Record-Breaking Varna Marathon 2026: over 3,700 runners turn the seaside city into a sports arena

Over 3,700 participants joined the 11th edition of the International Varna Marathon, making it the most massive sporting event by the sea to date. Runners from 44 countries stood at the starting line at Independence Square, and Mayor Blagomir Kotsev gave the official start at exactly 09:30 AM. The race is held with the support of Varna Municipality.

More participants, greater trust in Varna

Those registered for this year's edition are over 30% more compared to last year, which shows a steadily growing interest in the Varna Marathon.

"This speaks for itself – that Varna is a wonderful host for such large-scale events. Varna is committed to sports and invests in it because we believe that it educates and creates truly active citizens. With our support, we call on more young people to play sports, and we will continue to invest in Varna being one of the most active sports cities," stated Mayor Blagomir Kotsev minutes before the starting shot.

He also sent a special greeting to the people of Varna for "DARA's" success at "Eurovision," wishing for many more victories for Varna's talents in various fields, which would bring glory to the city and Bulgaria around the world.

Start by distances and impressive participants

For the health, success, and well-being of all participants, a prayer service was held by Father Yanyo from the Varna and Veliki Preslav Holy Metropolis.

The runners in the classic marathon distance of 42.195 km and the 21 km "Asics Run" half-marathon set off first. Minutes later, the participants in the 10.5 km race started.

According to the organizers, over 2,200 runners were registered in the three main disciplines – marathon, half-marathon, and 10.5 km – about 600 more than the previous edition.

The youngest participant in the 10.5 km race is 5-year-old Yoan Yosifov, and in the half-marathon – 13-year-old Petar Petrov. In the older age bracket, 75-year-old Vasil Nikolov from Varna is the oldest registered runner in the 10.5 km, while 78-year-old Stoyan Nenov stood at the start of the 21 km race.

2 km for all: the most massive start

The shortest distance of 2 km, preferred by beginners, amateurs, and the youngest participants, also drew extremely high interest this year.

More than 1,500 people joined it, reported the event coordinator Desislava Kalendzhieva.

To support the most massive start, Mayor Blagomir Kotsev, as well as the director of the municipal "Sports" department Kristian Dimitrov, stood with the other runners at the 2 km race.

A sports holiday for the whole city

The 11th edition of the iconic Varna Marathon once again turned into a true sports holiday – not only with a record number of participants but also with numerous side events around the start-finish zone.

At Independence Square, the colorful "Sport with Decathlon" festival also began – the largest initiative for mass sports within the framework of the marathon, also dedicated to today's Day of Bulgarian Sport.

National championship and expectation for records

For another year, the national marathon championship from the Bulgarian Athletic Federation's calendar is being held as part of the Varna Marathon.

The city will once again determine the national champions, which further increases the class and competitiveness of the race, the organizers emphasized.

They expressed the expectation that with such strong interest and high level of participants, the current race records could be improved, and Varna would solidify its positions as one of the leading sports centers in the country.