More than 15,000 runners from over 100 countries are expected in Prague for the 31st Prague International Marathon weekend. Alongside the main race, several accompanying events as well as national and international championships will also take place.
Prague is preparing for one of the biggest running events of the year: the 31st Prague International Marathon will take place this weekend and will this year be held under the name Vodafone Prague Marathon 2026. More than 15,000 participants from over 100 countries are expected to take part in the various races and accompanying events.
More than 11,000 runners alone are expected to start the main race on Sunday, 3 May. A further 4,500 participants are expected on Saturday for several non-competitive runs. The marathon once again carries the “Elite Label” quality mark awarded by World Athletics.
Alongside the classic marathon race, Prague will also host the Czech Marathon Championships, the European Police Marathon Championships and the final of this year’s Czech Junior Marathon.
Foto: Prague Daily News
This year’s edition was already sold out before the end of 2025. Carlo Capalbo, founder of RunCzech and chairman of the organising committee, spoke of continued exceptionally strong interest in the event.
“When we first organised the race in 1995, we never expected the marathon to grow to this scale,” Capalbo said.
From a sporting perspective, attention is once again focused on the possible improvement of the course record. The symbolic 2:05-hour mark has not yet been broken in Prague. Kenyan runner Alexander Mutiso came closest to that target and has held the course record since 2023 with a time of 2:05:09.
In the women’s race, Israeli runner Lonah Chemtai Salpeter continues to hold the course record with a time of 2:19:46.
The organisers are once again hoping for fast times this year. The final start list of elite athletes is expected to be published at a later date.
Video: Vodafone Prague Marathon 2026 – Course overview
International Participation Remains High
According to the organisers, the share of international participants is once again slightly higher this year than that of Czech runners. Around 54 per cent of participants are coming from abroad.
Runners from France, the United Kingdom and Slovakia are once again among the most strongly represented groups. Participants are also travelling from much more distant countries such as Brazil, Australia, Japan and South Africa.
The oldest registered participant is 79-year-old French runner Lasnier Aurida.
Foto: RunCzech
The race will also be broadcast worldwide. According to the organisers, the live broadcast is expected to air in dozens of countries and potentially reach more than 60 million households. Czech Television will once again provide the domestic broadcast coverage. International commentary will again be provided by British athletics commentator Tim Hutchings.
For the first time, so-called “Running Doctors” will also be deployed during the Prague International Marathon. A total of eight running doctors will be spread throughout the field to provide rapid assistance in the event of health problems.
Marathon EXPO 2026
The marathon weekend will begin on Friday, 1 May, with the Marathon EXPO at the Výstaviště Praha exhibition grounds in Holešovice. Additional accompanying events, family runs and sports programmes will also take place there.
The main race will start on Sunday morning at 8am from Old Town Square (Staroměstské náměstí) in Prague’s historic centre. At the same time, RunCzech will once again support the organisation Světluška, a long-term project of Czech Radio supporting visually impaired people.
Further information about the Prague Marathon 2026 can be found on the RunCzech website.
Prague Marathon Weekend 2026 Programme
Saturday, 2 May
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9:30am – Lavazza Active Breakfast Run (Letná); 4.2 km
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3:00pm – dm Family Run (Výstaviště Holešovice); 2 km
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4:00pm – dm Bambini Run (Výstaviště Holešovice); 100, 150 and 200 metres
Sunday, 3 May
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8:00am – Vodafone Marathon Prague (Old Town Square); 42.195 km
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8:00am – Czech Marathon Championships
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8:00am – European Police Marathon Championships
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8:00am – ČT 2Run Marathon Prague; 2 × 21.0975 km
Marathon EXPO
