PRAGUE HALF MARATHON 2025 RACE REPORT
by Gail Murdoch
Steven and I decided to enter the Prague half marathon as our 1st of the SuperHalf marathons.
(The SuperHalfs are a series of 6 half marathons including Prague, Valencia, Lisbon, Cardiff, Berlin and Copenhagen. They seemed like a good excuse to visit some lovely cities and incorporate some running at the same time. And half marathons are a bit more doable compared to the full marathon).
Prague is easy to get to by flying direct from Edinburgh on a 2 hour flight.
The race was well organised with 16,000 runners. It had the feel of a big marathon with the expo the day before to collect your numbers.
On race day Steven was in pen A and I was in pen D to start. It was busy for both of us at the start, but not too congested and chip timing meant no need to worry about when we crossed the start line. It probably took about 5 minutes for me. The weather was ideal with temperatures of around 13 degrees, sunny and little wind. The course was very flat and scenic, along the Vltava River and through the city, passing various famous landmarks. It started and finished at the same place as the expo, which was about 1 ½ miles from the centre of Prague. The biggest challenge was running over cobbles and tramlines for a large part of the race. This meant people often crossing in front of you as they tried to avoid them. This was quite hard on the body with lots of last minute changes in direction and running over an uneven surface. We probably felt it more after the race than during though. Water stations were plentiful with paper cups. There was good spectator support round the whole route and there were plenty toilets before and during the race.
Overall the race was very enjoyable and I would recommend it to anyone, especially as part of a long weekend to enjoy the delights Prague has to offer.
As for the SuperHalfs. I think it’s a lovely excuse to run in cities where you can double up for a holiday or long weekend. Running a half marathon rather than a full one allows you to be a less nervous runner pre race and a more mobile tourist post race (although tell that to my back after those cobbles – if I never see another cobble again it will be too soon!)
I guess the downside of the SuperHalfs is that they are becoming so popular that it is getting more and more difficult to secure an entry to the races as they fill up quickly. A victim of its own success I guess. Will we do another one though? Valencia here we come in October!