Ethiopia's Berehanu Tsegu produced the standout performance of the 31st Vodafone Prague Marathon on 3 May, winning the men's elite race in 2:05:51 to lead a closely contested European spring lineup. Kenya's Felix Kipkoech took second in 2:07:45, with Ethiopian Andualem Belay rounding out the podium in 2:07:59.
The men's race developed as a steady-paced front group affair through halfway before Berehanu broke clear in the second half of the course. His 2:05:51 winning time was inside the leading European bib targets and reaffirmed Prague's status as one of the fastest spring marathons outside the Abbott World Marathon Majors.
In the women's race, Kenyan debutante Millicent Jelimo delivered a remarkable maiden marathon to win in 2:24:19. Compatriots Janet Ruguru (2:26:41) and Angela Tanui (2:27:45) completed an all-Kenyan podium sweep, the third in the race's recent history.
Jelimo's mark places her among the fastest women's marathon debutants of 2026. RunCzech organisers said the race had once again drawn one of the deepest international fields outside the majors, with sub-2:08 times now an annual feature on the Prague streets.
The result will have ripple effects through the autumn marathon season as agents and team managers re-rank their athletes for Berlin, Chicago and New York. Berehanu and Jelimo are expected to feature in announcements over the coming weeks as the dsm-firmenich, NN and Adidas-affiliated programmes finalise their second-half rosters.