákové třída » Dr. km ) » » Sokolovská cesta » Černá Kaštanová ( Glazarové ( ( » Palackého ( 14 km– ( 15 km ) sady » Krapkova » Smetanovy ) ) » tř. Svobody » 17. listopadu ( 17 km ) » 17. listopadu » tř. Svobody ( 16 km ) » sady » Havlíčkova Smetanovy třída ( 19 km ) » Žizkovo » Masarykova ( 18 km ) » Jeremenkova tř. Kosmonautů května » 8. ) » Zámečnická ( 20 km » Dobrovského » Jiřího z Poděbrad náměstí » Cíl / ( 21 km ) » Horní náměstí » Riegrova

SokolovskáSokolovská

17. listopadu 17. listopadu 17.

Jiřího z Poděbrad z Poděbrad z Jiřího Jiřího

tř. Kosmonautů tř.

Žižkovo náměstíŽižkovo náměstí Kosmonautů tř.

17. listopadu 17. listopadu 17.

17. listopadu 17. listopadu 17.

JablonskéhoJablonského

17. listopadu 17. listopadu 17.

JablonskéhoJablonského

Dobrovského Dobrovského

Heydukova Heydukova Zámečnická

LazeckáLazecká Zámečnická

Lazecká

Lazecká Na StřelniciNa Střelnici all ru nn ers are beautiful

Lazecká

Lazecká tř. Svobodytř. Svobody

náměstí náměstí

Horní Horní |

8. května 8. května

Studenstská Studenstská RiegrovaRiegrova

Havlíčkova Havlíčkova

Palackého Palackého

Hynaisova Hynaisova 15. června 2019 – start: 19.00 – start: 2019 15. června | KrapkovaKrapkova

PöttingovaPöttingova

Palackého Palackého

Mrštíkovo Mrštíkovo náměstí náměstí

Jarmily Glazarové Glazarové Jarmily Jarmily

Dolní hejčínská Dolní hejčínská

Tomkova Tomkova

Ladova Ladova M atto n i olomouc h alf marat o matto n i 1/2marato olomouc 7 pm – start: June 15, 2019 mattoni olomouc HALF Marathon | Map – start and finish

první pomoc aid first hudební produkce music point toalety toilets mattoni 1/2maraton olomouc | MAP - start a cíl

Masarykova třída 1 guest area* Horní náměstí 2 press area

trasa závodu/ směr závodu závodu/ trasa the race of direction course/ race km vzdálenost km distance seřadiště line-up / cíl start / finish start Horní Square 3 start/finish* 1.5

Horní náměstí/square | Start/Finish: Start/Cíl Horní náměstí/square | Line-Up: Seřadiště of street | List závodu Trasa km) » Aksamitova (0.5 » Kateřinská » Dolní náměstí Horní náměstí sady (2, 2.5 km) » » Bezručovy (1, 1,5 km) » U Reálky » 17. listopadu (3.5 km) » Dolní náměstí (3 km) » Kateřinská stromořadí Michalské » Horní náměstí 4 technical area

1. máje 6 U Reálky

Komenského 17. listopadu 17. 5 course 2 Radnice 6 ceremony area City Hall 2

Botanická zahrada 5 7 race headquarters 9 elite athletes 1

1. máje 1. 2 17. listopadu 17.

Bezručovy sady Bezručovy

Michalské stromořadí Michalské 1 3

Kateřinská

2.5 Denisova

Aksamitova

Havelkova 4 Kozí 7 0.5

Dolní náměstí 3.5 Panská

Třída Svobody 3 Pekařská

2 Horní Pavelčákova náměstí

Smetanovy sady

8. května

15. června 2019 – start: 17.00 17.00 – start: 2019 15. června Riegrova

tř. Svobody

*1 – passage only / pouze průchod *3 – not during start and finish of elite runners lomouc / dm rodinný běh O lomouc dm family run O lomouc / rodinný all ru nn ers are beautiful 5 pm | – start: 15 June 2019 neplatí v době startu a doběhu elitních běžců elite athletes Yassine RACHIK EuroHeroes Star: About Dominance, New Challenge and Dream in Tokyo

