EMU 6-Day Race

Results: 2026

108 runners started.

Distances are the whole-lap figures in the IAU delegate’s report dated September 11, 2026. That report said the measured partial final laps were still to be added; these figures should not be read as the final full distances. Ultramarathon Database lists 1,024.319 km for Eckert and 940.874 km for Holvik, and is the source of the starter count. The September 11 IAU report described Eckert’s performance as a women’s six-day world best awaiting ratification; this review does not establish a subsequent ratification date. The edition doubled as the 2026 GOMU 6-Day World Championship.

Source: IAU technical delegate report — EMU 6-Day Race 2026. Checked October 2, 2026.

Next edition: September 12, 2027. The IAU race calendar lists the XVI EMU 6-Day Race in Balatonfüred from September 12, 2027; EMU has not yet opened 2027 registration or published 2027 fees.

Event Overview

The 15th EMU six-day race and 2026 GOMU world championship, run for 144 hours on a measured loop beside Lake Balaton.

Course & Terrain

Measured road loop at the Füred Camping venue, with automated lap counting and partial-lap measurement at the finish.

Key course features to know before comparing this race:

• 898.2 m asphalt loop through Füred Camping on Lake Balaton’s north shore
• Runners’ and crews’ bungalows lining the course
• A 24-hour food tent that runners pass on every lap
• Race of Nations team scoring for countries with at least two runners per gender

The 898.2 m certified loop inside Füred Camping is 100% asphalt, flat, closed to traffic and lit along its whole length. Runners go clockwise, with left and right turns and no direction changes, and the IAU technical delegate describes the course as well sheltered from the sun. An ankle chip registers on mats at the far points of the loop: a lap counts only if both mats record it, and laps run without a chip are not credited. When the 144 hours end, an accredited measurer measures each runner’s last partial lap. A shirt is compulsory (women may race in a sports bra), shoes must meet World Athletics rules, and music is allowed only through headphones.

EMU’s weather guidance covers storms. During thunderstorms with lightning the referee suspends the race and runners wait in their bungalows, and the lost time is not added back. In extreme weather the referee and Hungary’s disaster-management authority can stop the race altogether. The race ran in May until 2019 and has been held in early to mid-September since 2021.

Format & Support (as run)

Why This Race Matters

Balatonfüred has held a six-day race every year since May 2011 apart from 2020. The Hungarian club UNIX TSE promoted the first three editions, Budapest-based EMU Sports has organized it since 2014, and the race moved from May to September in 2021. The 2026 race was the 15th edition. It carries an IAU Gold Label and hosted the GOMU 6-Day World Championship in 2024 and 2026, and EMU says it is the only Hungarian race where official world records have been set. Joe Fejes set an American record of 975.654 km here in 2015. Matthieu Bonne ran 1,045.519 km in 2024, beating the six-day world best Yiannis Kouros had held since 2005. In 2026 Megan Eckert became the first woman to pass 1,000 km in six days.

Historical benchmark notes in the directory record (verify current records with the linked official sources):

• Men: Matthieu Bonne (Belgium), 1,045.519 km, 2024. The IAU lists it as the men’s six-day world best; it beat Yiannis Kouros’s 1,036.8 km from Colac in 2005.
• Women: Megan Eckert (USA), 1,023.948 km in whole laps, 2026 (DUV lists 1,024.319 km with the measured partial lap). She was the first woman past 1,000 km in a six-day race, reaching 1,000 km at 139:55:46, and the mark is awaiting IAU ratification as a women’s world best.
• American record: Joe Fejes ran 975.654 km here in 2015, the US six-day best until Eckert passed it at the 2026 race.
• National record: Bartosz Fudali set a Polish six-day record of 842.096 km in 2024, his debut at the distance.
• IAU six-day age-group world bests set at Balatonfüred include Zsuzsanna Maráz (W50) 804.946 km in 2024; Silke Gielen (W55) 782.336 km in 2017, (W60) 718.360 km in 2021 and (W65) 673.899 km in 2023; Sandra Dobney Brown (W70) 610.064 km in 2022; Radi Milev (M70) 710.759 km in 2019 and (M75) 586.571 km in 2025; and Pál Bozó (M85) 455.916 km in 2024.
• Most wins: Wolfgang Schwerk (2012, 2013), Joe Fejes (2015, 2016) and Gábor Rakonczay (2021, 2022) for men; Monica Barchetti (2011, 2012), Silke Gielen (2015, 2017) and Zsuzsanna Maráz (2022, 2024) for women.

Preparing for a Race Like EMU 6-Day Race

The 6-day race guide covers the format as a whole. These guides go deeper:

• 6-day races explained: How six-day races work and how plans adapt across 144 hours.
• How to train for a 6-day race: A 24-week framework with an example training week.
• Sleep strategy for multiday races: An individual sleep plan with safe locations and clear stop criteria.
• Foot-care kit for multiday running: Tape, lube, socks, blister pads and simple hot-spot rules.

Best Fit

• Runners chasing national, age-group or world six-day marks on a certified, record-eligible loop
• First-time six-day runners who want a bed, hot meals and a doctor a few steps from the course
• National squads, through the Race of Nations team standings

Planning Notes

• Use repeatable but adaptable routines for sleep, food, skin and foot checks, weather, and medical escalation across the six days.
• Repetitive surfaces can expose fit, friction, and loading problems. Check in when symptoms or conditions change, and use only footwear already tested for the course.
• The directory does not mark this as having simpler logistics. Confirm qualification, terrain, support, registration, medical, and withdrawal requirements before planning around it.

Event FAQs

Related Preparation

• Compare this race in the full 2026 calendar
• Browse the 6-day race calendar
• Open the 6-Day format guide
• Compare all race formats
• Use the timed-race pace calculator
• Estimate race calories and plan fueling
• Build a crew and drop-bag plan
• Build a race-specific gear checklist