A Competition for the Toughest

Based on Belgian and Dutch model, the idea of the unique, international survival running race, organised in its entirety on military grounds and exclusively for the members of the armed forces, was introduced by the soldiers of Pápa in 2011, when – thanks to the collaboration of the HDF Pápa Air Base and the Honvéd “Silver Arrow" Sports Association – the first competition was staged in Hungarian organisation. After the beginnings, the special, gap-filling competition has gained large popularity, as is exemplified by the more than five hundred entries in 2017. Moreover, the idea of the survival run enjoyed such a widespread interest among the civilian society that last year the civil version of the Military Survival Run was organised for the first time, and it will take place also this year.

The basic idea of the purely military competition is to create such complex obstacles for the competitors, which they can only overcome by physical strength, staying power and mental capacity from the start up to the finish line. In the spirit of this, the competitors were faced with thirty three serious, challenging obstacles on the twelve kilometre running route passing through almost the whole territory of the Air Base. The Hungarian and foreign runners could only cope with the tasks including muddy areas, rope courses, and other difficulties, if they saved their strength reserves well, and gave room to thinking and planning in addition to the muscle work.

Furthermore, the time factor too played an important role, as the race time available for all was just 210 minutes for finishing the route and performing every task. Points were deducted for the missed, or ignored obstacles.

Two hundred soldiers have entered, and participated in the Military Survival Run this year. In the team competition the Belgian competitors could step on top of the winner’s podium, and they were followed by the HDF Pápa Air Base team as runner-up, while the members of the Counter Terrorism Centre were awarded with the third prize. From among the individual contestants, within the different age-groups, the Hungarian soldiers, policemen, firemen could boast with one of the first three places. The foreign overall winner of the military survival run was the Romanian Luci Vasile, who completed the race and the tasks with zero point’s error in one hour and twenty six minutes. From the Hungarians, Captain Sándor Paksi, the soldier of the HDF Pápa Air Base was the most precise, also with zero point’s error, and the fastest race time: with one hour and thirty nine minutes.