Amy Cragg to Face Strong Field at Prague Half Marathon

By Adam Kopet

Amy Cragg is set to race April 6 at the Prague Half Marathon, according to a race press release.

Since missing the Chicago Marathon last fall, Cragg has slowly been building up her racing distance. She began with a third-place finish at the USATF 5 km Championships in November. She followed that with a fifth-place finish over 10K at the USATF Cross Country Championships and a big win at the Road to Gold 8-mile race in Atlanta this year.

The Prague Half Marathon is known for its speed, something Cragg has looked for in past races. She finished third at the 2018 Tokyo Marathon with a personal-best 2:21:42.

However, she will face a strong field in Prague, including the second-fastest woman in the half marathon ever, Fancy Chemutai of Kenya, who has run 1:04:52, just one second off the world record. In all, four women in the field have run 1:06 or better in their careers.

Cragg enters the race with a 1:08:27 best, good for sixth in the field. She will be joined by Alia Gray, who finished ninth in Saturday's USATF 15 km Championships.

The men's race features nine men who have broken the hour mark in their careers, led by Stephen Kiprop of Kenya who won the RAK Half Marathon in 58:42 last month. He will be joined by compatriot and fellow sub-59:00-man Jorum Okombo who ran 58:48 at the 2017 Copenhagen Half Marathon.

Sondre Moen of Norway, owning his own personal best inside an hour, is also in the field.