The FODISZ Inclusion Run will once again be held at Hungary’s largest mass-participation sporting event, the 40th SPAR Budapest Marathon Festival. The symbolic 500-metre distance is designed to let children and young people with disabilities experience the joy of community sport and competition, while drawing attention to the importance of social inclusion.
Organised by the National Federation of Disabled Students, Competitive and Leisure Sports (FODISZ) and Budapest Sport Office (BSI), the run is one of the festival’s most uplifting side events. The programme welcomes children and young people living with mobility, visual, hearing or intellectual disabilities, along with athletes who run in solidarity with them. The race creates a unique opportunity for those for whom active sport is not part of everyday life to discover the liberating power of movement. Starting at 15:15 on Saturday afternoon, the run inspires participants and their families to embrace sporting opportunities in the future as well.
Elite athletes, Olympians, Para athletes and Paralympians will join the field, completing the distance together with participants to strengthen the sense of community and foster personal connections.
“Advocating for people with disabilities is about never calling anything impossible. Almost anything is possible with will and intent—and our joint work with Budapest Sport Office is a perfect example. Whether someone covers 500 metres or 42 kilometres doesn’t matter. What counts is that we can share in one cause—the joy of running—together. This event is a clear, accessible symbol that a community can only be complete if it is available and meaningful to everyone,” said László Szabó, President of FODISZ.
Partnership and colourful side programmes
This year’s Inclusion Run is organised by BSI in collaboration with the Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta and the Civilút Foundation. Thanks to the partnership, the run is complemented by a range of programmes that deepen the event’s message:
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Civil Adventure Trail: A stamp-collecting game with stations (e.g. wheelchair obstacle course, para-boccia, blind chess) where participants can playfully experience different challenges.
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Awareness Experience Programme: “Living Library” conversations with civil activists and Para athletes.
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Wall of Shared Values: A large message wall where anyone can share what inclusion means to them.
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Online Quiz: A mobile quiz about civil organisations and the world of Para sport.
Historical backdrop: the 40th SPAR Budapest Marathon Festival
The FODISZ Inclusion Run takes place within a landmark sporting event. The 40th SPAR Budapest Marathon Festival, held on October 11–12, 2025, is set to be the largest mass-participation sports event in Hungarian history. Organised by Budapest Sport Office (BSI), this jubilee edition will not only set a new national participation record but—by the number of individual marathoners—will also elevate Budapest among Europe’s foremost marathon capitals.
Across the two-day festival, everyone can find a suitable challenge—from shorter family distances to 10 km and the classic marathon. Runners will enjoy a route along the Danube that passes some of the capital’s most beautiful UNESCO World Heritage sites. As in previous years, the event hub will be located at the ELTE Lágymányosi Campus on Pázmány Péter sétány.