It was thought to be a hard battle up to the finish line time in half marathon? He did it in Naples as part of the also we have a chance to win. Good results are beautiful, with the favored Briton Luke Traynor. Eventually Mattoni RunCzech series in February. Best marathon time? but nothing can compare with the feeling of triumph, České Budějovice Half Marathon (RunCzech race held on 2:08:05 two months later during the . and the EuroHeroes project allows me to feel it. I look 1st June) brought a completely different spectacle. Italian Tiny Italian feels confident also on the Czech territory. He forward to Olomouc, where I want to build on my past Yassine Rachik, the leader of this year’s EuroHeroes achievements, “ Rachik describes his view on a new Challenge, showed the dominance again. RunCzech project which helps European athletes to gain Just as two weeks ago in Karlovy Vary the 25-year-old more awareness, respect and leader conquered the whole race. It was clear after the interest among fans. 10 kilometer that he would win a second race in the row One of Europe’s top racers in the Czech Republic. In addition, due to the tough hot today is well aware that also weather the main favorite of the race, Luke Traynor, thanks to the EuroHeroes did not feel well and finished tenth. Challenge he has the great has created a new European course record in Karlovy Vary opportunity to prepare himself and České Budějovice. Where such a form does come for the main goal – 2020 from? What has changed compare to previous seasons? Summer Olympic in Tokyo. „First and foremost it is self-confidence,” explains Rachik. I have improved my best marathon time in London by more than 4 minutes. I have matured mentally, even physically, feeling stronger than ever in my career. I’m still young and I’m only getting into the ideal long-distance running age. I feel I have a lot of room for improvement „I dream about the Olympic „It may seem like an easy victory but it was not. A lot and this season has proved it so far,“ says the bronze Games since childhood. It’s the absolute top for any of European elite athletes started here. Luke was not a medalist from last year’s European Championship. athlete. competitor only for me. But I am in a great shape so I And what now? Rachik has a clear motivation in the days From my first victory race when I was young I have managed to win again. We’ll see in Olomouc in two to come. To prove his dominance on the Czech territory was constantly thinking about Olympics. I want to weeks how it will go, “ says the Italian who started with and win EuroHeroes Challenge this year. „It attracts me continue to improve and would love to break the long-distance running at the age of thirteen. enormously, no doubt about it. Thanks to such a project Italian record in marathon. It is a big motivation, but also The current great form is Rachik’s main weapon. Just athletes from Europe will get far more into awareness. a commitment, “ admits the current European hero of look at his performances during the last few months. Best We do not compete only against time and each other but RunCzech races this season. 20 21 elitE ATHLETES - mEN pRESS gUIDE

Roman Yassine Camilo Raul Blazej PRODIUS RACHIK SANTIAGO brzeziński

• He recently celebrated his thirty-eighth • Three-times long-distance running champion in • Thirty-six year old athlete with a half marathon • Polish athlete holds good personal best birthday personal best of 1:02:40 1:03:49 from Ostia 2015 • Alongside professional running, he works as • He boasts a bronze medal from the European • Similarly to his other compatriots, he mostly • He is well-known on Facebook, he regularly a running trainer Marathon Championships in Berlin competes in races at home in posts videos and pics from his training a his • The Moldovan representative competed for • In 2015 he picked up gold at the U23s European • His greatest accolades include winning the personal life his country in the marathon distance at the Championship in Night Time Half Marathon in Bilbau (2016), 2nd • He managed to win in Warsawa Marathon. 2012 Summer Olympics in London • He boasts an incredible personal best of 1:02:13 place at a race in Logrono (2013) and 3rd place in However he finished on the fifth position in • His stamina has grown with age which is also • In unfavourable conditions he managed to finish the San Sebastian half marathon (2013) Berlin on European Championship reflected in his best time of 1:03:37 recorded in this year’s Napoli race in 1:02:29 • He finished a fantastic 5th place at the Milan • He scored with victories in Torun (2009), Ostia in 2016 • Winner of the first EuroHeroes Challenge race marathon held the year before last, which also Gdańsk (2015) and with second place in in Karlovy Vary brought him a new personal best time of 2:13:55 Magroviec among half marathoners

NATIONALITY: MOLDOVA NATIONALITY: ITALY NATIONALITY: Spain Nationality:

