Máté Vásárhelyi

Hi everyone, I’m Máté Vásárhelyi! 👋

Many of you might know me from running races, but in my everyday life, besides training, I also make time for university and teaching. I’m studying to be a geography and physical education teacher at ELTE University, and I work as a coach and swimming instructor at Castor SE. I love this job and I’m happy that I can connect with so many people through sports.

My connection to nature started much earlier than my racing career. I grew up in Újbuda, the seventh of ten children in our family. We also spent a lot of time in Kisoroszi, and hikes were part of our lives all year round. In summer, we traveled around the country for several weeks, so I got to know a significant part of the Hungarian mountains already as a child.

During our joint hikes, it was natural for us to be on the road for hours. Today, I see how much this meant later: I got used to long periods of movement and felt at home in the forest. I also liked to lead the way on school trips, close to the tour guide. I spent twelve years at Fazekas, and although I was less enthusiastic about the school, I often thought about how to make it better. This thought might have played a role in my choice of teaching as a career.

I started organized training as a high school student, through swimming. Attila Fecskovics called me over from swimming lessons, and I quickly got a feel for running. I liked that I could challenge myself on so many different distances and locations. The Futapest events became particularly close to me, and I started competing more and more often.

My progress clearly shows where I started.

In 2017, I finished 117th in the national final of the Cross-Country Student Olympics. The following year, I ran a 1:38 half marathon in Szigetmonostor, placing nineteenth. A year later, at the same event, I finished in 1:27. Around this time, longer distances also started to interest me, and in 2019, I completed runs longer than fifty kilometers.

Since then, I’ve accumulated nearly three hundred races. I can still recall moments from many of them today, and my training logs help me look back at how my career unfolded. Attila and I have been working together as coach and athlete since 2019. We gradually refined my training system; for example, during the pandemic, a higher running volume and two training sessions a day brought changes.

In 2020, I won the U20 national mountain running championship on Kékes, while finishing fifth overall. A year later, I gained international experience in adult and youth skyrunning world championships, as well as the Nations Cup. The travels and encounters remained just as vivid memories as the runs themselves.

Meanwhile, I also experienced setbacks due to injuries. In 2022, I ran a half marathon in under seventy minutes, but I had difficulties during this period and the following year. I truly understood from my own mistakes how important it is to be patient. I often got injured when I wanted to increase my pace and volume too quickly.

The following years brought much joy. In 2024, I won the Vivicitta, and I finished second in the fifty-kilometer national championship and the SPAR Budapest Marathon. In 2025, I won national championship titles in both the marathon and fifty-kilometer distances, then triumphed at the Budapest Marathon.

I am particularly proud of my Split marathon this year. I got lost during the race, yet I managed to pull myself together, fight through the distance, and run a personal best. It means a lot that despite the difficulty, I was able to bring out what was in me on that day.

The 2026 Mátrabérc opened a new chapter for me.

Last year I was three minutes short of the course record, so this year I prepared with breaking it in mind. Besides running training, I thoroughly studied the route and split times. I managed to achieve my goal, though there was a lesson learned regarding my nutrition. My collaboration with Hammer Nutrition started after the race, which I consider a significant step forward.

The Domonyvölgy off-road triathlon was also memorable. Although I had previously dabbled in triathlon, I had never competed on an off-road bike. I prepared without my own mountain bike, using a road bike, so I was particularly curious about this section. In the end, after a close race with Bálint Mester, I became a national champion in my first off-road triathlon.

In early September, two particularly memorable races followed each other.

At the Wizz Air Budapest Half Marathon, I secured second place in the national championship and finished third in the absolute field. A week later, I was already on the starting line for a fifty-kilometer race: on September 12th, I completed the PEZOWOOD Szőlőskör Hammer 50K in 2:55:25, winning the race and setting a new national record.

It was a huge experience to successfully compete in two different distances within such a short period. After the half-marathon podium, the fifty-kilometer record made this period particularly memorable.

In the races following Mátrabérc, I was already running with Hammer Nutrition fueling. At the Balatonszőlős Hammer 50K, this was accompanied by personal support: the team followed my race throughout and continuously monitored and assisted with my fueling. It’s a special joy that this joint effort led us to a national record. It felt good to share the joy of reaching the finish line with those who were beside me on the course. Thank you for your support!

Between races, I often go for a run after a morning swim, then head to university. I try to coordinate my tasks and also dedicate time to recovery. My favorite workouts are still the more comfortable long runs: this is when I have the chance to look around and enjoy being outside. It's important to find what I love about sports even in my everyday training.

My faith accompanies me on this journey. I grew up in a Reformed family, and my personal connection with God deepened during high school. I consider my abilities a gift and want to use them responsibly. This helps me put races into perspective: to rejoice in successes and find value in the experience even after a less favorable result.

My next goal is a marathon under 2 hours 20 minutes on a credible course. I also have a plan in the mountains: a course record in another major domestic trail race occupies my thoughts. For now, I'll keep the location to myself, but it provides plenty of motivation for preparation. 🙂