Harald Hudak is a retired (West

West Germany

West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....

) German middle distance runner who specialized in 1500 metres

1500 metres

The 1,500-metre run is the premier middle distance track event.Aerobic endurance is the biggest factor contributing to success in the 1500 metres but the athlete also requires significant sprint speed.In modern times, the 1,500-metre run has been run at a pace faster than the average person could...

.

He was one of the runners that set a world record of 14:38.8 minutes in the 4x1500 metres relay

Relay race

During a relay race, members of a team take turns running, orienteering, swimming, cross-country skiing, biathlon, or ice skating parts of a circuit or performing a certain action. Relay races take the form of professional races and amateur games...

 in 1977, together with Thomas Wessinghage

Thomas Wessinghage

Thomas Wessinghage was a German middle- and long-distance runner who won the 1982 European Championships' final over 5000 metres beating the British world-record holder David Moorcroft. Because he was already thirty at the time, and had been an international-level runner for a decade, this victory...

, Michael Lederer, and Karl Fleschen

Karl Fleschen

Karl Fleschen is a retired West German runner who specialized in the 3000, 5000 and 10,000 metres....

. He ran 3:40.2 minutes on the second leg.

He finished sixth in 1500 m at the 1979 European Indoor Championships

1979 European Indoor Championships in Athletics

The 10th European Athletics Indoor Championships were held in Vienna, the capital city in Austria, in 1979. It was the second time the championships had been held in Vienna.-Track:-Field:-Medal table:-External links:* at GBRathletics.com...

. In 1980, Hudak temporarily became the third-fastest 1500 m runner of all time when he set a personal best of 3:31.96 minutes at a meeting in Koblenz

Koblenz

Koblenz is a German city situated on both banks of the Rhine at its confluence with the Moselle, where the Deutsches Eck and its monument are situated.As Koblenz was one of the military posts established by Drusus about 8 BC, the...

 where Steve Ovett

Steve Ovett

Stephen Michael James "Steve" Ovett OBE , is a former middle distance runner from England. He was gold medalist in the 800 metres at the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow, U.S.S.R., and set world records for 1500 metres and the mile run...

 set a new world record and Thomas Wessinghage set a new German record. 3:31.96 remained his career best time. In Germany only Thomas Wessinghage has run faster. However, Hudak could not participate in the 1980 Summer Olympics

1980 Summer Olympics

The 1980 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Moscow in the Soviet Union. In addition, the yachting events were held in Tallinn, and some of the preliminary matches and the quarter-finals of the football tournament...

 in Moscow due to the West German boycott

American-led boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics

The 1980 Summer Olympics boycott of the Moscow Olympics was a part of a package of actions initiated by the United States to protest the Soviet war in Afghanistan...

.

Hudak competed for the sports club Bayer 04 Leverkusen during his active career.