You know the bit about trusting the timing of your life? How about the part that says, “You are where you are supposed to be?” Well, on September 29, 2018 I posted to my Instagram captioning the subject as I sat on a river bank in Amsterdam. As the days to follow would prove, synchronicity must have been guiding my thoughts and actions. See, I had attempted to sign up for the Dublin Marathon earlier that year, but it was sold out, so I googled marathons in Europe and from the list, I chose the Budapest Marathon. I don’t recall exactly what the allure to Budapest was 🤔 . I had never been to a Hungary 🇭🇺. I liked the sound of Budapest. The timing was right. Anyhow, I signed up and it was the best decision. This was to be my first marathon outside of the U.S and Budapest was exactly where I was supposed to be. Here is my review of the SPAR 33 Budapest Marathon.

The Budapest Marathon is the main event of a two-day running festival. Everyone interested in running can find an event that matches their skill or interest. On the Saturday there were short distance races the begin with 500 meters. On the marathon Sunday, individuals could opt to do the full marathon, run in a 30km event, or in a marathon relay teams of 2 or 4.

Registration: For the SPAR 33 Marathon there were over 27,000 participants on all the distances, with more than 6,000 marathon runners and 1,300 relay teams. Of these, there were more than 5400 foreign runners, including 2800 for the marathon, from 84 countries. Yours truly was out there representing for Jamaica 🇯🇲 as usual.

There are no pre-qualifying time requirements or lottery for entry so signing up was hassle free through there online portal. However, as this race continues to grow in popularity, I am sure race organizers will revisit their strategy at some point.  

The Entry Fee includes:

·         Bib number

·         Technical t-shirt

·         Marathon draw string bag

·         Sponge (carry it with you on the day!)

·         Finisher’s medal

·         Warm up with professional fitness trainers

·         Refreshment stations along the course

·         Personal refreshment distribution

·         Pace makers

·         Changing and cloak rooms

·         First aid on the course

·         Marathon expo

·         Family day at the start area with day long programs

·         The Barilla Pasta Party on Saturday

Expo: There was no expo in the traditional sense of what marathon expos look like in the US. There was a race center for registration and bib pick-up from the Thursday before the race. There were vendors on site as well, maybe two hmm emoji.

The real festivities kicked off on Saturday with the pasta party and the short distance running events. The energy of the Saturday event was enough to sacrifice whole traditional expo feel in my opinion.

Recommendation:

1.    There was little in the way of vendors. It would be nice if there were more vendors. This would be useful for individuals who may have traveled to Budapest without essentials that they need.

Bag Drop: Bag drop was opened two hours before the start of the race. This gave runners plenty of time to drop their bags and get their stretching, warming and hydration routines completed before the race. The bag drop tents were strategically placed by the start/finish line and the tents were assigned based on bib numbers. Real easy and real convenient.

The Race: The race kicked off at 9:00am which is a little late for what I am accustomed to.

Race Corralling: Like most marathons, the corrals were well supervised and managed. We were corralled based on your anticipated finishing time and runners were cooperative in getting into the right spot.

The Course: The marathon course is essentially a running sightseeing tour of the beautiful Budapest. The event starts in Pazmany Peter setany, in front of the Eotvos Lorand University. The course runs through the heart of Budapest, crosses several bridges and passes the most well-known city sites. The course leads through the center of the city, down the famous Andrassy Boulevard (a UNESCO World Heritage site), the art-nouveau style Gresham Hotel and the Chain Bridge. We got to admire the view of the Buda Castle (also part of UNESCO World Heritage) from the Danube banks and marvel in the panorama of Pest as well as Europe’s third largest Parliament building. Picturesque city streets branch out from the start line at Heroes' Square where a bevy of statues look down on marathon runners. I was in awe most of the race 😍. My favorite was going through Margitsziget. It was so picturesque I paused and took pictures (which of course my pics did it no justice),

Note: The course in Budapest is undoubtedly fast, but there were a lot of out and back sections and swinging around at a traffic cone does disrupt your rhythm. It is a nice course though.

Aid stations were situated every 3 to 4 kilometers along the course continuous medical supervision. As well as water, there were iso-drinks, bananas and glucose.

Recommendations:

1.    The course is flat and manageable but offered no relief from the hot sun. Starting the race earlier we help to relief the stress and discomfort from the heat.

Miscellaneous

The hospitality provided at the Spar Budapest Marathon is the best I have seen yet. Race organizers provided changing rooms, cloakrooms for bag drop and storage. Bags were actually hung on racks versus placed on the floor like I have seen at some races. Portable toilets were available as well as portable urinals to ease some of the traffic from the toilets. Shower containers were provided so that 30km and marathons runners could shower after the race. Massage stations were also available for 30km and marathon runners. The massage is free, and the duration is about 10 minutes.

Medical assistance was readily available near the start/finish areas. They were also strategically placed at the relay exchange stations. Additionally, there were medics on bicycles and motor bikes along the way. I was particularly pleased to have members of the medical team come over to check on me after the race.

Unlike most of the marathons elsewhere, the time limit for completing the Spar Budapest Marathon was 5hrs and 30 minutes versus 6 hours. Adidas Pacers runners were present to help runners hit their desired tempo. The pacers were provided at 15-minute intervals for goals staring at 3hours 30mintues up to 5 hours and 30 minutes.  The race was followed by a bus which runners could catch if they suffered an injury or are forced to give up. The closed roads were reopened after the 5hrs and 30 minutes time limit elapsed, for this reason, those who are caught up by the closing bus must get up on it. Runners who give up or suffer an injury are transported back to the race center by the bus. They must return their chip on the bus should this be the case. It is forbidden to keep on running once the bus passes you because roads will be opened to traffic after the time limit.

The pre and post race festivities were also well thought through and exciting for me as a runner and for the spectators, family members and well wishers present.

Recommendations:

1.    Include faster pacers. Pacing should at least begin at 3hr mark and pull back from the slower end.

Additionally:

• You can provide your own refreshments for the aid stations.

• There were several musical points along the course which provided entertainment and much needed encouragement.

• If you are running your first marathon you could opt to bib with “first marathon” written on it.

Budapest is the perfect destination for a running trip. I recommend it wholeheartedly. As the spa capital, there are well over 100 thermal springs beneath the city that supply the famous baths. After the run, your recovery plan can include resting in the thermal pools of a unique 16th and 17th century Turkish baths or the neo-baroque Szechenyi bath.