About Me

As a child, I was the kid who would run out into the garden between the two courses of a Sunday family lunch just to run around or play football for a few minutes while waiting for the adults to finish eating. Later, at school, it continued when my classmates no longer wanted to play tag with me because I always outran them or caught them immediately! Don’t worry, though—I still had a very happy childhood. ☺

Around that time, one of my classmates invited me to an afternoon training session at a nearby athletics track. I never really left… and I have been grateful to that friend ever since!

Of course, as a teenager I tried to quit athletics. Perhaps that was my way of rebelling. I spent time doing judo, playing tennis, and cycling, but by the age of fifteen my fate was sealed, and running became a permanent part of my everyday life.

A few years later, I discovered the world of off-road duathlon and cross triathlon racing, and I was completely captivated. There are few mountain sports more beautiful than enjoying the wonders of nature and becoming one with your surroundings. It may sound like a cliché, but it is absolutely true. 😉

My love for the mountains began during school hiking camps, where we explored much of Hungary and eventually the High Tatras during our final school year. Everyone has defining moments in life, and for me those seven or eight days were exactly that. Even today, I get goosebumps when I see a mountain ridge with people hiking or skiing along it.

Later, I added a little rock climbing and via ferrata to the mix—just to complete the picture, I thought. I also remember seeing cross-country skiers for the first time on a leisure sports television programme called Green Dot, where I learned that the sport could even be practiced in Hungary. So one winter morning I decided to start myself, skiing along the banks of the Rákos Stream in Budapest. I still remember the strange looks people gave me!

Then, about fifteen years ago, ski touring entered my life as well. You know, that dream sport where you ski uphill on the slopes, leave the resort behind, and climb through metres of snow to places that can be difficult to reach even in summer. As a result, we now own so much sports equipment that it is practically overflowing from the basement, the garage, and every spare room in the house. ☺

But let’s return to more active sports, just as I did.

After my years in track and field, I spent more and more time mountain biking in the hills around Budapest, and cycling gradually replaced athletics as my primary sport. After a few years, however, I realised that running was missing from my life.

Trail running races followed, then cross triathlon and cross duathlon competitions, swimming sessions, and as the years passed, I started to see results. According to the record books, I eventually stood on podiums at national championships and even at World Cup events.

Thankfully, it was a successful period, but I often felt that there had to be a smarter way to train. Looking back, I believe I overtrained myself more than once. When you are young, your body can handle multiple training sessions per day alongside school and work. If I could send a message to my younger self, I would definitely tell him to slow down and be more patient.

That is why, alongside my humanities degree, I later studied at the Hungarian University of Sports Science and became a coach. One thing you quickly learn is how much you still do not know and how much there is left to learn. Education never stops—and neither does training.

As a coach, my most important goal is to help people stay healthy while enjoying sport, to inspire more people to fall in love with endurance sports, and to help them achieve their dreams. Whenever we meet at races, camps, or community events, I want to help them get the very best out of themselves.

I consider one of my greatest strengths to be my ability to connect with athletes and understand their individual needs. I adapt not only the training programme but also the coach-athlete relationship to each person. Perhaps that is why many of my athletes have been working with me for many years.

Finally, a few personal details about me.

I am fortunate to share my passion for sport with my life partner as well. My wife, Zsófi, is also devoted to endurance sports. She is a multiple-time national champion in athletics, a trail runner, cyclist, hiker, ski instructor, and much more. She supports me in every aspect of life and also helps with the administrative side of my coaching business.

We have two children, Johann and Dávid, and a third “furry child,” our dog Hanga. 😉

A few years ago, we moved to Austria and now live in the Schladming–Dachstein region—the very place where we used to spend our holidays and winter vacations.