The ORLEN Prague Marathon 2025 promises to be an exciting sporting event, with plenty of highlights for both participants and spectators. On Sunday, thousands of runners from around the world are once again expected in the Czech capital to compete on one of the most challenging and beautiful marathon courses.
On Sunday, 4 May, the ORLEN Prague Marathon 2025 will attract thousands of runners and spectators to the Czech capital. In addition to amateur marathon runners and numerous top Czech and international athletes, three elite long-distance runners — each with a personal best time of under 2 hours and 5 minutes — will also be taking to the streets of the city this year.
“The goal is clear: weather permitting, we will be chasing course records, and I firmly believe that at least one of them will fall,” said Carlo Capalbo, president of the RunCzech organising committee.
This year marks a significant milestone for the Prague Marathon, as the race celebrates its 30th anniversary. The event has once again been awarded the prestigious ‘Elite Label’ status by World Athletics, and the organisers are expecting a record number of participants. They are also confident that new course records can be set in both the men’s and women’s races.
“On the men’s side, we will not only have athletes who have already broken the 2:05 mark, but also some with personal best times around 2:06. We believe that they will form a strong leading group capable of attacking a 2:05 time,” Capalbo continued. The current men’s course record is 2:05:09, set by Kenyan Alexander Mutiso in 2023. The women’s course record, 2:19:46, has stood since 2019 and belongs to Israel’s Lonah Chemtai Salpeter.
The men’s start list is dominated by Ethiopian talent, including defending champion Lemi Berhanu Hayle, who set a personal best of 2:04:33 in 2016. Other strong contenders include Andualem Belay Shiferaw (2:04:44 in Berlin, 2022), Gadisa Birhanu Shumie (2:04:59, 2023 Seville Marathon), and Lemi Dumecha Beyi.
The women’s field is dominated by Kenyan runners, with personal bests separated by just 3 seconds. Gladys Chesir Kiptagelai, a former Youth Olympic gold medalist, finished fourth at the Amsterdam Marathon with a time of 2:20:30. Evaline Chirchir, 27, set her PB of 2:20:33 in Valencia last December.
The ORLEN Prague Marathon will kick off on Sunday, 4 May, at 9:00 am. As always, the centrepiece of the event will be Old Town Square.
All further information can be found on the RunCzech website.