Roman Paul Jiří Vít ROMANENKO POLLOCK HOMOLÁČ Pavlišta

• Ukraine’s half marathon champion the year • He lives in the Northern Irish town of Holywood, • Currently the fastest Czech runner • He lives and trains in Liberec • He’s quite before last but represents Ireland • He will continue to train alternately between a phenomenon among runners, capable of • He finished fourth at the Birmingham half • In addition to running professionally, he also and Europe, also having trained with chasing elite athletes all while managing to marathon in 2016 earns a living as a physician Kenyan long-distance runners ahead of the hold down a regular job and train twice a day • He has triumphed at half marathons in Bila • He’s the third fastest Irish man of all time over Sportisimo • Wearing a headband, he goes for a run at Tserkva, Dnipro, Kharkiv, Dushanbe and long distances • He comes with experience running all courses five-thirty in the morning and gets to the office • He represented Ireland at the Rio Olympics from the 1500 metre distance all the way to the at seven • He won the 2018 Mattoni Karlovy Vary Half back in 2016 marathon • Sometimes after work, he goes out running in Marathon where he holds the race record of • Each month he publishes blogs about running • Two-times Czech Republic champion in road Hrádek nad Nisou close to the Polish and German 1:03:59 and training distance runs • He sticks to the motto – believe in borders. He often jokes that he manages to be in your dreams and run after them three countries during one training session

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Official media partners elitE ATHLETES Lilia Fisikovici EuroHeroes is an amazing series. Other athletes are keen to get involved, Fisikovici reveals

Poking out beneath her stomach is an eye-catching tattoo tactical in your running and compete with one another,” to take to the spotlight. I’ve spoken to other European of a rose. This is a souvenir and reward for her big win the Moldovan recordholder reveals, acknowledging that athletes about the idea and they’re sold on it. They’re also at last year’s Mattoni České Budějovice Half Marathon. It running together injects a certain energy into the races. keen to take part soon. For this reason I’d really welcome also reminds her of her EuroHeroes Challenge series wins. Being given the chance to battle it out with her fellow more events like this in the future, “ she enthuses. Introducing the graceful Moldovan athlete and Olympian Europeans spurs her on to produce excellent times as well The friendly runner from Moldova will also go down Lilia Fisikovici – leading EuroHeroes woman and excellent as new records. She managed to deliver the goods once in EuroHeroes history for holding the best European runner who took gold once again in České Budějovice. again in České Budějovice. “With each race I discover new records. Of the four races held so far she holds the best Fiskovici’s love for the EuroHeroes project and the wins runners and it’s truly amazing. I really value this kind of results in three and all that’s left is to achieve the that it has brought her is plain to see. Chatting to her about competition. My rivals are adept which makes the races best European woman’s performace in Olomouc. it, she quickly starts to share her memories of the season harder as well as more exciting,” she adds. “It’s really nice to find yourself in the statistics see that catapulted her into the running public’s conscience She’s well suited to the points-based results system. It who has the best time in Europe. But I’m not sure in the Czech Republic as well as abroad. “I like Ústí nad works in a similar way for the decathlon. “Here it’s about I’m able to break records in all four. It would all have Labem best, because the course is fast and flat and it’s the combat as well as tactics. I always look forward to to come together – from the weather to my form on where I ran my best time of 1:10:45. But I’m also fond of that and I find it incredibly interesting. Good European the day,” Fisikovici admits, though she’s delighted Budějovice, even though it’s hillier. I generally really love competition always pushes you forward,” she shares. in the knowledge the right now the best European coming to the Czech Republic because I feel at home According to Fisikovici, such rules force athletes to test results in RunCzech races belong to her. here,” Lilia Fisikovici reveals. their capabilities to the limit all the way to the finish line. There’s one other reason why collecting wins and She’s enjoying the EuroHeroes series and is delighted The EuroHeroes Challenge motto is all about pushing amazing results is important to her. The prestige and to be supporting European long-distance runners. And athletes forward and finding new international stars. And fact that people and the sporting public back home the Czech competition featuring continental athletes Fisikovici is confident that the series’ potential and maxim in Moldova are paying attention. “You don’t find many is something she takes incredibly seriously. Fiskovici will be realised soon. Finally long-distance runners have a runners in Moldova, I’m really one of a handful. We also embraces the modern concept of a race series which she multi-part race just as cyclists have the Tour de and don’t have good long-distance trainers. If I do end up believes is unparalled in Europe. “It’s great that you can classic skiers the Tour de Ski. “There are no races quite like winning the EuroHeroes Challenge, it may shift people’s be on the podium, you have the chance to win a race as it anywhere in Europe where the events are stacked on top attitude to running and attract more attention,” a hopeful well as receive excellent financial remuneration, higher of one another and true victory comes not after your first Lilia Fisikovici shares. than is usually the case. EuroHeroes also has another win but after the fourth event finale. This is what makes added benefit. When you run with Europeans, you’re more EuroHeroes so unique, allowing us Europeans the chance

