2.5 °C
The city center of Budapest will be covered in red on Sunday, December 7th: the jubilee, 10th PENNY Santa Run will see more than 4,500 costumed runners flood the streets.
The red crowd, flowing on the banks of the Danube, in guaranteed snowfall, is one of the favorite attractions of Budapest residents and tourists every year. Participants not only collect kilometers, but also fill Santa's sack with gifts for SOS Children's Villages.
The Santa Run – or as it is known in Hungary, the Mikulásfutás – is a tradition that started in the Baltics half a century ago, and has now become an indispensable part of the Advent season. The Budapest Sports Office is organizing the fun community run for the tenth time this year, and the number of entries has never been greater: all distances are sold out, so on Sunday 4,500 runners dressed in red and with white beards will start from Sóház Street in artificial snowfall, only to return to the same place.
Santa Run: family holiday and international community
The sight of the red-clad crowd has now become an iconic image of winter Budapest. The runners come from more than 460 settlements in the country, but the international interest is also significant: 320 foreign Santas from 50 countries are pulling on their running shoes. The vast majority of them are members of foreign communities living, studying or working in our country, who are also getting involved in the life of the city with this event. The most active this year are the Japanese (50 people) and the Koreans (45 people).
The event is also a true generational meeting: more than a quarter of the participants are under 18, and in fact, 15 percent of the field is made up of children under 10, so even the youngest ones get their share of the festive kilometers.
"The 10th PENNY Santa Run is not a classic running race: it is a huge, moving street ball where sport and festive atmosphere meet. Seeing thousands of people moving at the same time in snowfall and red clothes – this is the experience that makes it worth doing. It is no wonder that this event is a favorite of the Budapest public and tourists year after year, as the flowing red crowd provides an amazing sight. With all this, we also send the message that sport and an active lifestyle are important in winter, and in fact, they bring a lot of joy" – said Árpád Kocsis, CEO of the Budapest Sports Office.
Run and help! A gift in the basket
The 10th PENNY Santa Run is not only about movement and spectacle, but also about giving. The organizers ask participants to bring a gift for children in need. A huge basket set up on site, in the auditorium of the Lónyay Street Reformed High School, is waiting for donations for the residents of the SOS Children's Villages. They are especially happy to receive non-perishable food, cleaning and hygiene products, unopened bed linen, unused pacifiers, baby bottles, diapers and cutlery.
Program and distances: everyone's Santa Claus
The organizers will provide costumes – clothes, hats and beards – for all participants. The races will start at 11 am on Sóház Street, first with a joint joy run for the youngest children and their parents, the 900-meter Family Run. This will be followed at 11:30 by the 2.3 km distance for those who come primarily for the atmosphere and jogging, and then at 12:30 the 5 km field will start, where the Santas can dictate a more serious pace.
Source and photo: Mikulasfutas.hu
