Raul Octaviu Butaci

About

Raul Octaviu Butaci is a Romanian trail runner born in 1985 in Cluj-Napoca who discovered the sport in 2013 while working as an electrician and has since built one of the most impressive UTMB World Series résumés of any Eastern European male in his generation. Now based in Lleida, Catalonia, and competing under Team BIGK, he has a UTMB Index of 890 that places him among the world's top-25 male mountain ultra performers. His landmark career result came at The North Face Transgrancanaria Classic in 2024 — a 126km race with 6,804m of gain he won in 13:22:32, taking the title of one of trail running's historic World Trail Majors against a deep international field. He followed that in 2025 with second place at the La Sportiva Lavaredo Ultra Trail by UTMB (122.3km, 5,970m gain) in 12:02:09, and 25th at UTMB Mont-Blanc 2025. He had also podiumed at Ultra Skymarathon Madeira (3rd 2022) and Salomon Ultra Pirineu (5th 2018), won the Val d'Aran CDH, and recorded a top-10 at the CCC. His story — an electrician from Cluj who built a world-class ultra career while based in Catalonia — is one of the most compelling in European mountain running.

Notable Wins

• — Transgrancanaria Classic 2024 winner (126km
• — 13:22:32)
• — Lavaredo Ultra Trail by UTMB 2025 2nd (12:02:09)
• — Val d'Aran CDH winner
• — Ultra Skymarathon Madeira 3rd 2022
• — Salomon Ultra Pirineu 5th 2018
• — CCC top-10
• — UTMB Mont-Blanc 2025 25th

Race History