From a Career Change to a European Championship Marathon Silver Medal in Just One Year

Back to news14/09/2026

From a Career Change to a European Championship Marathon Silver Medal in Just One Year

Corvinus alumna Lili Anna Vindics-Tóth switched from the 3,000-metre steeplechase to the marathon just one year ago. At her third marathon, the European Championships in Birmingham, she already claimed a silver medal. As she approaches her 28th birthday, the past year has been a time of major changes not only in sport but in other areas of her life as well: she moved to the countryside, changed clubs, completed her master’s degree in Management and Leadership at Corvinus University of Budapest, and discovered a new perspective in long-distance running.

Her love of running began in childhood: at the age of eight, she won a national school cross-country championship, and later competed in various athletics events before achieving her greatest success to date in the 3,000-metre steeplechase. She also qualified for the Tokyo Olympics, but after a series of falls and injuries, she decided in 2023 to look for a new direction. She joined an international training group and began exploring long-distance running. She completed her first marathon in October 2025 in 2:28, and just ten months later, she crossed the finish line in Birmingham as European Championship silver medallist.

The change also reshaped other areas of her life. She and her husband moved from Budapest to Kapospula, and she left her former club to continue her career at Kaposvári Sportiskola. At the same time, she earned a degree in Economics from Corvinus University of Budapest and graduated this year with a master’s degree in Management and Leadership. She considers her years at Corvinus an important chapter in her life: she lived in Budapest for eight years and continued to compete at a high level alongside her studies throughout this period. Now that she has completed her studies, she wants to devote all her energy to sport and to her next major goal: qualifying for the Los Angeles Olympics.

According to Lili Anna, success in the marathon requires not only the right physical attributes, but also mental strength, awareness and a strong support system. Her family is particularly important to her. Returning to the countryside around Dombóvár has given her a sense of freedom, and she feels that this state of mind has also had a positive effect on her performance. “A happy runner is a faster runner,” she said in an interview.