I was coming off an extremely busy month where I barely found time to run. Two months ago, I had decided to focus more on speed and get back to that aspect of training. Things went well for a while, but then work overwhelmed me, and I simply ran out of time. There were weeks when I didn’t run at all during the weekdays and tried to make up for it over the weekend with one or two longer runs.
I had planned this marathon to be split into two parts. Half with Carmen and Bogdan, then taking off on my own 😁. But given the last few weeks and how tired I was, I had no idea what I could manage. I didn’t make any plans for the second part, leaving it in the hands of the Old Man 😊.
I arrived at the starting line just three minutes before the race began. There wasn’t much time for socializing—I took a few photos and then started running. The first part was a "gossip run," with pictures, jokes, and as much fun as possible. The atmosphere was great, though not as lively as in spring or the previous year. The weather, on the other hand, was perfect. I think it was the coolest Bucharest Marathon in the last 10 years that I’ve participated in. I couldn’t help but regret not being prepared to go for a personal best—it would have been the perfect conditions. But as you know, you can’t have it all in life. I’ve achieved a lot this year. I’ll leave some things for the rest of my life 😋.
Since I had no plan for the second half, I decided with Bogdan that, after Carmen finished her half-marathon (21 km), we’d pick up the pace together and see how far we could push. I ran alongside her to the finish line on the marathon corridor, which passed right by the finish. Bogdan went ahead slowly, while I lingered for a bit. We celebrated another half-marathon completed, took some more pictures, and I met Cornel, a super runner who had clocked a 2:39 if I’m not mistaken. Then, I set off again.
Another 21 km to go 🤭. Bogdan was quite far ahead, so I picked up the pace to catch up with him. Unfortunately—or fortunately—by the time I caught up, my pace had reached around 4:45–4:50 min/km. When I finally reached him, I warmly greeted him and wished him good luck in the race. I was feeling an incredible desire to run and sensed I could have a great second half.
And so began an incredibly steady run. I quickly realized that 4:45 min/km was my sweet spot. It wasn’t too easy, but it wasn’t hard either. I was well-prepared with gels, a backup flask of isotonic drink, salt tablets, and magnesium. The only thing missing was stuffed cabbage rolls 😂.
Honestly, it had been a while since I pushed myself in a long race, and it felt great. The only issue was constantly overtaking people, which made me feel like a bit of a show-off. I had this sense that others might think, "Who’s this guy now?" If I saw someone like me, I’d probably think, "He either had a flat tire earlier or is trying to show off." 😂 On the other hand, it was a lot of fun. I crossed paths with many friends from the running community, seeing them on turns and then overtaking them later.
I planned to take a gel every 20 minutes under these conditions, which meant about one gel every 4 km. It was fascinating to feel how quickly the kilometers and time flew by when running at a faster pace 😁. The feeling throughout this intense run was fantastic. Whenever I felt things getting too hard, I’d look at my watch, see something like 4:35–4:30–4:25, and hit the brakes, adjusting the speed back to 4:45.
I breezed through the hydration points. I felt like Patrick Lange in an Ironman—grabbing whatever I could, water or isotonic drink, spilling some on myself, and managing to drink the rest. No issues there. I even managed to grab six cups at one point 😂.
Around kilometer 38, I finally caught up with Oana. She was pacing for a 4:30 finish time and had a massive group with her. I filmed her for a bit and threw in some jokes like, "What’s up, doll? Wanna grab a drink?" Then I planned to move on. But that’s not how it went. I slowed down, she sped up to catch me, and then I heard our traditional song begin—O-Zone’s "De ce plâng chitarele." We had a good sing-along, said our goodbyes, and I continued my race.
At kilometer 39, I called Carmen to let her know I’d be there soon and that I was doing great—I was flying. From there, I picked up the pace even more. It might not show on the pace graph, but I’m sure there were a few pseudo-climbs, a bit of headwind, but overall, I still accelerated a few seconds per kilometer. On the last kilometer, I sprinted like crazy. Totally unnecessary, but enough to reach the finish line exhausted and needing two minutes to collect myself 😂.
Today, I proudly wore a green shirt—since Oana had been telling me to add some color and not always wear black. It was the shirt I got this year at Ultrabalaton, with an emotional message… if you understand it: "yoUB never run alone." This shirt isn’t just a piece of clothing; it’s a symbol of every step I’ve taken, all the challenges and achievements I’ve had. Just like "You’ll Never Walk Alone" speaks of hope, courage, and solidarity in the face of hardships, this shirt reminds me of how much I wanted to finish that race and how, in every kilometer at Ultrabalaton, I carried the strength of three years of struggles and the unseen support of fellow runners, family, and friends who were always there for me. In the end, the truth is, we never run alone…
My final time was around 4:19. Excluding the mid-race stop for photos and chatting, I think I managed about 1:40 for the second half-marathon.
I was glad to see so many friends, including Bogdan Cioltea, a Paralympic athlete, a hero who this year managed to cover 107 km in his wheelchair at Balaton. Incredible. We chatted a bit, but no worries—we’ll catch up more over the phone 😊.
I took the classic finish line photos with the Palace of Parliament in the background and fellow running friends. It was a great race, well-organized, with lots of supporters, drums, and trumpets. But last year’s atmosphere felt even better. Maybe I just ran too fast on the second half to notice everything this time 🤣.
The funny part was the finish line sprint, where I clocked a 4:20 pace. I felt like Eliud Kipchoge—my posture seemed perfect, like a dance between ground and air. You’d think I was floating above the stage, ready to soar… But when Carmen showed me the video and I expected to see a running god, the reality was hilariously disappointing. I looked like some clumsy runner who had no idea what he was doing. With all the gear around my waist, I even looked bulkier—a rolling barrel heading to the finish line. And the speed? Not impressive at all. Disappointing! 😂
I ran wearing some aviator-motorcyclist-vintage sunglasses I got from Temu. Bogdan joked they were mountain-ready or made for mountain hiking—I’m not sure anymore. Either way, I experienced what it’s like to be a horse wearing blinders. It was funny how those glasses restricted my peripheral vision, making me focus intensely on what was happening around me, especially during the crowded first part of the race 🤭. It was fun running with them, especially since the first part was more for laughs. On the second part, with fewer runners on the course, I didn’t need to see anything but the road ahead 😂.