Zalaegerszeg (Hungary), Friday 31 December 2010
The Mountain Man Marathon takes place on the hills around the industrial town of Zalaegerszeg in western Hungary. Held on New Year's Eve, it's more of a fun run than a serious race.
There are no entry fees but several feed stations along the route and at the finish. Small prizes await the best finishers, and after the event runners get free entry to the public swimming pool.
The route is open to traffic and not marshalled, however, and it may be wise to run with local runners or take a map with you as in some places it's not easy to see the course markers.
Entrants choose between various distances (41.5km, 25km, 11km and 3.5km), all starting at a college in the south-western part of Zalaegerszeg, around 1.5 kilometres from the town centre.
The route is a scenic loop that goes up and down several hills, through woods, vineyards, parks, residential and industrial areas — mostly on asphalt roads, partly on trails. The finish is inside the sports hall of the college.
In 2009, around 200 runners took part in the event. The MMM winners were Roland Lakatos (2:54:20) and Veronika Görög (3:31:04).
Race report and photos: 15. Egerszegi Mountain Man Marathon 2009
Country: Hungary
Venue (Map): Zalaegerszeg (Maribor 130km, Zagreb 184km, Vienna 189km, Budapest 228km)
Date: 31 December 2010 (Friday)
Race distance: 41.5km; 25km; 11km; 3.5km
Start time: 9.00
Start and finish: Deák Ferenc Szakközépiskola (College), Göcseji út 16 (Göcsej Road 16)
Route: course map, elevation profile
Entries: by post, phone or e-mail; late entries on the day until 9.00
Entry fees: no entry fees; donations are welcome
Race centre: at the start
You get: sandwiches, snacks, drinks, mulled wine and champagne; free entry to the public swimming pool and sauna after the race
Prizes: "surprise"
Showers and changing facilities: at the finish
Award ceremony: 1.30pm
Number of finishers 2009: 28 (41.5km), 28 (24km), 113 (12km), 24 (3.5km)
Event details and entry form (in English): Egerszeg MMM (.doc)
No guarantee is made as to the accuracy or thoroughness of the information on this page.
