Athletics, Sports holiday, Festival: SPEED CLIMB FROM NDK TO ČERNI VERH, VITOŠA RUN AND NATIONAL TOURIST ASSEMBLY 2026

About this event

The ascent from the centre of Sofia to Cherni Vrah under the name "Vitosha Run", for the 11th consecutive year, is part of "Sofia – European Capital of Sport". Expected participants – over 1000. The current speed record for men of 1 h, 36 min and 45 sec was set in 2011 by Shaban Mustafa, while the women's record of 1 h, 54 min and 30 sec was registered by Milka Mihaylova, also in 2011. At the summit, the hundreds of participants in the mountain ascent join the thousands celebrating the traditional National Gathering of the Bulgarian Tourist Union. Exactly at 9:00, just before the Lovers' Bridge, the start will be given for the traditional mountain run "Vitosha Run – from NDK to Cherni Vrah". At the same time, two converging hikes will set off towards the Vitosha summit from the "Aleko" hut and the Golden Bridges, while the third, from the village of Zheleznitsa, departs at 7:30, this being the route along which Aleko and Doctor Tantilov first ascended Cherni Vrah. The culmination will be on Sunday at the summit, where a National Tourist Gathering will take place. It will be attended by representatives of the tourist societies, members of the BTU from across the country, as well as state institutions for which the development of tourism is a priority. There, at around 10:30, the finish of the fastest in the NDK – Cherni Vrah mountain run is expected. At 11:45 is the awarding of the prize-winners, after which at 12:00 flowers will be laid at the bas-relief of Aleko Konstantinov on the moraine of Cherni Vrah.