More than 6,000 runners will take part in the 41st edition of Wizz Air Sofia Marathon, the organizers announced at a press conference nearly two weeks before the start. The longest 42-kilometer course this year will have a changed route due to the construction of the new line of the Sofia metro, as the start is on October 13.

"The Sofia Marathon has established itself as one of the emblematic sports and social events in the Bulgarian capital," said Dimitar Shalafo, chairman of the Commission for Children, Youth and Sports of the Sofia Municipality and chairman of "Sofia - European Capital of Sports" Foundation.

The goal of the organizers is for the Sofia Marathon to "turn into a tourist product with added value for the city."

On October 12 and 13, eight music stages will be organized for the guests of the marathon, while the athletes will be able to choose from different distances - 5 km, 10 km, 21 km and 42 km. There are over a thousand registered participants from abroad, as the largest number of foreign athletes are coming from the UK. The large-scale event will also include para athletes from Iran, traditional participants in the marathons in the big capitals. This year's edition of the marathon is also included in the "Runner 321" initiative, as bib number 321 is reserved for athletes with Down syndrome.

More than 700 participants will compete in the new discipline of 5,000 meters, Anatoli Iliev, a member of the marathon organization committee, said and added that all the prerequisites for a spectacular marathon were in place:

"We already have more than 700 participants registered for the short distance competition, which will be held on Saturday. They will be given the opportunity to run 5 kilometers in the best way - with time measurement, electronic chips and bib numbers. For the 10-km run we are to have a record number of participants - between 2000 and 2100. For the 21 km distance, there are also nearly 2,000 people, which is an absolute record. This shows that the interest in competitive running in Bulgaria is high. There are currently 850 people registered for 42 km. There will also be a European championship for railway workers," Iliev added.

"We have invited runners from Kenya with results of around 2:10 hours, and women with 2:29 hours. The prize fund this year is more than 35,000 euros for all distances in our competition," former marathon runner and organizer of Wizz Air Sofia Marathon 2024, Daniel Dukov, added.

Editor: E. Karkalanova

Publication in English: Al. Markov

Photos: marathonsofia.com, Facebook /Wizz Air Sofia Marathon, BTA