The Budapest Half Marathon is the biggest half marathon in Central Europe. Participating in the half marathon is essentially a running sightseeing tour of the beautiful Budapest. The course leads through the centre of the city, down the famous Andrassy Boulevard and across the Chain Bridge. Admire the view of the Buda Castle from the Danube banks and marvel in the panorama of Pest as well as Europe’s third largest Parliament building!
There are over 15,000 participants on all the distances, with more than 10,000 half marathon runners and 1,500 teams. However, no need to worry about crowding and overtaking as the start is done in waves so everyone has plenty of space to run.
In 2018, there were more than 2700 foreign runners, almost 2000 of whom run the half marathon, from 82 countries. Most runners came from Britain, Slovakia and Poland, but there were also participants from Chile, Indonesia, and Singapore, just to name a few.
Along the course, there will be refreshments every 4 to 5 kilometers and of course continuous medical supervision. Pace runners will help you hit your desired tempo. But having fun is just as important as running so we’ll maintain several musical points along the course for your entertainment.
Each year participants receive a unique, race-branded technical T-shirt and finishers are given a gorgeous medal.
Budapest is the perfect destination for a weekend city trip. Budapest is the spa capital with over 100 thermal springs beneath the city that supply the famous baths. After the run, you can rest your legs in the thermal pools of a unique 16th and 17th century Turkish baths or the neo-baroque Szechenyi bath.
Also unique to Europe are Budapest’s ruin pubs. Located in the city center, this new function saved countless old, run-down buildings from demolition. Their atmosphere is unusual, their style is retro and they revive socialist realist interior design. The perfect plate to grab a drink the night before or after the race.
And while you’re here, don’t forget to try out the best of Hungary’s cuising: a gulash, a stew, a strudel, and a pancake. If your stomach is sensitive, you may want to leave this for after the race!
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Perfect Half Marathon destination !
Budapest half marathon is the perfect destination for a running week end in Europe. Easy to reach, cheap accomodation and food options, tons of things to do in the city, … MORE
Budapest half marathon is the perfect destination for a running week end in Europe. Easy to reach, cheap accomodation and food options, tons of things to do in the city, from thermal baths to roomkerts, Budapest is a fantastic city to visit !
The half marathon is well organized, the route is fantastic, as you are basically taking a sightseeing tour in the beautiful Budapest, runiing both sides of the Danube river, crossing bridges with amazng views on Buda castle and the Parliament.
On the negative side, the expo is far from the city center, not super easy to reach and has no interest at all, very small and little entertainment.
They offer a beautiful medal each year.