ONESPIRE 2023 team at the Ultrabalaton race

Our report about the event with photos

The XVII. NN Ultrabalaton, the longest and most popular running race in Central Europe was held between May 5-7, 2023, where our company was represented by the ONESPIRE 2023 team.

Participants could complete the 211 kilometers long distance individually, in relays, by running or by bicycle. According to the announcement of the organizers, 22 thousand people put on running shoes during the weekend in all categories – individual, double, small, and large team relays, which is largest number in the history of the event. The running race around the lake was not only a real sports adventure, but also a social experience, that brought together running enthusiasts and their supporters for a weekend with a great atmosphere.

The center of the competition was in Balatonfüred, from where the individual ultrarunners started on Friday morning, having 31 hours to finish the race. The larger teams – including our relay team – started on Saturday, at which time there were “only” 27 hours available to reach the finish line. The course of the race headed west, and runners were directed to the safe bicycle path on the north shore. Supporters and fans awaited the competitors at the relay and refreshment points day and night. Music, drumming, and encouraging shouts ensured a good atmosphere.

The runners and bikers covered more than 400,000 kilometers in the race, which is more than ten times the length of the equator. The fastest individual male runner completed the ultra-long distance in 16 hours and 27 minutes with a new course record, while the fastest female runner finished in 21 hours and 17 minutes.

Onespire represented itself at the event with a company team for the second time. We enrolled in the category of teams of 10-13 people with 11 runners, along with 9 bicycle and 3 car escorts. We achieved the respectable 835th place, faster than our planned pace, with a lap time of 21 hours and 24 minutes.

Our accommodation, the Annabella Hotel Danubius in Balatonfüred, was also the team’s headquarters during the competition. From here, our vehicles took our next runner and bicycle escort to the relay points and brought those who completed their distance back to the HQ. Since there were many of us in the team and we were always in different places during the competition, we needed a common communication and location platform. For this purpose, Messenger’s group chat function worked great, while with the help of the location sharing function, we were able to follow who was running or cycling on the phone or on a map… We followed the progress in the competition’s official application, until it froze.

On the other hand, the solution helped us to be able to follow our plan, whether the team is moving faster or slower compared to our specified pace. In fact, we were competing with ourselves and of course we won.

On the next day of the race, early Sunday afternoon, our last runner arrived in Balatonfüred at the Annagora Aquapark Beach, and the fiesta could begin. The strength of our team is shown by the fact that we could celebrate our colleague, Márk Klung, who completed the whole race around the Lake Balaton. Our small number of car escorts were on the road all night and were very tired, but they were a huge help in logistics.

The organization necessary for participation included many tasks and finding creative solutions to unexpected situations, but it went smoothly. The team worked towards the goal paying maximum attention to each other and to the task at hand.

There were exciting moments when one or another of our runners got lost in the dark at night, or they had to look for each other a bit longer at the relay point, but all these only made the race more exciting and enjoyable. The teamwork of our colleagues, also experienced in Excel spreadsheet management, was of great help in the most difficult task, in compiling the runner-bicycle-car trios and assigning them to running sections. We had an excellent dispatcher who directed people even at night and woke up those leaving at night by phone. After the race we agreed that next year – because we want to enroll in 2024 as well – we will employ at least two “dispatchers”, so that there will be a relay in this as well. We successfully overcame all obstacles and recorded reaching the finish line as a huge success both individually and as a team.

Finally, those who could still stay in Balatonfüred after the competition, sat down to have dinner together at the Halászkert restaurant. We would like to thank the management of Onespire Ltd. for supporting our participation, as well as all team members and supporters for their contribution to the great performance.

We are now taking a little rest, but we will enter again in the fall for the 2024 Ultrabalaton race. We hope that you will be encouraged to participate and that as many of you as possible will join the company team!