Hungarian individuals achieved victories at the 18th edition of the NN Ultrabalaton, which attracted more than 25,000 participants and raised a record amount of almost HUF 23M (EUR 59K) for charity.

According to the organizers, Tibor Erős (17:35:02) was the fastest in the men’s race, and Katalin Nagy (20:20:30) was the fastest in the women’s race over the 211 kilometer distance. This was one of the country’s most popular mass sports events, with more than 25,000 runners in small or large teams starting from Balatonfüred (north shore of the Balaton) and around the lake. There was also a field of cyclists.

Spectators near Balatongyörök. Photo: MTI / Katona Tibor

The event attracted runners from nearly 30 countries.

The organizers of the NN Ultrabalaton stressed the importance of environmentally friendly organization. At the transition points, no plastic cups were used for refreshments, and rubbish was collected separately. This year, the event was linked to the Sporting Nation Program, and the Balatonfüred race center hosted the largest sports expo in the region.

For the sixth time this year, the BioTechUSA group and NN Ultrabalaton jointly ran a charity campaign, giving runners the opportunity to donate the deposit on their timing chips to charity, which the company matched with a total of HUF 15M (EUR 38K) from two different sources.

Once again, health causes, institutions, NGOs, and foundations could be nominated on the NN Ultrabalaton social media page.

Photo: MTI / Katona Tibor

Six institutions were selected, and the “winners” were decided by public vote. The amount for 2024 is HUF 22,994,180 (EUR 58.8K), and this year the Conductive Kindergarten Foundation, the Guardians Foundation, and the Géza Hetényi Hospital of Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok County will receive the funding.