Bogdan Ibănescu - By chance
Short introduction – who are you and what are your most notable running achievements?
Hi! My name is Bogdan Ibănescu, but my friends call me “Ibă” (so if we meet on the trails, feel free to call me that too), and I’m an amateur runner. I say amateur because I truly love mountain running and everything that happens around this sport. Like many meaningful things in life, I discovered running by accident. A friend signed me up for a trail race sometime around the end of 2019, and ever since then I haven’t been able to get enough of this sport. An important factor was also the pandemic, which gave me a lot of time with myself and the chance to set a new set of priorities.
Notable running achievements
2023:
- 1st place – Rarău Everesting (course record)
- 3rd place – MSG Apuseni Marathon 44 km
- 3rd place – BUR Lady’s Rock
- 1st place – Cluj Ecotrail Ultra
2024:
- 3rd place – UPP Ultra
- 15th place – Lavaredo Ultra Trail 80 km
- 2nd place – BUR 4 Summits
- 2nd place – Oslea Run 45 km
2025:
- 1st place – UPP Ultramarathon
- 4th place – Brașov Marathon Ultra National Championship
- 1st place – BUR Lady’s Rock
- UTMB CCC Finisher
- 6th place – Bucharest Marathon National Championship
2026:
- 9th place – Chianti Ultra Trail 120 km
- 4th place – UPP Marathon National Championship
1. How did your passion for running begin?
Whenever I run, I get closer to who I truly am as a person. Running manages to strip away my ego and gives me the purest feelings I can experience. Ultra races help me discover something new about myself every single time and add another piece to this puzzle that we call “life.”
2. Which BUR race did you participate in and what did that race teach you about yourself?
I’m lucky enough to be among the few people who have participated in Bucovina Ultra Rocks since the very first edition. We grew together through running. From the first edition, when I fell in love again with Bucovina, the place that was home to me for 8 years, every BUR experience brought me a new lesson, helped me mature, and shaped me into the person I am today.
3. Bucovina Ultra Rocks is both a race and a state of mind. What does this place feel like to you – the nature, the people, the energy?
There is only one word that truly describes Bucovina Ultra Rocks: HOME. And when I say home, I don’t just mean the place where I grew up. I mean that feeling of belonging, of connection with people, both during the race and outside of it. Every time I arrive at the start line, I’m ready to experience everything this beautiful place has to offer: lessons that make me a better person, the warmth of the people who support me and wait for me at the finish line.
4. If you were to describe the Bucovina Ultra Rocks experience to runners who have never been to Bucovina, what would you want to tell them beyond words?
Bucovina Ultra Rocks is more than just a running competition, it’s an event of pride, one that represents us around the world. It’s difficult to explain in words the feelings you can experience in this unique place, but during your first experience here, you’ll be amazed by the warmth of the people, the beautiful landscapes, the forests, and the mountains surrounding you. It’s an authentic place, without filters, where the organizers have made sure the trails they created will make you want to come back.
5. What does the idea of running among roots while looking toward the horizon mean to you?
The more I travel and see the world, the more I fall in love with Bucovina — with home. The world is incredibly beautiful, and I’ve been lucky enough to run some of the most spectacular races in the world, but what BUR offers is something truly special. A unique, wild, authentic place, with barely touched trails that seem forgotten, only to come back to life once the race begins. It feels like a part of the world left behind in the depths of time, waiting to welcome you, to bring you closer to your heart, back to what truly matters.
