Budapest saw a new participation record at the 41st Wizz Air Budapest Half Marathon on Sunday, with more than 24,000 entries.
More than 24,000 people registered for the event, surpassing last year’s previous record. The field included runners from 117 countries, while Hungarian participants arrived from around 1,200 towns and villages across the country.
The scale of the event was clear from the very beginning. Competitors set off from Pázmány Péter Promenade, but with such a large field, the staggered starting process itself lasted almost 50 minutes.
Alongside the traditional 21.1-kilometre half marathon, runners could also take part in a 10-kilometre race, giving the event a broader mass-participation character.
Hungarian champions defend their titles
The event also hosted the Hungarian Half Marathon Championships, where both defending champions retained their titles.
- In the men’s race, Gábor Karsai successfully defended his national title in 1:04:19. Máté Dávid Vásárhelyi finished second in 1:07:27, while Ákos Molnár took third in 1:07:31.
- Lili Anna Vindics-Tóth was even more dominant in the women’s event, retaining her title with a major personal best of 1:09:21. Viktória Niesz finished second in 1:18:46, with Nóra Nagy third in 1:19:36.
Both the half-marathon and 10-kilometre races reached their maximum entry limits before race day. The starting straight alone stretched for around 600 metres, helping organisers manage what they described as the largest half-marathon start ever staged in Hungary.
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Foreign running tourism surges in Budapest
One of the clearest trends behind this year’s record is the rapid growth of international running tourism. According to the Budapest Sport Office, 8,449 entries came from abroad, including 7,330 foreign runners in the half marathon itself.
Organisers say international participation has increased by around 300% compared with the pre-Covid period, turning the Budapest Half Marathon into an increasingly important event on the European autumn running calendar.
The growth is particularly striking compared with last year. In 2025, just over 6,300 international runners entered the race, and organisers estimated that foreign participants generated around 40,000 guest nights in Budapest. This year’s overseas field is substantially larger again, although no comparable tourism figure has yet been published for 2026.
Two tonnes of medals for a sold-out race
The scale of the event could also be seen in the preparations. Organisers had to produce around two tonnes of finisher medals for the 2026 race. Their design features the outline of Budapest and the River Danube, while the course itself takes runners through several of the capital’s World Heritage areas.
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