Alex Hulka is back. U23 victory in Munich after ten months away from racing
More than ten months after his last competitive race, Alex Hulka finally pinned on a race number again. The ŠK Jablonica runner returned at the 12th Olympiaberg Cross in Munich and made an immediate impact – finishing eighth in the elite men's race in 21:50 and recording the best performance among the U23 athletes.
Alex had not raced since the European Cross Country Championships in Lagoa, Portugal, in December 2025. An injury sustained there forced him into a long break followed by a gradual return to full training.
On Sunday, 25 October, the wait was finally over.
Alex lined up at the prestigious Olympiaberg Cross in Munich against a strong field of elite distance runners. For the German athletes, the race also formed part of the selection process for December's European Cross Country Championships.
And the conditions made his comeback even tougher, with heavy rain accompanying the opening race of the German Cross Cup.
Eighth overall and the leading U23 runner
Despite his long absence from competition, Alex immediately put himself into the race.
"From the beginning, I stayed in the top five. The pace wasn't particularly fast at first; it was more tactical. After the second lap it started to pick up. I went through a difficult spell between the third and fifth kilometres, but I was able to push again in the finish."
Alex crossed the line in 21:50 to finish eighth in the elite men's race.
He was 1:15 behind German winner Nick Jäger, while Ethiopia's third-placed Moges Mengesha finished only 25 seconds ahead of the Slovak runner.
Looking at the U23 field, the result was even more significant: Alex was the fastest U23 athlete in the race.
All of that came in his first competition for more than ten months.
"I hadn't raced for almost a year"
Munich was also an important test of where Alex currently stands after months of rehabilitation and training.
"I hadn't raced for almost a year, so I didn't really know where I was. I don't run at maximum effort in training, so this was a chance to find out what I can do. I believe it will be even better next time."
Getting to the start line was a challenge in itself. Alex arrived in Prague at around 11 p.m. on Saturday before leaving for Munich at six the following morning. He barely had enough time for his warm-up and was unable to inspect the course before the race.
Despite all of that, his first race back produced a result that provides a strong foundation for the weeks ahead.
European Cross Country Championships in sight
Since August, Alex has been working with Bratislava-based coach Leonard Lendvorský, while continuing to receive support from Tomáš Zavadil and the training environment at ŠK Jablonica.
The next objective is clear: earning a place in Slovakia's U23 team for the European Cross Country Championships in Belgrade on 13 December.
Several important races remain before then. Alex plans to compete at the AZB Championships in Malacky on 8 November, another German Cross Cup race in Pforzheim on 14 November and the Slovak Cross Country Championships in Žiar nad Hronom on 21 November.
Alex already has plenty of experience at the European Cross Country Championships, having represented Slovakia three times as a junior in Brussels, Antalya and Lagoa.
It was in Lagoa that his racing came to an abrupt stop ten months ago.
In Munich, it started again. Welcome back, Alex. ❤️💙