24 25 elitE ATHLETES - womEN pRESS gUIDE

Lilia Stefanie Darya Olha FISIKOVICI TWELL MYKHAILOVA KOTOVSKA

• The first Moldovan athlete to qualify for the 2020 • She represented Great Britain at the Olympic • Ukrainian runner who has been based in Paris for • The thirty-five year old runner has garnered Summer Olympics in Tokyo Games in both (2008) and Rio (2016) some time plenty of experience and now passes • She boasts a personal best time of 1:10:45 which • At the 2009 Commonweath Games she • She has recorded twelve different wins during • On advice and tips to younger successors in the was an especially momentous occasion since it announced that she no longer wanted to run her career to date, most recorded on French soil national team was recorded on Czech soil in Ústí nad Labem for England but rather for , the home • Her half marathon record of 1:13:42 played out in • She represented Ukraine at the 2016 Olympic • She competed in the marathon at the Rio country of her mother November 2017 in the French commune of Morlaix Games in where she finished thirty- Olympics • She holds a bronze medal from the 2010 • She is an excellent half marathon runner. She three in the marathon distance • She competed in the famous London marathon held in Dehli which she has previously won in Fort de France, plus picked • Her fastest half marathon hails from Ostia at the end of April where she took 14th place picked up in the 1 500 metres race up second in Les Abynes, and thirds in Caen and recorded in 2011 where she ran an incredible 1:12:19 • At the last year she smashed • She picked up another bronze medal in Mortaix finish, enough to secure her fifth place the long-lasting national record, unbroken since the 5 000 metres race at the 2016 European • In her current form she managed to complete the 1991 Championships Mattoni České Budějovice Half Marathon in 1:14:14 • So far this year she has won races in Karlovy • Back in May of this year, along with her Vary and České Budějovice, and is currently husband Joe Morwood, she broke the hand- topping the EuroHeroes Challenge rankings holding mile world record

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Katsiaryna Matea Hana Petra KARNEYENKA PARLOV HOMOLKOVÁ KAMÍNKOVÁ

• A runner currently in excellent form • A runner who enjoys huge success at home in • Twenty-three year old rising long-distance • One of the most experienced Czech athletes • In April she set a new personal half marathon Croatia while also being a national record holder in running star • These days she runs semi-professionally, while record of 1:12:45 in the Polish city of Poznan the 3 000 metres • She ran her best half marathon to date on 13th also running a business with her husband • She maintained an excellent pace at the Poland • She holds a Master’s degree in kinesiology April this year in Pardubice recording a time • Petra is local to the Olomouc area race, rewarding her with 5th place overall • She’s a potential candidate to take part in the of 1:18:25. She also managed to shave over six • She is seventeen times Czech national • Her greatest half marathon accolades include Tokyo Olympics, having reached the finals of the minutes off her personal best time champion in a range of distances third place in the half marathon in the German city Universiade on two occasions • The Mattoni Olomouc Half Marathon will be • She won the half marathon in the Dutch city of of Altötting and fifth in the Dutch city of Breda • She is trained by a team of coaches comprising top her fourth half marathon race Zwolle in 2005 • She enjoys running indoor as well as outdoor former Croatian athletes Dario Nemec and Slavko • She mostly runs 10K races on Czech turf. Her • In 2015 at the Mattoni Olomouc Half Marathon races and is capable of running all distances from Petrovich best performance was recorded last year in she reigned supreme in the category of best all the way to the half marathon • She performs well on shorter courses but also has a Frýdek-Místek (36:08) Czech women decent personal best of 1:14.02 in the half marathon

