More Than 70,000 Applications for the 2027 Prague Half Marathon Ballot
For the 27th edition of the Generali Prague Half Marathon, applications exceeded the number of available places several times over – the ballot will take place next week.
Foto: RunCzech
For the first time, places in the Prague Half Marathon are being allocated through a ballot. The high level of international demand underlines the race’s global significance.
More than 70,000 runners have applied for a place in the 2027 Generali Prague Half Marathon. The application period for the newly introduced ballot closed overnight into Wednesday, 12 August.
The Generali Prague Half Marathon is one of the world’s most prestigious road races. The event holds the Elite Label awarded by the international athletics federation World Athletics and is a founding member of the European SuperHalfs half marathon series.
Foto: RunCzech
New Ballot System Aims to Ensure Equal Opportunities
For the 27th edition of the Prague Half Marathon, which will take place on 3 April 2027, the organisers have changed the previous registration process. Whereas places were previously allocated based on the speed of registration, participants are now selected at random.
Ballot systems are already widely used for internationally popular running events and are intended to give everyone an equal chance of securing a place.
More than 70,000 applications were received during the three-week application period, which began on Tuesday, 21 July. The draw will take place next week. All applicants are expected to be informed of the result by email no later than 21 August.
Foto: RunCzech
More Than Three-Quarters of Applications From Abroad
The international popularity of the race is also reflected in the applicants’ countries of origin. Only 23 per cent of applications came from runners in the Czech Republic, while 77 per cent came from abroad.
People from a total of 161 countries applied for a place. After participants from the Czech Republic, the largest numbers of applications came from the United Kingdom and Germany. Traditional running nations such as Spain, Poland, Portugal, Italy and France were also strongly represented.
The half marathon also attracted considerable interest from outside Europe. Almost 1,300 applications came from Brazil and more than 700 from the United States.
Around 45 per cent of applicants hold a SuperHalfs passport. These are participants in the prestigious European half marathon series, which also includes the Generali Prague Half Marathon.
Foto: RunCzech
Second Chance Through Partners and Charitable Partner Organisations
Those who are not allocated a place in the ballot will still have a second chance. A proportion of race entries is reserved for the loyalty programme operated by RunCzech, the official race organiser, and for the race’s charitable partner organisations.
Unsuccessful applicants may therefore still secure a place by supporting a good cause. Detailed information about the charity programmes and their respective participation conditions will be published in September by email and on social media.
