As most of you might know already, I consider myself the kind of traveler always looking for experiences to enjoy rather than monuments to visit.
So today I am going to talk to you about running tourism and why the Prague Half marathon is a fantastic idea whether you are an experienced runner or just a traveler who likes sports and would like to do something different than the rest of tourists!
I am passionate about sports, so when I found out that this year was the 20th anniversary of Prague Half Marathon, I decided I want to run this race. I digged into the details and learnt that the Prague Half Marathon, organized by RunCzech is a world class IAAF Gold Label by the IAAF (International association of Athletics Federations) which guarantees exceptional quality.
You can find the link to register for any of the races organized by RunCzech below:
And so it was. On Saturday 7th of April 2018, 09:10 am I was in the metro and I could already feel the atmosphere. Runners and lots of people who just wanted to support us heading towards the start line.
Together with another 11500 people I was excited to start the race. With 30% being foreigners, as I was getting ready I could hear people talking in Spanish, German, Italian, Dutch and many more languages. I was ready. We were ready. Seeing all these people sharing the same passion and excitement as you, gives you such inspiration and energy that you think nothing can stop you.
The race is extremely well organized. There are multiple refreshments points where you can get mineral water, wet sponges, energy drink and fruit located at strategic Km so that you will not run more than 4 km without passing one of them. There were also stands along the race where different musicians were playing live to motivate the runners and give a plus to the nice atmosphere.
You can also find the famous pacemakers, people from the organization who actually runs in mini teams dressed equally to be visible and with a backpack with flags poking out. What´s in the flags? Finish times. So if you see they are carrying a flag where is written, for instance 1:40, it means they will finish the run in that time. They are super helpful cause they will guide you and give you an idea whether you should be going faster or slower to achieve your goal. There were pacemakers running 1:30, 1:40, 1:45, 1:50, 2:00, 2:10 and 2:30 hours.
Prague citizens support 100% the race and therefore expect thousands of people giving you this extra support you need when facing the last 5 Kilometers of the race. Being honest, it helped me a lot during 19-21 km when my legs started to fail. It is frustrating because my heart and lungs were completely fine and they could afford running way faster, but my legs did not, so I had to slow down a little bit.
When you cross the finish line, you get your beautiful medal, a thermal insulation sheet not to get cold and of course unlimited refreshments, energy bars and fruits. I spent 10 minutes eating oranges like an animal!
After the race I hanged around all the partner stands where you could try new products or get some free samples. People around you commenting the races, nice music in the background, the satisfaction of finishing the race in a good time, it was a fantastic moment. You can check your race time in the wonderful RunCzechApp Even your friends can track you on real time during the race to see how you are doing or if you gave up haha. No way to cheat!
Once I was more or less recovered, we went to the T-Roc After party, whith Djs and more partner stands, tables and chairs where you can enjoy free salad, watch the race replay or take some pictures with the famous runners.
One thing that I liked a lot, was the fact that the race takes place on Saturday, which makes so much easier to travel to Prague, enjoy the race and then have enough time to enjoy this spectacular city and its people.
This was an experience that I definitely recommend and for which I have already started training for. Prague Half Marathon 2019, here I come!