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the most important information: • The race is celebrating its 10th anniversary. • The Trend Wheelchair Association Olomouc is the main charity partner to the Mattoni Olomouc Half Marathon. They • The Mattoni Olomouc Half Marathon will be broadcast live on iVysilani.cz at 6.50 pm. The TV broadcast gets underway are putting together a 12-hour wheelchair relay in Smetana Gardens which gets underway at 10 am on Friday and at 8.10 pm. which anyone can compete in. • The Mattoni Olomouc Half Marathon is the sixth event in the RunCzech series, comprising a total of nine races in six • The Moravia Sport Expo will also form part of the race. Visitors can look forward to getting themselves kitted out cities around the Czech Republic and two in Italy. Last year more than 100 000 runners took part in RunCzech races. for the entire running season, snapping up offers from a whole host of exhibitors and taking part in a diverse • The race has been awarded the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Gold Label for the fifth time accompanying programme including a Sports Exchange featuring several dozen Olomouc based recreational in a row. associations. • The half marathon gets underway on Saturday 15 June at 7 pm from Horní náměstí. The dm family run kicks off from • The greatest number of foreign runners hail from , Poland, Austria, Great Britain, Germany, the United States, the same spot at 5 pm. Hungary, Russia and France. • Race capacity is 6 400 competing runners. The dm family run will welcome an additional 3 800 participants spanning • The top level of medical care in Olomouc this year will include a professional medical rescue service team plus 15 all ages. This means over 10 000 runners will run through the streets of Olomouc. medical points dotted around the course. • The race is a part of the EuroHeroes project – a new initiative of RunCzech (in cooperation with European Athletics) • The organisers will also be presenting awards for the fastest man and woman from the Olomouc Region who will aimed to support European athletes. Participating runners will compete for points counting towards the EuroHeroes collect regional king and queen trophies from the LASVIT AJETO glassworks. Challenge taking place in four cities - Karlovy Vary, České Budějovice, Olomouc and Ústí nad Labem. • Olomouc boasts its own Mattoni FreeRun – a five-kilometre circuit which anyone can compete in whenever they • 50 runners participated in all nine races in the past and 43 of them will run also the 10th edition. choose to. The course is located in Flora with a further three found in the wider region– in Prostějov, Přerov and • The half marathon is a single-circuit course which kicks off in the centre of Olomouc. Šumperk. • The half marathon will be started by Olomouc City Mayor Miroslav Žbánek, the dm family run by first deputy governor • The official race hashtag is #OLhalf. of the region Petr Vrána . • Runners taking part in the Olomouc Half Marathon can take advantage of the RunCzech mobile app. In it they will find a guide to the entire race, their start number, offers from our partners, live online monitoring of runners on the course and loads more. The app is available on both Android and iOS devices. • Polat Kemboi Arikan (1:02:12), a Turkish athlete, scored the best European time in 2015. Trihas Gebre from Spain (1:09:51) scored the women’s European record last year. • Yassine Rachik from Italy, who is leading the EuroHeroes Challenge, will be his main competitor. • The hot favourites of the women’s race will be Lilia Fisikovici from Moldova (the leader in the EuroHeroes Challenge and Stephanie Twell from Great Britain. • Among Czech runners - Jiří Homoláč , Vít Pavlišta and David Vaš. Among Czech women Petra Pastorová and Petra Kamínková. • The dm Family Run will also form part of the half marathon weekend as will the Marathon Music Festival with bands and DJs lining the course. • Jiří Šimek will try to do a Guiness record by running the whole race in flippers.

