100% adrenaline and adventure. 100 km mountain marathon and cycling.
The magic began in the 1970s, when the “100 kilometers in 24 hours” race appeared in the calendar plans of the then tourist companies – the first name of the Tour. The idea for the format of the race comes from the participation of Bulgarian orienteers in competitions in Italy, where 24-hour races are held, with the aim of covering as much distance as possible or races over a distance of 100 kilometers in time. The first route of the race even “staggers” outside Vitosha and enters the Lyulin mountain, so that the idea of 100 kilometers can be respected.
Many participants, members of the societies, join the event. Teams are formed and groups are organized to cover the 100 kilometers within a day. The event quickly became massive – between 1,000 and 2,000 people started taking part each year. There is no need to “advertise” the competition and “recruit” people who love nature, mountains and outdoor sports, because they were already gathered in the mountaineering and hiking clubs of the tourist societies. And after “100 kilometers in 24 hours” once entered the calendar plans, it is not at all surprising that so many people gather along the route – participation in events from the calendar is ensured by the club or society, and for those who wish to present their teams, the arrival in Sofia for A 24-hour walk around Vitosha is trouble-free. However, then the Tour is perceived more as a tourist event than as a competition – the participants appear at the start, prepared as if for a tourist tour, instead of a quick walk or run, with heavy backpacks and ready to spend the night in the mountains.
The results achieved every year are many times better than the goals set for the participants in the 70s and 80s. There are not a few people for whom annual participation is mandatory, and there are hardly any who do not want to come back next time. The race is important to many people because there is something special about the fact that it goes around the Vitosha mountain – a symbol of the capital.
Today the best run the distance in less than ten hours, the track is already moving and cyclists, judges and assistants are waiting for the competitors at each support station, relatives and friends gather at the finish to support their favorites in the last meters, and some – real mountain machines, cover the distance twice – once by bike and then by running (competing in the “duathlon” discipline).