This was the second time I have attended the EMU 6-Day Race as the IAU Technical Delegate, as the race has been awarded the IAU Gold Label due to the organisation and performances achieved at the event. On both occasions, it has also hosted the Global Organisation of Multiday Ultrarunners (GOMU) 6-Day World Championships.
On both occasions, we have been rewarded with IAU 6-Day World Best Performances. In 2024, it was the turn of a new men's 6-Day IAU World Best Performance by Matthieu Bonne (BEL), with 1,045.519 km. This year, we witnessed a new women's 6-Day IAU World Best Performance by Megan Eckert (USA), with 1,023.948 km (still to be ratified). This was the first time a woman has surpassed 1,000 km in six days.
The race is run on a certified 898.2-metre asphalt loop inside a campsite on the northern shore of Lake Balaton. Runners live in chalets beside the course, and the course is well sheltered from the sun.
It is a very well-organised event, which has held an IAU Gold Label for the last few years due to the considerable performances that have been achieved at the event. These also include a number of World Age Group Best Performances, as can be seen on the IAU-published list of records.
Megan Eckert won the race outright, ahead of every man in the field, with 1,023.948 km: a women's six-day world best performance, beating her own 970.685 km, which is still awaiting final recognition.
The figures here are from the timing provider's final table, which counts whole laps. The last partial lap, measured on the ground afterwards by an accredited course measurer, has yet to be added, so the final distance may be slightly greater.
WOMEN
1. Megan Eckert — 1,023.948 km
2. Tomomi Bitoh — 802.092 km
3. Zsuzsanna Maráz — 754.488 km
MEN
1. Simen Holvik — 940.415 km
2. Mario Čeliković — 861.373 km
3. Szabolcs Beda — 853.290 km
Hilary Walker
IAU General Secretary
