Tsarevo is getting a new big race - the 21+5 TSAREVO RUN - that will take runners from the town's streets by the sea inland toward the Strandzha mountains. The first race is set for 19 September 2027, with sign-ups opening on 1 January that year.

The main course is longer than a usual half marathon. It runs through the port of Tsarevo, the seaside promenade and the town's old streets. Then it heads through one of the villages in Strandzha before runners loop back to Tsarevo.

The name comes straight from the route. Organisers first planned a course of around 21km, the standard half-marathon length. But once they linked up all the spots they wanted runners to pass, it came out about 5km longer. Rather than cut the route down, they decided to keep it as it was - hence the 21+5 in the name.

"Half marathons end at 21km. We don't," organisers say, explaining the thinking behind the race, which runs under the slogan "From the sea to Strandzha".

The race starts in the centre of Tsarevo, with the route passing the port, the coastal area and the Old Town, before taking runners out of town toward views of the sea and Strandzha. The course then continues to one of the mountain villages before looping back to Tsarevo. Sea at the start, mountains in the middle, and a finish in town - that's the idea behind the route, organisers say. There is no detailed course map yet.

21+5km won't be the only distance on offer. Organisers are putting together four routes in total. That way, both more serious runners and people who don't want to cover more than 20km will have something to run. The other distances haven't been revealed yet - they'll be rolled out gradually, with the key points along the routes, the start pack, the race medal and its partners all set to be unveiled in the coming months.

The new race arrives at a time when grassroots sport in the area is already thriving. In July 2026, the "Tsarevo spurtuva" initiative drew hundreds of participants across various events, and more than 250 people finished the 5kmRun Tsarevo race alone. A month earlier, the tenth edition of the Kalandja marathon near Sinemorets brought together around 2,000 registered runners and cyclists. According to the organisers of the new event, this level of interest shows that the southern Black Sea coast is gradually turning into a hub for sports events beyond just summer.

The 21+5 TSAREVO RUN is scheduled for September - after the peak summer tourist season has passed, but while the weather along the southern Black Sea coast still allows for a big outdoor event.

"We want people to watch a brand-new event come to life over the next year - from the routes and the small details right up to the moment we all line up at the start," organisers say.

There's almost a year to go before the first start, and the concept behind the race will be revealed step by step. The first firm date after the announcement is 1 January 2027, when registration opens. After that, all four distances and the remaining organisational details will become clear. The goal is for Tsarevo to send off the first group of runners on 19 September 2027, on a route that starts by the sea and reaches into Strandzha.