28 29 mattoni olomouc half marathon press guide

Interesting statistics Records • Mattoni Olomouc Half Marathon capacity stands at 6 400 runners. MEN • Capacity of the dm Family Run is 3 800 participants. • A total of 43 nationalities will appear at the start line. UKRAine - Serhij Lebid - 1:01:49 - September 22, 2003 (Newcastle, ) • 66 % of runners are men, 34 % are women. ITALY - Rachid Berradi -1:00:20 - April 13, 2002 (Milano, Italy) • The average age of women taking part in the half marathon is 36.1 years, the average age of men is 39.1 years. IRELAND - Alistair Cragg - 1:00:49 - March 20, 2011 (New York, USA • On average women manage to complete the Mattoni Olomouc Half Marathon in 2:04:30, men in 1:48:55. GREAT BRITAIN - - • The most common names of men taking part are Petr (248), Martin (227), Jan (251), Tomáš (209) and Jiri (177), Mo Farah 59:22 - September 13, 2015 (Newcastle, United Kingdom) among the women it’s Jana (108), Kateřina (89), Petra (92), Lenka (79) and Eva (62). MOLDOVA - Jaroslav Mushinschi – May 7, 2006 (Priština, Kosovo) • Novák (20), Svoboda (17), Pospíšil and Kučera (13 of each) and Horák (12) are the most frequent men’s surnames. GERMANY - Carsten Eich - 1:00:34 - April 4, 1993 (Berlin, Germany) For women it’s Nováková (18), Šťastná and Navrátilová (8 of each), Tichá and Svobodová (7 of each). POLAND - • The vast majority of long-distance runners are educated to university level (58 %), with college-educated Piotr Gladki - 1:01:35 - March 25, 2000 (Haag, Netherlands) individuals making up 34% and the remaining 8 % made up of those with high school education AUSTRIA - Günther Weidlinger – 1:01:42 – October 14, 2007 (Udine, Itálie) • The oldest male participant hails from the Czech Republic and is 83 years of age. The oldest female participant is CZECH REPUBLIC - Jan Pešava - 1:01:31 - October 4, 1997 (Košice, Slovakia) also from the Czech Republic 68 years of age. SPAIN - - 59:52 - April 1, 2001 (Berlín, Germany) • 900 volunteers will help out during the race. Fabián Roncero • The most widely represented professions of those taking part in the RunCzech Running League are admin workers FRANCE - Abdellatif Meftah – 1:00:46 – September 4, 2010 (Lille, France) (524), managers (462), students (347), teachers, university lecturers and coaches (199), followed by electrical and mechanical engineers (169). • The least represented professions of those taking part in the RunCzech Running League are couriers (1) and WOMEN editors (1), politicians (4), those working in radio and TV (5), pilots and flight attendants (5). MOLDOVA - - 1:10:45 - September 15, 2018 (Ústí nad Labem, Czech Republic) • On average a runner needs to take 17 216 steps to complete the 21 0975 km long course Lilia Fisikovici UKRAINE - Natalija Berkut - 1:11:07 - December 23, 2006 (Okayama, Japan)

ReCORDS ITALY - Valeria Straneo - 1:07:46 - February 26, 2012 (Ostia, Italy) Word record– men: 0:58:18 (2018) Abraham Kiptum (KEN), Drunk: BELARUS - Volha Mazuronak - 1:10:57 - March 24, 2018 (Valencia, Spain) Word record– women: 1:04:51 (2017) (KEN), Valencia • 17 974 of Mattoni water CZECH REPUBLIC - Eva Vrabcová Nývltová - 1:11:01 - April 7, 2018 (Prague, Czech republic) • 5 114 litres of Gatorade Race record – men: 1:00:15 (2018) Stephen Kiprop (KEN) eaten: GREAT BRITAIN - Paula Radcliffe – 1:05:39 – October 7, 2001 (Newcastle, Great Britain) Race record – women: 1:06:38 (2015) Mary Keitany (KEN) • 1 378 kg of bananas CROATIA – Lisa Stublić – 1:09:18 – March 17, 2013 (New York, USA) European race record - men: 1:02:12 (2015) Polat Kemboi Arikan (TUR) • 814 kg of oranges POLAND – Katarzyna Kowalska – 1:10:06 – April 2, 2016 (Prague, Czech Republic) European race record - women: 1:11:10 (2018) Eva Vrabcová Nývltová (CZE) • 16 kg of salt • 21 kg of sugar SLOVAKIA – Maria Starovská – 1:12:08 – April 5, 1992 (Berlin, Germany) Fastest Czech man: 1:05:50 (2015) Jan Kreisinger (CZE) Fastest Czech woman: 1:11:10 (2018) Eva Vrabcová Nývltová (CZE) 30 31 runczech races 2019

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