The idea of the Ultra-Trail Hungary cross-country races was born in 2013, and in the summer of 2019, it was held for the fifth time. At that time, the field numbered over a thousand runners and was chosen as a qualifying race by the organizers of the Western States 100!
Runners can choose from five distances – the 83.4 km Szentlászló Trail, with a difference in elevation of 3034 m, has been on the program since 2018. Our colleague Octavian Filip has already proven himself in several similar races, and this time he has set out to complete this distance within the 17-hour level time limit (Spoiler alert: he has succeeded!)
The start time itself is scary: the field set off at 2 am! Fortunately, Octavian was already being cheered on by a small IPR support team.
And the 17-hour level time meant that the runners had to cover 83.4 km and a difference of 3034 m in altitude by 7 pm at the latest. In addition, there are several checkpoints along the route to record whether runners are keeping to the level time. Personal assistance is only available at the refreshment points. Runners may not be accompanied by anyone outside the race.
Octavian crossed the finish line in a great 13 hours 32 minutes, where he was also welcomed by a congratulatory team:
