In 2026, the league walk will also take place on the track in Radotín and on the new circuit in Kladno!!! 

Author: Lucie Nekulová (Still managing league walking competitions)

In the summer months, farmers usually fight for grain, while in the fall, athletes fight for a place in the competition. And it's never an easy fight. This year was no different.

How is it all prepared? First, international competitions are set. The dates of the national championships are set according to them and the league adapts to them. When the dates of the track rounds are set, it is time to find a free weekend for walking races. The schedule is created by the competition department and approved by the Competition Commission. Unfortunately, walking was dropped from this list after this year's elections, when Mr. Veverka defended the leadership of the Competition Commission. The walking schedule was entrusted to the Competition Department, which manages the league competitions, last year and this year. A bureaucratic mess, as it should be in any good organization.

For 2026, the walking schedule is greatly influenced by the date of the event World Team Walking Championships in Brazil. That will be 12.4. 2026 and so the term Poděbrady and Dudince change. Dudince will be held unconventionally already 7.3.2026, i.e. 2-3 weeks earlier and the organizers themselves admit that the chance of snow is considerable. The Poděbrady plant then chose the date of May 8, 2026. And everything else depends on that.

The competition department traditionally arranges a race in Olomouc, where there is a problem with the park's occupancy and the date they find is practically unchanged. So if you take Poděbrady, Olomouc and then the rest, there is not much to look for. You take what is left with the understanding that there should be an effort to take reasonable breaks. This year, the director also came up with shortening the courses, because in the youth categories, World Athletics shortened the courses and we need to adapt to that. After all, a whole lot of young athletes start in league competitions. Moreover, last year, the top league athletes mostly praised themselves that there was a change and not just tens all the time. SK gave the green light to it.

Both traditional organizers and newcomers have signed up to host the races, and the schedule brings some surprises. So what will it look like this year?

1, Olomouc 18.4. 2026 - 1st round of the I. and II. leagues, 10 km course for both groups of men and women:

A traditional race with a traditional distance. The 10 km will allow athletes who will miss the limit for the Czech Championships to try it in Smetana Park. Throughout the schedule, there was an effort to give identical distances for all groups, which is easier organizationally and allows for competition and pushing your own limits across categories.

2, Prague - Radotín, 25.4. - 2nd round of the I. and II. leagues, 5000 m for both men and women groups:

There was a commotion over the date of this round. So much so that the SK date was returned for revision, because you can't have league rounds on consecutive weekends (the SK's position is a bit surprising, the chairman is the same and in 2023 the schedule passed him by, where 4 competitions were crammed into 30 days, including two championships...who did that back then?) And so it was changed to 1.5. 2026.. But the competition management protested there again. If we are accommodating the national team and the youth, we should also respect the interests of veteran athletes. And they will be competing in Italy at the non-stadia European Championships on this date. Fortunately, this opinion gained support Libor Dingy from the Competition Department and that

took it upon himself to return the date a week earlier. Although the league rounds will be right after each other, there is nothing else to do if Olomouc cannot be moved. And in the end it passed. We are not throwing Masters athletes overboard, after 10 km in Olomouc, only 5,000 m will be covered. Those who will not be in Italy can then enjoy the extended weekend and train towards Poděbrady. Libor, dWhoa!

The organizer is a newcomer. 3 applicants were interested in this date and it was decided to test the newcomer against the usual Nové Město - SC RadotínAnyone who has been to Pepa Smola's Hodinovce in Prague will already know the new stadium. Accessibility is excellent by car and train.

5,000m for both groups will allow young walkers to compete for places in the junior team for Poděbrady. The limit for the Junior World Championships will probably be high, but what if...? And the masters athletes will have their last hard training before the European Championships.

3, Poděbrady, 8.5. half marathon, 1st round of the extra league M/F:

This time, only a half marathon can be held in Poděbrady, and it will be run by elite walkers.

Unfortunately, we cannot use the shorter distance this time, last year was exceptional. The Poděbrady race also includes the Czech Half Marathon Walking Championship, and many league competitors will start there.

4, Kladno - 23.5., 10 km walk, 2nd round of the extra league,  3rd round of I. and II. league, 10 km course identical for both groups M/F:

Another newcomer among the organizers. There were more interested parties for this round as well, and the effort to try out new organizers gave Kladno preference over the traditional circuit in Satalice. The circuit for pedestrians found Vitek Hlavac and the race will be held in the park surrounding the Kladno athletics stadium. Competitors can look forward to a flat asphalt circuit with one 180° turn. At this point, the track is 8 m wide, so the curve will be wide enough.

The Kladno circuit looks very interesting and although I will personally miss Satalice in the league (I find the circuit there fun), Kladno will probably be better suited to quality times. The race can be used as the last chance to qualify for the Czech U20 Championship in June or the June youth inter-country race in Poland. 

5, Brno - 15.08., 5 km walk, 4th round of I. and II. league, 5 km course, a lot for both groups M/F:

There were many question marks surrounding the Brno circuit. The old circuit was ending for economic reasons, the rent in the BVV area can be defined by the words of the song "Rocket to Mars", and the people of Brno were looking for a new circuit.

The circuit will be approximately 900m long and the race will be part of the Sports Festival in Brno. Given the length of the circuit and the warm summer weather, a 5 km course was chosen. Let's see what the people of Brno, led by an active walker, will do for us. Tomas Vojtíšek surprises.

The 2026 season will be truly different and will certainly bring a whole range of great sporting experiences. Moravia won 2 league rounds, Czech Republic has 2 rounds in Prague and the surrounding area. In the extra league, both rounds are concentrated in the Prague area. Good accessibility for everyone is also important. We will see how the shortening of the routes will prove to be successful and whether the newcomers will hold up organizationally.

Now all that's left to do is to accumulate training kilometers, hone your technique, and in the case of female drivers, monitor developments in the rules. That's also necessary. For example, from November 1, 2025, it will be possible to start long distance races while walking. clamped pants. So, for example, if it's freezing in Brno 😜, if you wear tight elastics so that the work of your knees is clearly visible, it will work.

Everyone just has to prepare in their own way. I look forward to seeing you in the 2026 season.