Trail running is a different thing for me, something quite hard to explain given my polluted city road runner. To attend Bușteni Ultra Race at its first edition, in 2026, was a must. It is – or used to be – one of my favorite places to be in Romania. And knowing the organizer, meant immediate action. Problem was that I never been part of a trail run in the mountains from September 2025, I mean a complete one, and my training in this environment was practically not existent. Plus, in just two weeks from the race, Tromsø Midnight Sun Marathon, my most important race of the year. But this needs to go down in time with my name in its rankings.
Bușteni Ultra Race, “only” 35 kilometers for me
I knew I need to be very careful, not to get overwhelmed by the race. Of course, the main event has “Ultra” in the name, but I have attended the 35K one, not the 61K. To me, mountain races above 50 kilometers are too much of a stretch, especially in the Romanian Mountains, where the chances of meeting a bear are as real as they can be if you remain isolated on the path.
Also my preparation was very far from attending such a long round of nature, so then the 35K looked acceptable. I wasn’t properly trained for that either, you can’t truly be for a race that goes above 2,400 meters of altitude, while you spend your running days at almost sea level. Maybe the level of pollution helps a bit compensate, but it is mostly a pale illusion. This can be compensated by volumes, big volumes, up to a point.
40 seconds short can be very frustrating
Given all the elements, my goal was to try and stick to the first half of the male ranking, as this is the most reasonable objective that a mediocre trail runner can have. I didn’t know of what time to expect. I was thinking between 6 and 7 hours, based on other mountain experiences. The thing is that these are never alike. I hoped for an under 6 mark, of course, but the reality hit me softly with a 7:00:39. The kind of result very hard to accept at the beginning, but with which you get used in the end. The main takeaway after the race was that my level of fitness was seriously challenged, but not affected, and just ideal timing to get back in full shape for the big marathon.
Caraiman Monastery, only place that looks really good in Bușteni
Why specifically this Bușteni Ultra Race? Normally, the closest mountain location to Bucharest which you can truly enjoy, because of the landscape, is Bușteni. But… it is heavily degrading, and the accommodation we were charmed by, some years back, reflects perfectly the town’s decay. You can hear only manele everywhere – wish to be able to say this is NOT Romanian “pure” culture, but cannot – and the pedestrian bridges above DN1 are so rusty, that they look to collapse at any moment. It is a very poor and without any hope view. Actually, the only sublime looking place in Bușteni is Caraiman Monastery. The monks really take care of the place to match Bucegi Mountains!
Best place to be
Bucegi Mountains are there, as wonderful as they can be. They don’t care of what people do, they are too big, mighty. A splendid view. The town, though, nose diving. Maybe this is why Bușteni Ultra Race came just in time. It might not be able to save the charm which the location could have, and for sure deserves, but it brings a deep breath of fresh air, which really matches a dream. The event is the most suitable for nature lovers who come to Bușteni. Of course, you don’t need to run it. You can join it as a volunteer, for example. The vibe is awesome, as I was expecting.
Thin air, thin breath
In the end, this was all about. A reason for me to go again close to 2,500 meters, after attending and completing 2X2 Race in 2024. Air is thin, you breath harder, you need to move. It is a complicated, but at same time a fulfilling sentiment. Inhaling fresh mountain air and glazing the green around makes more than words can really assemble. It was a privilege to take part in. It was not my best performance, but it really is a great race, with impeccable atmosphere, and with deep humble organizers, considering they called off the race immediately when the competent authorities informed them about serious danger potentially caused by thunderstorm on top of the “shaved” ridge. Even if few competitors we were still running in the longest race – fortunately the only one affected – the quick action made the event to be closed at top level.
This was important to mention, because only two weeks back, another trail running event in the same region, was not called off, despite the authorities heavily advised to. The conditions were worse, but fortunately nobody died, buy there were some injuries. At Bușteni Ultra Race we learned that we can have people who are responsible when organizing such a competition, one in which you can’t match with the nature’s force, regardless of your experience, or strength.
