On Tuesday, September 12, the Olga Havlova Foundation Goodwill Run charity race took place for the fifth time in the Hvězda nature reserve in Prague 6. More than 500 male and female runners took part in it, thanks to which they managed to collect a record 658,800 crowns to help families in need.
A popular race for the general running public, it was held on 10 km, 5 km tracks for women and 4 x 2.5 km for relays, corporate relays and, for the first time, embassy relays. Juniors and children from the youngest to fifteen years old also had their races, who ran in five age categories of different lengths.
The participants of the event could have refreshments at the many stands of non-profit organizations and try the javelin throw with Olympian Irena Gillarová. The sports afternoon was enriched by the Spejbla and Hurvínek Theater and the construction of a jubilee mosaic of a tree made of LEGO® bricks. The smallest children could assemble from LEGO® DUPLO® bricks. There was also a LEGO® photo corner. Olga Havlová’s late 90th birthday was commemorated by the outdoor exhibition “Olga Havlová – First Lady of the Republic – Queen of Children”. A Song for Olga by the singer and composer Aneta Langerová was also performed, which during the 2023 anniversary year is sung by local singers and choirs at meetings at Olga Havel’s Trees throughout the Czech Republic.
Czech TV commentator Stanislav Bartůšek and gym teacher Jiří Doležal accompanied the sports afternoon. The patronage of the event was taken over by ultramarathoner Miloš Škorpil, javelin thrower Irena Gillarová and also fresh Wimbledon winner Markéta Vondroušová. The main race for adults was started by the director of the foundation, Monika Granja, and Jakub Stárek, the mayor of the Prague 6 municipality, who financially supported the race. Thanks also go to the ČEZ Foundation for financial support.
All proceeds from the entry fee will be donated by the Goodwill Committee – the Olga Havel Foundation to help families in need, i.e. families who have lost a roof over their heads, single-parent families or families with disabled children. Financial assistance will provide families at risk of losing their housing with temporary accommodation in replacement, asylum or crisis houses, where social workers help solve the living situation. A financial donation will also be received, for example, by a mother who is raising two small boys by herself, for the purchase of a medical pram for the younger Adamek. A three-year-old boy suffers from cerebral palsy with partial paralysis of the limbs on the right side of the body. The mother herself is struggling with a medical handicap.
Media partners: Czech Radio, Radio 1
Partners: MCAE, Bona Foundation, Sportega, Dino, Mizuno, Copy General, Volvo, Minet Elektro, Lidl, Salet, Pražské vodovody a kanalizace, Ochranný svaz authorský