The slow run

IOR or Alexandru Ioan Cuza Park, named after an old comunist era manufacturing plant or fast forward after the demise of communism the new name is that of one our first unifiers. Both names are used interchangeably.

This is one big park.. Well actually there are 2 parks: IOR(Alexandru Ioan Cuza) and Titan(after the name of the local neighborhood) interconnected. You go under a bridge and you swap between one and the other. Together they form a good running lap of around 3km around the lake in the middle of the park.

You can run around the innermost part and have a shorter lap, but you can start going more and more outside the beaten path towards the outskirts and it gets less crowded.

So how crowded is it?

This park is located in a very densely populated neighborhood of Bucharest, so expect a lot of people if you go here on weekends or after 7 PM on the weekdays. You’ll find a lot of runners, parents with kids, lovers, bikers, roller skaters or just people enjoying a walk.

What do I get for the run?

Around the lake, freshly done in 2022 there’s a running track made out of a material that is gentler on the knees. It’s not perfect, but it works. From time to time you’ll see some tears and water building under the track.

You’ll get to enjoy some amazing views. In spring the park is charming, lots of trees blooming and stuff. In the summer the whole place is green, green and some more green and the management keeps the grass neat and tidy. In autumn you’ll see so many colors and leafs you’ll be flabbergasted. In winter you’ll feel the wind and maybe run on fresh snow.

There’s a local kayak school near one of the bridges that link the 2 parks. You can see kids training and racing each other in the mornings.

Running in the evening has its perks. You get to enjoy some of the most beautiful sunsets in Bucharest.

Or go during the day and feed the ducks, swans, pigeons, seagulls or even the crows 🙂

Take a left at some point, climb the stairs of a metal little bridge and set foot on one of the 4 little islands floating on the lake. It’s a small detour from your usual smooth running track but it’s worth it.

How about the amenities?

Beside the amazing scenery and the running track this park has many drinking fountains that are heaven in the summer. The public toilets aren’t that many and they’re mostly located a few feet further from the lake. You also have a few little shops selling drinks, fast food, snacks. There’s this place that always has hot Romanian doughnuts and the smell is so appetizing. I always get the urge to stop and eat one every time I pass it. Maybe someday I will 🙂

Is this a good place to get some elevation?

Not that much, it’s not very hilly. There are the places where you get down to the lake, usually by stairs, but that’s that. Once you’re down by the lake then it’s mostly smooth. You could go up one way and down another just a few hundred meters later, do a mini lap or just go up and down the same hill or pair of stairs, but it might get a bit monotonous to reach a 1000 meter elevation.

Extra Bonus

You can run at a competition organized in this park. On the 1st of December(Romania’s national holiday), each and every year, there’s a race organized here with different lengths(1, 5, 10, 21 and even 42k). I participated 3 times, it’s well organized. And you get “sarmale“(traditional dish) at the end.

Conclusion

I might be biased since I run most of my trainings here, but this is one of the best parks for running in Bucharest.

Google Maps location

Crowdedness 4/5 ★★★★☆ – pretty crowded
Largeness 4/5 ★★★★☆ – pretty big
Elevation 2/5 ★★☆☆☆ – almost flat
Amenities 4/5 ★★★★☆ – good amenities