Lake Balaton Cross-Swim Postponed Due to Storm Risk

The 43rd Lidl Balaton Cross-Swim, originally set to take place this Saturday between Révfülöp and Balatonboglár, will be postponed, announced the organizers.

The decision was made in coordination with the Balaton Water Police Department, based on a forecast issued by HungaroMet observatory in Siófok, which predicts unstable and storm-prone weather for the entire weekend across the Lake Balaton region.

The weather remains extremely uncertain, with a high risk of thunderstorms throughout both days of the weekend,”

the organizers stated.

The 5.2-kilometer open-water swim, along with its paddle boarding counterpart, is now rescheduled for Saturday, August 2. However, a final decision will be made and on the preceding Thursday, depending on updated weather conditions.

The Balaton Cross-Swim is one of Hungary’s most iconic mass sporting events, typically drawing thousands of amateur and professional swimmers each year.

The average swimming time for non-competitive athletes is 2 hours 50 minutes. The men’s record has been held since 2020 by Olympic silver medalist Kristóf Rasovszky with a time of 57 minutes. The best female time was swum by Éva Risztov in 2016. The London Olympic champion completed the distance between Révfülöp and Balatonboglár in 60 minutes and 58 seconds.

Last year the winners were two young men, Imre Barabás and Máté Hartmann, and among the participants there were names like Tibor Kapu, Hungarian astronaut, Krisztián Steigervald, a generation researcher and celebrities such as Ferenc Kozáry and Máté Járai.

Stunning Turnout at 8th Balaton Paddle Crossing