Zajíc runs 2:13:17 marathon debut, fastest Czech time in 22 years

The 26-year-old Czech runner Zajíc made his marathon debut in Frankfurt am Main and finished tenth in 2:13:17. It is the fastest time by a Czech athlete in the past 22 years and the fourth-best result in the country's history.

A record he was not thinking about

Only Karel David, the current national record holder (2:11:57), Pavel Klimeš and Robert Štefko have run faster among Czechs. Štefko set the last such time in 2004 and now coaches Zajíc himself. According to the runner, Štefko admitted after the finish that he was left breathless: nothing in the first half of the race suggested such a time. Zajíc passed the 21-kilometer mark in 1:07:22 and ran the second half almost a minute and a half faster. The winner was Ethiopia's Dinke in 2:05:26, followed by Germany's Petros (2:05:46) and Kenya's Biwott (2:06:23) in third.

In the Czech season rankings, Zajíc overtook Jan Havlena, who ran 2:15:19 in Chicago. Patrik Vebr can still change the standings: he is scheduled to race in Valencia in December.

The runner himself said he feels “wrecked”, with sore thighs and Achilles tendons, but is happy with the result. In training before the race he ran a kilometer ten times in 2:49 with a one-minute rest, so he expected a good outcome, although he had abandoned plans for a specific time. A week before the start he missed three days of training because of inflamed Achilles tendons.

Rain, wind and a lost bottle

Conditions were tough: heavy rain fell for a long time and the wind blew, making the course slippery. Zajíc ran the first 15 kilometers alone, then caught a group, but it slowed down and he moved ahead again. He did not look at his watch and ran by feel. Fatigue and heavy legs set in at the 36th kilometer.

There was also an oddity: at the 10th kilometer his nutrition bottle was not in its place. He spotted it lying about five meters behind the table and went back for it. At the 41st kilometer he did glance at his watch. He wanted to sprint the last 300 meters, but had no strength left and simply slapped hands with the fans.

What comes next

Zajíc does not plan to switch fully to the marathon yet: he wants to keep racing on the track, possibly over 5,000 meters. By his own account, his next marathon will come in about a year, in the fall. He calls the Olympics a realistic goal; the only question is whether it will be the 2028 or 2032 Games. He already has five national titles on the track, and he opened the year with a Czech record over ten kilometers.

Around Prague, based on reporting by sport.cz