Brasov Running Festival delivers world-class 10K racing

The Brasov Running Festival has established itself as a must-attend event and the biggest World Athletics gathering in Eastern Europe. Elite athletes, amateurs and spectators converge every year in early October for an event staged in an exceptional setting. The scenery is hard to ignore, looking as though it came straight from a Bram Stoker novel. The festival takes place at the foot of the majestic Carpathian Mountains, in the modern Coresi district, just a short distance from the picturesque historic centre of Brasov, whose origins date back to the 13th century. The city is renowned for its architectural treasures, including the fascinating Gothic Black Church. And then there is legendary Bran Castle, an hour’s drive away.

There is something for everyone: 800m, 1,200m, 3K, 5K and 10K races for elite athletes, Open events and races for children. The idea is to make the festival accessible to as many people as possible.

Second-fastest junior 10K performance of all time

Ethiopian Khairi Bejiga won the 10K in a stunning 26:54, the second-fastest junior performance ever recorded. The prodigy matched the fastest time ever run over the distance by a junior, set by Kenyan Sebastian Sawe, the recent Berlin Marathon winner. Khairi Bejiga’s 26:54 also brought him within striking distance of the course record, held by Nicolas Kipkorir in 26:51 since 2022. Run over three laps, the course is seriously fast. Supersonic, even.

The 2025 winner took the lead from the gun before turning up the pace around the 4K mark. At halfway, he was part of an eight-man group, reaching 5K in 13:34. Over the next two kilometres, Khairi Bejiga went head-to-head with South African Maxime Chaumeton. The eventual winner still had more to give, gradually wearing down his closest rival before delivering the decisive blow in the final few hundred metres. The runner-up still went home with a South African national record of 26:55, followed by another Kenyan, Cornelius Kemboi in 27:12.

For the French contingent, U18 runner Meziane Benhammou finished 24th in this world-class field with an impressive 30:40. It was the second-fastest French performance of all time in his age category and the fifth-fastest time in Europe this year.

A thrilling battle in the women’s race

© Brasov Running Festival

In the women’s race, Ethiopia’s Medina Eisa prevailed in 30:28 after passing halfway in 15:14. With 2K to go, a group of five runners had broken clear. The final kilometre produced a gripping duel between former world-record holder Joyciline Jepkosgei, Turkish runner Yasemin Can and Medina Eisa, a multiple European champion.

Jepkosgei made the first move, attacking with 600m to go in an attempt to break clear. But Medina Eisa came storming back. The fastest 10K runner in the world this year, thanks to her 29:25 in Castellón in February, and unbeaten on the roads in 2025, the Ethiopian unleashed her finishing speed over the final 300m.

Her compatriots Brenda Jepchumba Kenei and Mariam Lufti Njoki dug deep to snatch second and third respectively, denying Yasemin Can and Joyciline Jepkosgei a place on the podium. The multiple European champion did, however, break her country’s national record, setting a new mark of 30:36.

The Brasov Running Festival is unquestionably one of Europe’s must-see sporting events. The festival, and especially its 10K, continues to draw and captivate elite athletes, amateurs and spectators alike. Against a unique backdrop of dramatic Carpathian peaks, Gothic architecture and an enchanting atmosphere, the runners kept adding to the event’s legend and sending the clock into a spin.

✔ All the Brasov Running Festival results