Running Revolution: Team Battle at the Prague Marathon

AW Promotion: A unique format at the Volkswagen Prague Marathon made up of professionals and all runners

RunCzech is changing the world of marathon racing. The revolutionary Battle of the Teams project, which turns individual discipline into a team sport. Everyone can contribute to the result. Professionals and amateurs. “No runner needs to be alone from now on. The overall team result can be influenced by both a star athlete and a running enthusiast.

The dramatic battle will end when the last competitor crosses the finish line,” says Carlo Capalbo, director of RunCzech. Battle of the Teams is part of the Volkswagen Marathon Prague 2022, which will start on May 8 in Old Town Square. “The eleven thousand participants in the marathon can take part in the battle of the six teams. And everyone can contribute to the result of their team, ”said Capalbo.

Last year’s Battle of the Teams premiere was scaled back due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and this year the team competition will be open to all riders interested in competing. The organizers will first divide 36 professional athletes from around the world evenly into six teams.

In each of them, the four athletes will be noted for their performance (each team also has 2 substitutes in case someone from the team gets injured or cannot arrive), the fifth “rated competitor” will be formed by a score average of a group of registered amateurs (the capacity of the team is unlimited!).

The result is then decided by the sum of the points recalculated from the times of all the team members. Additionally, if a professional athlete achieves a personal best, they will receive an additional three percent bonus for their team.

Finally, after the forced two-year break, the Volkswagen Prague Marathon is back on May 8, 2022 🇨🇿

Nice course, great performances and your chance to get your new PB. Come where all runners are loved.

Get your registration on https://t.co/hJ7eA3wPL0. pic.twitter.com/WzuJAihFiy

— AW (@AthleticsWeekly) April 8, 2022

How do I register for Battle of the Teams? Each competitor will choose their team during the registration process or on their RunCzech profile. Whether on the basis of sympathy for specific professionals, team captains or according to a charity project that the individual team supports. Each team will race in the color of its title partner.

These are Volkswagen, Mattoni, ČEZ, adidas Runners, Generali Česká pojišťovna and Birell for this year. “Besides the riders, we want to attract new fans with this appealing team concept, and we also plan to bring more viewers into the action.

In the battle of the teams, the champions will only be decided at the very end,” explains Carlo Capalbo. So far, the organizers have confirmed the names of these five captains out of six who are not racing: Jiří Prskavec – Olympic champion in water slalom; Barbora Strýcová – tennis player; Zuzana Hejnová – track and field athlete, Barbora Votíková – football goalkeeper of the Paris St. Germain club; and Jiří Ježek – winner of Paralympic cycling, whose team Birell won last year.

The winning team will receive a cash prize of US$30,000, which will be shared equally among all professional athletes (not based on individual performance). The standard prize for professional runners is: US$12,500 for the winner; 15,000 CZK for the best Czech; US$100,000 for breaking the world record; in addition to various time-sharing bonuses.

But amateur runners will also be motivated. In Battle of the Teams, every competitor has the opportunity to join the title partners’ racing communities and enjoy all of their benefits. Some partners will offer experiences in the form of complementary family entries to the water park or various cultural events, there are also prizes in the form of the latest running shoes or drink supply for the whole year, and also joint sports activities with the team captains.

You can register for the Volkswagen Prague Marathon here.