Trip Report
Czech Republic
5/21 – 5/2/24/99
Prague Marathon
Prague, Czech RepublicSun, May 23/99
Marathon # 133 – Country # 11
Then we walked
across the Charles Bridge. The Charles
Bridge (Karlův most), named after the Emperor Charles IV in
19th century is Prague's most familiar monument. Designed by Petr Parler, it
was completed in 1400 and it connects the Lesser Town with the Old Town.
Although it is now pedestrianized, it withstood wheeled traffic for 600 years.
There are thirty statues on the bridge, many of them have been replaced with
copies. Originals are kept in the Lapidarian of the National Museum and at
Vyšehrad. The magnificent Gothic Old Town Bridge Tower was designed by Petr
Parler and built at the end of the 14th century. It is considered the finest
Gothic tower in central Europe, mainly for its decoration. There are marvelous
views of the Vltava River Valley, the Žofín, Střelecký Island, the Old Town and
the Lesser Town.
The castle has three courtyards and it has always been the seat of Czech rulers as well as the official residence.
And of course there always has to be a
church. St Vitrus Cathedral might appear ancient, but much of Prague's principal cathedral was
completed just in time for its belated consecration in 1929. Its many treasures
include the 14th-century mosaic of the Last Judgement above the Golden Gate,
the baroque silver tomb of St John of Nepomuck, the ornate Chapel of St
Wenceslas, and art nouveau stained glass by Alfons Mucha.
We concluded the tour back in Old Town Square (Starometske namesti) for dinner and drinks. Hotels in Prague were expensive but meals and beer were cheap!
We concluded the tour back in Old Town Square (Starometske namesti) for dinner and drinks. Hotels in Prague were expensive but meals and beer were cheap!
Sun was ‘M’ –day! I wasn’t sure what to expect from my
old ‘rested’ body? My longest training run had been 18 miles and I had no
confidence that I was in marathon shape. The course started and finished in Old
Town Square and crossed the Vltava River many times. Shortly after the start we passed many of the city’s
tourist sites. We ran along the Vltava River beneath the seemingly never-ending
hilltop castle, and crossed over the historic Charles Bridge, dotted every few
meters with its parade of haunting Baroque statues. In the race’s first two
miles alone, we crossed the Vltava River no fewer than three times, over three
bridges, each one presenting an expansive view of the city that stands
physically and historically in the center of Europe.
I wisely started slow and was happy when I reached 10Km in 55:58 and a
split of 5:25.Around the eight-mile mark we ran through the city center, getting lost in the knotty turns of the Old Town’s narrow cobblestone streets lined with tightly packed Gothic houses that date to medieval times. Along Na Prikope Street we passed Wenceslas Square, the walkway and boulevard that is the site of almost every important moment of Czech modern history, including the country’s declaration of independence in 1918, the Nazi invasion in 1939 and the popular demonstrations of the Velvet Revolution in 1989. I passed 15 Km in 1:22:34 and a split of 5:21/Km and the half in 1:54:43 and a split of 5:23. That was really slow and I felt good so I decided to lower the pace for the 2nd Half.
I passed the National Theatre near 32Km and reached 35 Km in 3:07:19 and a
split of 5:03 and pushed the pace lower again to cross the finish line in the
Old Town Square in 3:43:31. My finish time wasn’t great but I was happy. I did
not experience any problems and I ran a negative split in the 2nd
Half by seven minutes. Maddog was back! I had completed marathon #133 and
country # 11. It was my first marathon and country since moving to England. I
knew it would not be my last!
After a hot shower Nicole and I wandered around Old Town Square enjoying
the sights and a few beers before we treated ourselves to a fantastic dinner
with a bottle of wine for less than $50!
When we returned home to England I sent an email to my family and friends
to tell them about the marathon and our wonderful trip to Prague. And a great
idea stuck me? If I was going to travel and run marathons around Europe I
should write race/trip reports after each race so that I could keep my family
and friends informed. Yes – that was a good idea! I would start after the next
marathon!
That was one of the best decisions I ever made. Without those trip reports
that recorded my thoughts, observations and race statistics there is no way I
could possibly contemplate writing a book about Maddog’s marathon adventures! (Believe me - it was not easy going back and writing this report 16 years later. But it was needed for the book!)