Cluj Running Festival brings the world’s elite athletes to the streets of Cluj for the first time on June 27–28, 2026
Cluj-Napoca officially joins the circuit of major international running competitions with the launch of the first edition of the Cluj Running Festival, scheduled for the weekend of June 27–28, 2026. The event is certified with a World Athletics Label and marks the first road race featuring world-class elite athletes organized on the city’s streets.
The festival represents an extension of the Brașov Running Festival project, which has reached the global top tier of road races and is the most important event in Southeast Europe, included in the World Athletics calendar. For Cluj, the ambitions are at least just as high.
The competition aims to bring thousands of runners to the starting line in races designed for elites, amateurs, and children, in a format that blends top-level performance with the energy of an urban festival.
The festival’s flagship race, tRUNsylvania International 10K Cluj, will gather athletes from the world’s elite, continuing the success of the event of the same name in Brașov, which ranked 5th globally in the World Athletics Competition Performance Rankings in 2025. The international certification guarantees high organizational standards and results recognized worldwide.
“We found in Cluj a vibrant running community full of enthusiasm, a city ready for world-class events, and authorities willing to support a project that aims to become a national brand. For us, it was a logical step. Over the years, we have been delighted to see the growth of the project in Brașov and, understanding the impact it has had there, we wanted to replicate it,”
said Daniel Santa, the race director.
“Over the past years, Cluj has proven that it can host sports events of European scale, and the Cluj Running Festival confirms this once again. Bringing to the heart of the city a World Athletics–certified competition with elite athletes from around the world, alongside thousands of amateur runners and children, shows that sport is part of our identity.
For us, this festival is not only about top-level performance but also about the joy of movement, community energy, and promoting a healthy lifestyle. It is an extraordinary opportunity to place Cluj on the map of major international road running competitions and to show the world that we are an open, dynamic city ready to support excellence.
We are delighted that through this competition Cluj-Napoca becomes, for one weekend, the stage for international performance, but also a place where every child, every amateur runner, and every spectator can feel the excitement of a world-class event,”
said Emil Boc, Mayor of Cluj-Napoca.
Cluj Running Festival is part of a broader strategy to develop a national circuit of events that will position Romania among the world’s leading road running competitions. Registration for the first edition is now open on the official event website, clujrun.ro.
About Brașov Running Festival and Comparty Sports
The Brașov Running Festival is the most important athletics event in Southeast Europe, listed in the World Athletics calendar. The competition, organized by Comparty Sports in Brașov since 2021, includes an annual 10 km road race accredited with the World Athletics Elite Label, named tRUNsylvania International 10K. Beyond this race, the running festival includes a wide variety of other races dedicated to amateurs, children, and professional athletes.
Starting this year, the concept expands nationwide through the launch of the first edition of the Cluj Running Festival, a competition certified by World Athletics that will bring world-class elite athletes to the streets of Cluj for the first time. The expansion comes as a result of the constant growth of the running community across the country and the strong interest shown by athletes from Cluj-Napoca, the second-largest city in terms of participants at the Brașov Running Festival.
About tRUNsylvania International 10K
tRUNsylvania International 10K is an elite road running race that attracts top professional athletes from around the world. Organized as part of the Brașov Running Festival, this unique race is certified with the World Athletics Elite Label, strengthening its position among the top 10 international road races in 2025.
tRUNsylvania International 10K Cluj promises the same world-class sporting spectacle: renowned athletes, top performers from Europe and Africa, the best Romanian runners, records, and immediate international relevance.
