“I want to give back for the opportunity to be able study here”

You graduated in 2013 with a degree in sports organization. Since then, you’ve spent several years as ELTE’s running ambassador, and to this day, you participate in ELTE events, such as the traditional “5vös5” race. Why do you think it’s important to stay connected to your former university as an alumnus?

For me, it’s really important to preserve my ELTE identity and stay active as an alumnus because I believe the university years are formative in anyone’s life. That’s when we discover the field that will define our future profession and work. I’ve remained in the world of sports ever since, and by staying involved in ELTE’s community, I want to give back for the opportunity to be able study here. I haven’t forgotten where I gained my knowledge—

I try to give something back to the university, because they invested in me, too.

In addition to your professional athletic career, you also work as a sports manager and running coach. How do you balance these roles?

Since I’ve been a competitive athlete from a young age, I had to learn early on how to balance different areas of life. Long-distance running is a very popular sport in Hungary, but on professional level, it’s not very organized . So, if someone wants to succeed internationally, self-management is essential. I realized this early and began applying the skills I gained in the sports manager program to my own benefit—from organizing races and training camps to brand building and sponsorship deals. Over the past ten years, I’ve practiced many aspects of sports management on myself. Now I’m trying to apply that knowledge to help other athletes as well. Two years ago, I also started coaching, which is similar to management in many ways. I’m grateful that I can work in sports and express myself in multiple roles.

How do you use the knowledge you gained at PPK in your professional work?

I loved the sports manager program because we studied social sciences, economics, and sports sciences, and this gave us

an integrative mindset, which I still benefit from today.

I think it’s not the factual knowledge that was most important for me at PPK, but the skills: being able to think analytically, synthetically, inductively, and deductively at the same time. I also developed a well-rounded, pluralistic worldview by being exposed to multiple disciplines. This mindset has helped me grow as a coach too—I apply these elements in planning, implementation, and communication.

As a coach, you helped train the actors for the recently released film Futni mentem (I Went Running). Can you tell us a bit about that?

That  opportunity came through a company I’ve had a sponsorship agreement with for several years—they also sponsored the film and recommended me as a support coach. This wasn’t classical strength training, but more of a running technique course. We met a few times with the actors, and I taught them running drills and gave personalized instructions. The goal was to make their movement look aesthetically pleasing on screen. We weren’t aiming for perfection, just a natural and enjoyable look while running. I think we succeeded, and I’m happy I could contribute to the film behind the scenes.

Running a marathon is often not just a physical challenge but a mental one too. What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned from long-distance running?

It might sound a bit cliché, but for me, perseverance is the most important lesson. I never dropped out of a race for twenty years, but in the past three years, I went through a minor burnout and ended up not finishing several marathons. It wasn’t due to laziness or lack of strength, but from excessive perfectionism and tension. From this, I learned that to be successful and happy,

you can’t give up, even when your results don’t meet your expectations.

You have to be satisfied with your current 100%, and accept your limits. You also shouldn’t try to avoid the low points—if you persist through them, you’ll eventually reach a new upward phase.

What’s your fondest memory from ELTE Faculty of Education and Psychology?

There are many, but interestingly, the open day comes to mind first. The sports organization program had just launched, and we were the very first cohort. At the event, I suddenly had this overwhelmingly positive feeling. Before that, I hadn’t really thought about becoming an ELTE student, but there I had a deep, intuitive sense that this was the right place for me. That memory is very dear to me, because an important chapter of my life began that day. So once again, thank you, ELTE!