The adventure started on August 9, when the competitors arrived at the meeting point, in front of the Parliament Building in Bucharest. The excitement and good vibes we all have announces an amazing adventure. After 3 hours’ drive we have arrived at Hecaș Villas , our host before the race.

The race kit pick-up, a short brief about how's gonna look the week ahead, a glimpse of the traditional Romanian food and lots of positive energy between runners. Following day was dedicated to medical and mandatory gear check and heading to the first base camp in the mountains. The race was set to start on August 11th at 8 AM local time. Bring the adventure on!

Meeting in front of House of Parliament, Bucharest

On August 10, all the checks were completed successfully and the runners had one hell of a ride with buggies to the CAMP 1 in the mountains. Thank you Hecaș Villas for the fun! ?

One night under the stars until some legends are about to be written!

Ride with buggies to the first camp

Stage 1:

Distance: 32 km

Elevation gain/ loss: + 1,236 m / -1,234 m

Stage 1 started early in the morning of August 11, with all the runners being excited about what was going to lie ahead of them this week. It was a very rewarding day in terms of the beautiful trails, green pastures and mountain peaks. The view towards the Eagles Lake from the Malaia Peak was the much-needed fuel for the steep descent that followed all the way to the Camp 2. All the competitors have made it to the finish line safely with the top 3 being Kristian Gotsch (DEN) 4:29, Adrian Vodislav (ROU) 4:57 and Eloise Guran (FRA) 5:09.

Everyone was amazed by the landscape, the raw wilderness of this area, recently included in the UNESCO Geoparks.

Stage 1

STAGE 2

Distance: 37.5 km

Elevation: + 1,926 m / -1,646 m

Max Grade:  38.5%

Min  Grade: -34.0%

Second day of Ultra Race Romania on August 12 was pretty challenging as the runners needed to tackle difficult terrain in hot weather with very steep climbs and descents on the main menu, rocky areas to pass through and river crossings. However, all of them have done incredibly well. The messages from friends and family back home where of a great help to get through this challenge.

Stage 2

Stage 3

Distance: 46.6 km

Elevation: + 1,800 m / -1,986 m

Max Grade:  31.2%

Min  Grade: -32.9%

It was a rollercoaster of emotions on August 13, but neither the pain nor tiredness could stop our legends to put their smiles on when crossing the finish line. It was a very tough stage with lots of brutal climbs and steep descents but the reward was the amazing raw wilderness landscape they met along the path.

All of them made it safely to camp 4 and start preparing for the next day long stage.

Stage 4

Distance: 68.3 km

Elevation: + 2,231 m / -2,206 m

Max Grade: 22.8%

Min Grade: -22.0%

With a time limit of 36h, competitors were able to choose whether they push it to the end or to split their effort in 2 parts. The long stage concluded with the last competitor, Anamaria Pintea, crossing the finish line after 29h:27m on August 15,  having a warm welcome from all the fellow runners and volunteers. After such a challenge, the competitors had a day off to rest, enjoy the camp life and think about all the effort they put in so far.

Stage 5 was a real treat for all the runners as they left behind the mountain area where the race started and headed slowly to civilization.  43.6 km and over 1,500 m elevation, they passed on their way to the finish line the strange rock formations called "The Living Stones" and ancient settlements carved directly into the rock.

Living Stones

After the last stage of 16km, the finish line became a certitude for everybody on August 16. The final finish line of a multi-stage race always comes with mixed feelings: you are glad you have finally done the race, but then you rather feel sorry it ends. All you leave behind might be beautiful landscapes but what you take with you is more important: friendships for lifetime and amazing memories to share with your loved ones back home.

Finishers

Ultra Race Romania does not finish when the participants cross the finish line. Why? Because we love to extend that feeling of being a family a little longer by going with everyone involved in the event in a two days trip to some of the most famous castles in Romania: Dracula's Castle and Peles Castle. Spending two more days with everybody after the race finishes, sightseeing the country, tasting the traditional food and talking about the experience everyone had, is our way to welcome the competitors to the Ultra Race Romania Family. Because, in the end what matters is the lifetime friendships created and beautiful memories everyone carry back at home.

Trip

The Legends of Ultra Trail Romania 2022 are simply awesome!

Roxana Siboiu