Thousands of runners are returning to Prague. But some will not come, they are afraid of war, says the head of the half marathon
In the interview, Capalbo also talks about how the pandemic turned people, how some runners from abroad are afraid to come to Prague, and how the war in Ukraine disrupted the long-prepared campaign dedicated to Emil Zátopek, in which the “forbidden” font “Z” plays a major role. .
There are only tens of hours left until the start of the Prague Half Marathon. Do you feel nervous?
Rather a responsibility. In the last two years, we have not been able to see more than 10 people together, except for the covid, now there will be 11,000 of them at the start. This is the first sporting event of this format without restrictions, and even in Central Europe we start earlier than others. Sportisimo 1/2 Marathon Prague and the Prague Marathon are one of the most important and most watched running events in the world. At the same time, I feel responsible for supporting the people of Ukraine. We want to send them support and show that whoever runs is not at war. We want to remind the importance of peace, even for people to think about basic values again. It’s not “just” another half marathon.
After a two-year break, these are strong “accompanying” topics, aren’t they?
Yes. We used to “just” organize the race. Last year we organized a covid race for elite runners, which was a double shift. And now crowds of recreational runners have joined in. I’m afraid we’ll make some mistakes because we used to tread like a Swiss watch. But now we are returning after a two-year break and part of the team is new. That’s why I’m more careful. On the other hand, I have never had such a strong and determined feeling in me as I did this year. And if in 2022 we manage to run all the planned races from our calendar (RunCzech also organizes, for example, a half marathon in Olomouc, Ústí nad Labem or České Budějovice)so I’ll have an extra drink at Christmas and as an Italian believer I’ll say: God, thank you very much!
Are you afraid that force majeure will thwart plans again?
It will be a miracle when everything clicks. People changed during the pandemic. We used to be able to predict their behavior and be able to adapt their marketing campaign, now not. Go step by step and plan a maximum of three months in advance. And you have no idea how people will react. She in general is the human soul an understandable thing I know.
Especially last autumn, where a number of races moved, I heard from the organizers of smaller competitions that people did not return to them. You’re already an established brand, which is an advantage, right?
People were afraid of covid. And now I’m afraid to travel again. For the marathon we had 50 percent starting from abroad, for the half marathon it was 38 percent. Now 32 percent are on paper, but are they coming? To put it bluntly: in Western Europe, they have little idea of the real map of the world. For example, from Venice it is not far to the Ukrainian border than from Prague. Even so, acquaintances from Italy called me and asked: Carlo, how do you live there now that there is a war? I say: Like you. Some do not want to come because they are afraid.
In a way, the war has affected you too. You have planned a campaign to support the phenomenon of running and to commemorate 100 years since the birth of Emil Zátopek and 70 years since his triumphs at the Helsinki Olympics. You launched it, but it was dominated by the capital “Z” and had to be reduced after a few days.
We worked on it for almost a year. We can’t even add a backpack to runners because it has a big “Z” on it. For me, “Z” is a symbol of Zorro or 40 percent of the word pizza. It’s just a letter that’s not even in the Russian alphabet. But it has become a modern swastika, and should be reminiscent of a phenomenal athlete, so we do not want it to be associated with aggression and evoke unpleasant emotions.
It probably can’t be determined now, because many people bought the entry fee in 2020 and moved it. But do you think that the Czechs will save and not report so much to the races?
I know the Czechs and they are quite conservative, no lunatics. A few of them will definitely think about dispensing first. But when we compare it with other sports, such as hockey, tennis, running is cheap. This is one of the reasons why there is always a growing interest in financial crises. In addition, there is enormous freedom. You don’t need to book anything, to have partners. And when the head doesn’t work, it’s best to go jogging. But like I said, people have changed. So we are waiting for their reactions.
On the other hand, as an enthusiastic runner, I often wondered why someone is reporting for a fairly high money for the Prague Half Marathon, when his final time is around 2:40 and below, and he alternates between walking and running. That I will simply pay for an expensive walk around Prague. Do you have an explanation for that?
Let’s not judge people what and why they should do. We can’t see them in the head. Some of them may have had a negative impact on the pandemic, they felt lonely, so they are now happy to attend the event with thousands of others. It motivates them to get up from the couch and want to enjoy a running “party”. Often, experience inspires them to add in training and do better next time. 45 percent of people repeat the marathon, a quarter of a half marathon. And running a marathon is also a good thing for a resume. I spoke with many HR managers, for whom the completed marathon is a demonstration of the employee’s potential. That it is performance-oriented does not give up easily.
How difficult have the last two years been for your company?
We’ve never done crazy marketing things, we’re more conservative. That’s why we had saved money from previous profits that we used. We did not have to ask the banks for help, we paid all our obligations and we have the resources to organize a half marathon in the best possible quality. The only difference is that the reserve used to be relatively high, now not. But I always count on good and bad times in business and life. But the problem now for many companies may be a lack of energy. Find yourself to continue. Fortunately, I have people like that next to me.
Did you receive compensation for canceled races?
Yes, but they covered about 30 percent of the cost. The problem is that we are not a hotel or restaurant. There, when the restrictions ended, they could open the door the next day and customers would come again. With us, when we open the door, it takes another six months to get everything ready.
You are described as a man who taught the Czechs to love running. Applies to?
I don’t know if I did it, but I’m trying. And the company accepted. I know a lot of stories that took 35, they were not happy with their lifestyle and people decided to do something. They started running to improve. And that’s the most positive thing about my endeavor.
And is the Czechs still interested in running?
I honestly don’t know. I think life cycles change and repeat over the generations. So now we need to reach a new community of people that needs to be addressed with a different message than the previous one. To give an example – it used to be crucial to have a half marathon live on TV. People saw sponsors to look at him. But today, young people can watch something for one minute. So we need to communicate differently, add something different, new to them.
Last year we organized the Battle of the Teams – a duel of teams, which was a revolution in the marathon. We did it only for the elite, but this year we will involve thousands of hobbies in it. We will turn a purely individual sport into a community to a team sport. When you decide to run a marathon, there is a personal challenge behind it. You have lost a close friend, you want to be in shape. There will be another reason now. Your performance will affect the performance and result of the elite world record holders. So far, when you reached the finish line as an amateur, for example at 3:30, you were full of enthusiasm. And I told you: Today a world record was set here. But you didn’t care because you went your own race. But now we will put the top of the starting field and the tail in one group that will win together. Everyone will try to do their best on the track, because they will be part of teams like Eva Vrabcová Nývltová or Kenyan representatives.
It sounds interesting. How will you be when the tones of the Vltava resound on Saturday and a crowd of runners sets off on the track?
They’ll probably start thinking about the next race. But the Vltava is a symbol. He plays in all our races, whether we organize them in Japan, Italy or Olomouc. It is our brand, part of the Czech identity.
I have to admit, I heard it at the start and you have goosebumps.
I agree. I was in Naples in February, where we are holding a half marathon, and I saw a Czech woman crying at the start at the Vltava. And she shouted at me: It’s like home here! And I cried with her. These are the incredible times when sports give you so much. And it also charges me with energy and confidence.