The "Get ahead of the cogwheel train!" event celebrates its 20th annyversary this spring.Continue reading
The 40th Telekom Vivicittá running festival saw a record-breaking 31,530 participants, marking the highest turnout in the event’s history.
The Budapest Sport Office (BSI) reported that the weekend event in Budapest not only broke its previous participation record – surpassing the 2019 peak of 31,293 runners – but also set new milestones in terms of international runners and female participation.
Over 3,300 runners from 106 countries came to Budapest specifically for the race, with international participants making up a quarter of the half marathon field.
The largest foreign contingents came from Germany, Slovakia, and France.
Runners from 1,177 Hungarian towns and cities also took part, with half of the Hungarian participants coming from outside the capital.
For the first time in the event’s history, women made up the majority, accounting for 51% of all runners.
Among Hungarian participants completing their first half marathon, 10 km, or 7 km race, that figure rose to 59%. For 3,600 Hungarian runners, the Vivicittá marked their first major running achievement across the half marathon (1,620), 10 km (1,120), or 7 km (1,030) distances.
Photo: MTI/Kocsis Zoltán
“It is a fantastic feeling to see that the 40th Telekom Vivicittá has become the biggest and most successful Vivicittá of all time,” said Árpád Kocsis, CEO of BSI and an active participant in both the 7 km and 10 km races.
This record number of 31,530 participants is not just a figure—it is a sign that Vivicittá, running, and recreational sports are becoming increasingly popular in Hungary.
Our goal is to inspire more people to exercise regularly, and there is no better motivation than seeing thousands of happy, smiling faces crossing the finish line. This year is especially meaningful for us, as we are celebrating the 40th Vivicittá and other major race anniversaries. This success is the fruit of decades of work, and we are proud to have built such a strong community and contributed to the growing popularity of an active, sporty lifestyle in Hungary,” he emphasized.