1000 km Balkan
Charity Challenge
The course is beautiful combining flat road along Danube river and mountain slopes crossing the Balkan mountain. The total nominal distance is 1050 km, including 440 km in Romania and 610 km in Bulgaria, with 7500 m positive altitude difference. The routes from Bucharest to Sofia and from Sofia to Bucharest are different and coincide with the biking and running courses as follows:
1st part – 4 days biking of 640 km nominally in total (160 km a day), starting in Bucharest via Giurgiu and further on Romanian territory, crossing Danube River on the Calafat-Vidin bridge on the 3rd day, reaching Sofia at the end of Day 4.
2nd part – 7 days running 410 km in total (near 60 km a day) crossing the Danube river at Ruse – Giurgiu bridge on Day 10, reaching Bucharest at the end of Day 11.
Day 1 – bike
Starting point: Bucharest , Bulevardul Expozitiei 1F
Ending point: Turnu Magurele
Day 2 – bike
Starting point: Turnu Magurele
Ending point: Vidin, Hotel Vival
Route: 186.6 km +435 m / -436
Day 3 – bike
Starting point: Vidin, Hotel Vival
Ending point: Berkovitsa Hotel Gelov
Route: 130.9 km +1510 m / -1145 m
Day 4 – bike
Starting point: Berkovitsa, Hotel Gelov
Ending point: Sofia – Sveta Nedelya sq UniCredit Bulbank HO – FINISH
Route: 105.1 km +1653 m / -1504 m
Day 5 – running
Starting point: Sofia – Sveta Nedelya sq UniCredit Bulbank HO
Ending point: Trudovetz Vilage (Near Botevgrad)
Day 6 – running
Starting point: Botevgrad dam
Ending point: Zlatna Panega – big resting point (restaurant, water) on the left and parking on the right.
Day 7 – running
Starting point: Zlatna Panega – big resting point (restaurant, water) on the left and parking on the right
Ending point: Pleven city center – hotel.
Day 8 – running
Starting point: Pleven city center – hotel
Ending point: intersection to Ovcha Mogila, resting point and parking on the left.
Day 9 – running
Starting point: Intersection to Ovcha Mogila
Ending point: After Volovo village, on a down slope forest and resting point on the left.
Day 10 – running
Starting point: After Volovo village, on a down slope forest and resting point on the left
Ending point: End of Daia on the right road extension – driving 10 km back to Giurgiu
Day 11 – running
Starting point: End of Daia on the right road extension
Ending point: Bucharest, Bulevardul Expozitiei 1F – FINISH
