Ford Runners Take on Ultimate Endurance Test at Ultrabalaton 2026

BUDAPEST, Hungary – Imagine running five marathons back-to-back? Two teams of Ford runners did just that last month when they took part in the Ultrabalaton Running Festival in Hungary.

The 18-strong Ford contingent, comprising 13 men and five women, successfully completed a 209-kilometre loop around Lake Balaton, traversing scenic vineyards and challenging volcanic hills along the way.

For support, the two Ford relay teams used two Ford Tourneo Customs as mobile command centres, allowing runners to recover between their legs of the relay, store essential gear, and find a moment of rest while their teammates tackled the road.

The strategy paid off. Both Ford teams finished in the top half of the massive field. Team 1 (10 members) crossed the finish line in a blistering 18 hours and 37 minutes, while Team 2 (8 members) completed the circuit in 20 hours and 02 minutes.

While the relay teams celebrated collective success, Ford’s Árpád Odorics took on the ultimate challenge of running the full 209-kilometre route solo. After a staggering 130 kilometres, persistent stomach issues and the looming official cut-off time forced Árpád to make the difficult decision to stop. Despite not completing the full loop, his achievement was hailed by colleagues as "superhuman".

The Ultrabalaton has become Hungary’s largest team-building event, with multinational companies entering dozens of teams to foster camaraderie. This year a record-breaking 35,000 runners took part in the event, and four out of five elite runners successfully completed a double lap, running over 400 kilometres non-stop to raise funds for charitable causes.