Multiple world and European champion para triathlete and Rio Paralympian Péter Boronkay is preparing for a truly unique challenge: at Hungary’s largest mass-participation sports event—the jubilee 40th SPAR Budapest Marathon Festival—he will push his friend, Dr. András Nagy, who lives with a mobility impairment, the entire 42 km in a special racing wheelchair. Dubbed the “Parathon Run,” the effort is equal parts inspiration, charity, and pioneering athletic achievement—something the pair believe has not yet been done anywhere in the world.
On October 12, at the climax of the festival, all eyes will be on the duo as Boronkay and Dr. Nagy tackle the classic distance together. The challenge is distinctive in that Boronkay will push Nagy throughout the race without any external assistance or electric support.
Their mission will unfold within a truly historic setting: based on entries, this jubilee edition is set to be the most attended mass-participation sporting event in Hungary’s history. Starting from the ELTE Lágymányosi Campus, runners will enjoy a stunning route that showcases Budapest’s most beautiful sights, the Danube panorama, and UNESCO World Heritage locations—an unforgettable backdrop for Péter and András’s one-of-a-kind undertaking.
Three Goals: Performance, Charity, Example
First, the pair aims to achieve a unique sporting milestone. While there have been cases of able-bodied relay teams pushing a wheelchair participant over a marathon, a para athlete completing 42 km by pushing another para athlete appears unprecedented.
Second, their run will raise funds for the Modern Gondoskodás Alapítvány (Modern Care Foundation) to support sports and leisure activities for more than 80 residents of two institutions in Kecskemét.
Third—and most importantly—they want to highlight the power of example and helping others.
“We want to show that with a little attention, we can do a lot for people living with disabilities and give them experiences they couldn’t have on their own,” emphasized Péter Boronkay, whose goal is to share the joy of crossing the finish line with someone for whom this would otherwise be out of reach.
A Grueling Preparation
The idea came to Boronkay—who also serves as the Hungarian Triathlon Federation’s Paratriathlon Youth and National Team Head Coach and as a disability advisor at Kecskemét’s Health and Social Institutions Directorate (ESZII)—after last year’s Berlin Marathon, where he saw a similar relay effort. He resolved to go “all-in” and do the full distance solo. He approached his long-time friend Dr. András Nagy—a boccia athlete and president of the Mercedes-Benz Factory Kecskemét Sports Association for People with Mobility Impairments—who, recognizing the noble cause and the uniqueness of the challenge, agreed.
Training began about six weeks prior to race day with a special racing wheelchair provided by the SUHANJ! Foundation. The duo trains together once or twice a week, while Péter’s individual running volume has climbed to 80–90 km per week. The task is immensely demanding: Péter will push approximately 75 kilograms (András’s 60 kg bodyweight plus a 15 kg chair) for 4–5 hours.
For Dr. András Nagy, the experience is also new: while competitive sport is familiar to him, the marathon had never crossed his mind.
“It will be a challenge—an experience to the power of many. I think we’ll feel a bit like we’ve just broken a world record. It will feel great to set an example and, hopefully, make other people’s lives a little brighter,” said Dr. András Nagy.
The pair awaits the race excited yet confident, and the Budapest Sport Office (BSI) has assured them of its full support.
