The first edition of tRUNsylvania International 10K Cluj will take place today (June 28, 2026), on a route arranged around the Cluj Arena. More than 20 countries will have representatives at the start of the Elite Label World Athletics race.
Among the stars announced at the start of this edition were Hicham Amghar (Morocco), winner of the tRUNsylvania 10K Brașov 2024, and Joy Cheptoyek (Uganda), world runner-up in cross country.
As the weather is hot in Cluj as well, the organizers have taken measures so that the runners can safely reach the finish line. Yesterday, at the children’s races, which took place at the Cluj Arena, water bottles and glasses were offered to the runners. And on the route there were volunteers who were prepared to intervene if necessary.
As many running races scheduled in other areas of Europe this weekend have been cancelled, other top runners have entered the competition in Cluj. “We had registrations on Friday as well”, said Daniel Şanta, the promoter of this world-class athletic event.
Cluj confirms its status as the capital of Romanian sports. The city in the heart of Transylvania will host today the first edition of tRUNsylvania International 10K Cluj, an international road running competition accredited by the World Athletics Label. The race is the culmination of Cluj Running Festival 2026 and will bring elite athletes from almost 20 countries to the start, in one of the most important athletic events ever organized in the city.
Included in the international calendar less than a month before the deadline for qualifying for this year’s European Athletics Championship, which confirms its even greater importance, the race has attracted numerous runners aiming to meet the criteria for participation in the continental race, but also other elite athletes who want outstanding performances on the fast track in the center of Cluj.
The Moroccan Hicham Amghar will also start
For men, the main favorite is the Moroccan Hicham Amghar. Winner of the 2024 edition of tRUNsylvania 10K Brașov, he also set a personal record of 27:09 there. He will have serious competition from the Norwegian Zerei Kbrom Mezngi, silver medalist at the 2022 European Athletics Championships in the 10,000m event, but also from the Dutchman Filmon Tesfu, who was timed in 2h 06:40 at the Rotterdam Marathon 2026. On the list of men’s favorites are also the French Mehdi Frère, the Kenyan Moses Cheruiyot, the Australian James Whelan and the Spanish Pol Espinosa.
Daniel Santa, organizer of Cluj Running Festival 2026, said: “I am very excited and proud to bring elite running to Cluj-Napoca, an extraordinary city and one of the most beautiful locations for an event of this level”
On the women’s side, Joy Cheptoyek, one of the leading road and cross country runners on the planet, will be in the foreground. The athlete from Uganda became in 2026 the vice-champion of the cross-country world in Tallahassee (USA), being surpassed only by the 10k world record holder, Agnest Ngetich. In Cluj, the British Samantha Harrison, who holds the fastest personal record for 10 km among the participating European sportswomen, with 30:51, as well as the Kenyan Virginia Nyambura, world cross country champion with the Kenyan mixed team, also announced their presence.
The tRUNsylvania International 10K Cluj race will benefit from live international transmission. The competition can be watched both in English on the official European Athletics channel on YouTube, and in Romanian on the official website of the event and on TVR channels.
Daniel Santa concluded: “After the success of the Brașov Running Festival in recent years, it was natural to expand to a location that would offer new opportunities to the Romanian running community and bring back top international athletes to our country. The initial idea was to organize a competition mainly dedicated to European athletes aiming to qualify for the European Championships. However, the interest received from outside Europe exceeded all expectations and confirms the extraordinary potential of this event.” I am convinced that we will have spectacular duels and very quick results on the streets of Cluj”.
