40th SPAR Marathon Festival in Budapest

Hungarian runners won the main event of the 40th Spar Budapest Marathon on Sunday, the second day of the traditional running festival: Viktória Nyikos was the first to cross the finish line in the women's marathon, while Máté Vásárhelyi won the men's race.

Vásárhelyi, the national champion on the classic 42.195-meter distance, was also the best Hungarian at last year's marathon in the capital. He was more than five minutes faster than second-place finisher fellow Hungarian Bence Vitárius this time around.

Results:

Men:

1. Máté Vásárhelyi (Hungary) 2 hours, 22 minutes and 17 seconds
2. Bence Vitárius (Hungary) 2:27:37
3. Jakub Galasiewicz (Poland) 2:34:16

Women:

1. Viktória Nyikos (Hungary) 2 hours, 50 minutes and 28 seconds
2. Caoimhe Nic Fhogartaigh (Ireland) 2:53:38
3. Réka Körmendi (Hungary) 2:55:34

The festival program began on Saturday in a festive atmosphere, with tens of thousands of runners and spectators in attendance. The opening day of the anniversary sports festival focused on shorter distances, family and school runs, the equal opportunity race, and city tours.

"Today was incredibly energetic. It was the most beautiful confirmation of what we believe in: that running is truly for everyone. When you look around the Pázmány Péter promenade and the start and finish areas and see families, children, first-time runners alongside experienced athletes, it shows the true power of community sports. This atmosphere is a fitting prelude to Sunday's record-breaking marathon, which will be a historic sporting event," the managing director of Budapest Sportiroda (BSI), Árpád Kocsis, said after the first day of the event.