Fancy Chemutai in action at the Birell Grand Prix (© Organisers)
The 21st edition of the Sportisimo Prague Half Marathon on 6 April will feature the strongest field of professional runners and the largest field of amateur entrants in the storied history of the IAAF Gold Label road race.
The field of 11,500 will include nine men with personal bests under one hour and two of the fastest women in history.
Stephen Kiprop, who won this year’s RAK Half Marathon in a world-leading 58:42, leads the men’s field. His challengers will include defending champion Bernard Kimeli, but any one of a dozen others could step up to the top of the podium.
Sondre Moen will return to Prague. The Norwegian is one of the top Europeans with a PB of 59:48. He set his 10km PB of 27:55 in Prague in 2017 and then three months later set a European marathon record of 2:05:48 in Fukuoka.
After dealing with injuries and health problems in 2018, he returned to action last month and set a national 5km record of 13:37 in Monaco.
The race will feature the second and sixth-fastest women in history, Kenya’s Fancy Chemutai and Caroline Kipkirui, who have respective PBs of 1:04:52 and 1:05:07.
European 10,000m champion Lonah Chemtai Salpeter will be one of their main challengers. She recently set an Israeli marathon record and last week improved her half marathon PB to 1:06:40 when winning the RomaOstia Half Marathon.
USA’s Amy Cragg, who ran 2:21:42 at the 2018 Tokyo Marathon, will be looking to improve her PB of 1:08:27 and challenge the North American record of 1:07:25.
Organisers for the IAAF
Elite field
Men
Stephen Kiprop (KEN) 58:42
Jorum Okombo (KEN) 58:47
Mangata Ndiwa (KEN) 59:07
Andamlak Belihu (ETH) 59:18
Felix Kibitok (KEN) 59:21
Abel Kipchumba (KEN) 59:29
Benard Kimeli (KEN) 59:47
Sondre Moen (NOR) 59:48
Geoffrey Koech (KEN) 59:50
Abraham Kipyatich (KEN) 1:00:03
Yohanes Ghebregergis (ERI) 1:00:16
Philimon Kipkorir Maritim (KEN) 1:00:29
Moses Kipngetich Kemei (KEN) 1:00:44
Ishmael Chelanga Kalale (KEN) 1:00:47
Ronger Kipkorir Konga (KEN) 1:01:19
Henry Rono (KEN) 1:01:40
Jiří Homoláč (CZE) 1:03:23
Oleksandr Sitkovskyy (UKR) 1:03:49
Andy Wacker (USA) 1:03:26
Igor Olefirenko (UKR) 1:03:36
Women
Fancy Chemutai (KEN) 1:04:52
Caroline Chepkoech Kipkirui (KEN) 1:05:07
Alia Mohammed Saeed Mohammed (UAE) 1:06:13
Lucy Cheruiyot (KEN) 1:07:23
Lonah Chemtai Salpeter (ISR) 1:07:55
Amy Cragg (USA) 1:08:27
Diane Nukuri (BDI) 1:09:12
Trihas Gebre (ESP) 1:09:51
Lydie Njeri Mathathi (KEN) 1:10:08
Lilia Fisikovici (MDA) 1:10:45
Alia Gray (USA) 1:12:48
Olga Skrypak (UKR) 1:13:48
Kristýna Dvořáková (CZE) 1:16:44
Radka Hanzlová (CZE) 1:17:16
Eva Filipiová (CZE) 1:19:35
