Spending pastime in lovely and virgin places, meeting easygoing and friendly people from all ages who are keen on sport and nature and take good care of both themselves and their environment is an accessible experience of the members of the Green Step Club in the town of Razgrad, Northeastern Bulgaria.

“The club's idea is to promote active and adventurous way of life which is so entertaining, and all this coupled with enjoying nature in a way that is friendly to it”, Ivan Radev from the Green Step Club tells us. “The events that we organize in Black Sea coast locations aim to show how a wild beach is an incredible experience.”

For three years now the club has been holding sports events. The most popular among them include the Kamchia Sands Marathon (along Bulgaria's longest beach from the River Kamchia to Shkorpilovtsi), the Ludogorie Marathon for runners and bikers in the forests surrounding the town of Razgrad and the Easter Running Race in Razgrad. Every Sunday the Green Step Club members gather for a run in the park. They share the view that picnics, swimming and cycling are the best ways for pastime. However, all these activities also include cleaning and maintenance of localities and trails. Thus pleasure goes with bringing benefit to communities and nature.

On 4 September the club organized the first-ever cross-border marathon Via Pontica. The runners' starting point was in Krapets, near Shabla in Bulgaria. The route passed through Lake Durnakulak also in Bulgaria and through the Vama Veke resort in Romania. The northernmost point of the marathon was in the suburbs of the town of Mangalia, Romania. More than 120 runners - mostly Bulgarians but also ten Romanians and one British national joined the first edition of the cross-border marathon organized by the Green Step Club. They could opt for one of four different distances - 42 km, 21 km, 13 km and a 2-km distance for children. In the classical 42-km distance the winner in men was Milen Tonchev from the Sofia-based club 5km run. In the same distance the winner among women was Tanya Dimitrova from Plovdiv.

It is not accidental that the cross-border marathon is named ViaPontica - after the Roman route and the migratory route of birds. The old Roman road had its starting point in Constantinople and meandered along the Black Sea coast to reach the ancient city of Histria, near Lake Sinoe, present-day Romania. Today Via Pontica is better known as the chief migratory route of birds from Europe to Africa.

„Traditionally the sports events that the Green Step organizes are preceded by tent camps for participants spend the night before the race. This is a way for them to come to know each other and make new friendships. In the meantime, the breathtaking natural scenery is indeed worth the effort”, concludes Ivan Radev.

English Daniela Konstantinova