Rodrigue Kwizera is the winner of the Generali Prague Half Marathon 2025, finishing with a time of 58:54 minutes. In one of the best performances in the race’s history, he beat the favourite Isaia Kipkoech Lasoi from Kenya by two seconds, overtaking the long-time leader in the final metres. As expected, his compatriot Lilian Kasait Rengeruk won the women’s race. After recovering from an early pace that was a little too fast, she crossed the finish line in a still-impressive 1:05:27.
Very early after the start at Bubenské nábřeží (embankment) in Prague-Holešovice, the four favourites in the men’s race broke away, supported by two pacemakers. In rather windy conditions—especially on the sections along the Vltava—the split times at the halfway point indicated that the bold plans to break the course record would not materialise. However, the finishing times of the leading athletes were still impressive. Rodrigue Kwizera, seventh in the 10,000 metres at the 2023 World Championships, briefly lost touch with the leading trio after the halfway point but soon caught up with the group again. On the home straight, in front of the market hall in Holešovice, he took the lead with a time of 58:54 minutes.
“I’m happy about this victory and also about the national record I’ve set. I think the conditions for a long-distance race were very good today,” said Kwizera, the first Burundian to win the race.
In the women’s race, Lilian Kasait Rengeruk, the pre-race favourite, showed excellent form. Together with her pacemaker, the Kenyan runner soon pulled away from all her rivals and led from start to finish. The World Championship and Olympic finalist completed the race in 1:05:27, leaving her compatriot Veronica Loleo, the runner-up, more than a minute behind.
Czech athletes also fought an exciting battle right to the end. The national title was defended by Patrik Vebr, who claimed first place among the Czech runners for the third time in a row, with a time of 1:05:40—ahead of Tomáš Křivda.
On her debut in Prague—and at the half-marathon distance—Michaela Čepová finished first among Czech women and sixth overall. She beat runner-up Eva Filipiová with a time of 1:15:38, while her coach, the now-retired Czech Olympian Eva Vrabcová-Nývltová, finished third.
A total of 16,000 runners took part in the Generali Prague Half Marathon 2025. Detailed information about the race can be found on the official website of the series: www.runczech.com.
