Maybe the title is click-baiting a little. Reading about Madaras Peak online, it seems the crosses aren’t marking graves, they’re just symbols of this holy Székely mountain. But it sure looks like a graveyard!

Why was I running there, you might think. I was taking part in the short route of Hargita Trail Run. As it was just one week after the Epic Two Day Fagaras Ridge Ultra Run, I didn’t know how long I’ll need to recover, so I thought competing in the marathon event would not be very wise.

The course was 14 km long with about 450 m of elevation. Starting from Petho Panzio, it reached peaks Madaras and Racosului. Being a short run, the strategy was simple: run as fast as possible. The race start caught me somewhere in the back of the pack (should have been more careful and placed myself more in front). Had to push a little too hard to overtake and place myself among runners with a similar pace.

Fatigue began to settle in during the flat section mid-race. Not a big fan of flat sections. Climbed, then descended Peak Pacosului, flat section again, short climb (which I couldn’t run anymore), then finish. With a time of 1h39′, I was 38th/90 in the men’s category.

Now some logistical info. Harghita Madaras is high on top of the mountain. There are two roads leading there. The southern route, starting from the village of Vlahita, has about 12 km of unpaved road. If you’re coming from the south or east, this is the fastest option. But this option, while accessible with any car, is not very car friendly, so you could consider adding 20 minutes and taking the western route. Climbing from the village of Izvoare, this second route is mostly paved, with only a 4 km unpaved (but decent) section.

There are several guesthouses in Harghita Madaras. When we signed up for the race, they were all fully booked. With no other decent choice, we stayed in Miercurea Ciuc (over one hour away). Despite the “commute”, it was pretty good. We happened to stumble upon some interesting concerts Saturday evening.

Started Sunday morning with a visit to the wildlife park in Izvoare. We came there to see some wildlife and were greeted by two female deer, with one of them accompanying us for the whole tour. Besides them and a pack of wild boards (hard to miss them, as they were limited to a large pen), we didn’t see anything else. Searched the area for two hours and even heard some male deer, but with half of our group being composed of noisy kids, it was hard to sneak around. At least the guide was entertaining (irony alert). At first we thought he was just grumpy. But he told us he was hung over after getting really drunk the night before. I’m sure he’s as entertaining when he’s fully awake as well.

Saved the best for last: via ferrata. Rented the equipment (harness, carabiners, helmet) from Sugo Panzio (25 RON each). The route starts 3 km down the road to Izvoare. You’ll have about 50 meters of elevation to climb up a steep forest trail. Then you’ll get to a rock wall. There are two routes, with the left one including a crossing between two ridges. We didn’t know any of this and took the left one by chance. The route is not difficult, although you might find it so if you’re afraid of heights. That crossing is about 10 meters long and is something you shouldn’t miss. Overall, the via ferrata section has about 50 meters of elevation and some awesome views along the way. You’ll most likely get back to your car in under 2 hours.