Over 900 People From 13 Countries Ran for a Causeat the Pleven Friendship Marathon

The 11th Edition of the Marathon Provided a Full Scholarship for a Medical Student.

On May 18, the eleventh edition of the Pleven Friendship Marathon took place. Over 900 people participated in the various disciplines, including runners from Australia, Argentina, Bulgaria, Great Britain, France, Germany, Greece, India, Italy, Poland, Romania, Ukraine and the USA. The youngest participant was only 40 days old and the oldest – 78 years young.

The event once again attracted over 600 children aged 6 to 12, making it a celebration for all those who love sports and an active lifestyle.

All participants in the Marathon ran in support of a charitable cause – a scholarship for an excellent medical student who lost one or both parents or grew up in a specialized institution. The initiative is part of the BCause Foundation’s “Get Ready to Succeed” campaign. This year, the funds for the scholarship were secured even before the start of the race.

During the Marathon, a mass cross-country race was traditionally held in collaboration with BAPID and “Maria’s World” Foundation in support of differences and diversity.

The Friendship Marathon was opened by the Chairman of the Municipal Council of Pleven, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ivan Malkodanski, who emphasized that the event traditionally supports a noble cause. After his address, Dr. Malkodanski started in the 10.55 km distance. A congratulatory message to the organizers and participants of the Marathon was read on behalf of Grozdan Karadzhov, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport of the Republic of Bulgaria. Minister Karadzhov encouraged the participants to continue running not only for time and results, but also for ideas and for change.

The DCM of the US Embassy in Bulgaria, Martin McDowell, also congratulated the organizers and participants and emphasized that the Pleven Marathon is a symbol of the unity of the human spirit and has been bringing the community together and supporting the noble cause of education of young doctors for over a decade. An official greeting to the participants and organizers was also read on behalf of the Embassy of the Republic of Romania in Bulgaria.

The participants in the race were divided into six main disciplines – the challenging 42.2-kilometer classic marathon, 21.1 km half marathon, relay (2 x 10.55 km), 10.55 km, DECATHLON 3-kilometer mass cross, as well as the children’s run Fun Run Kids. For another year, the discipline that attracted the most participants was Fun Run Kids – over 600 children took part in the runs, divided into three age groups.

The awards for the winners in each category were presented on behalf of the event’s main sponsor Euroins, and partners from Junior Achievement Bulgaria, VIDAS Nestle, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Decathlon, Palfinger, the Municipality of Pleven on the stage at the central square “Vazrazhdane”.

Hristo Minkov is the winner of the eleventh edition of the Friendship Marathon. He ran the classic distance of 42.195 km in 02:52:06 h. His runners-up were Georgi Vassilev (03:02:34) and Nikolay Hristov (03:06:36). To mark the 11th edition of the marathon, Kamen Dimitrov ran the 42 km course wearing a vest with 11 kg weights.

The fastest among women was Margarita Drenova with a time of 04:02:04 h. Her runners-up were Nina Ruseva (04:04:41) and Gichka Mihaylova (04:41:51).

There was also a contested race this year in the half marathon distance. The fastest in it were Ivaylo Valev (1:17:56 h.), followed by Svetlin Ignatov (1:23:37) and Angel Angelov from ASICS FrontRunner (1:25:36). In the women’s race, Teodora Petkova won with a time of 1:29:44 h., Lyudmila Evstatieva (1:44:56) and Denitsa Velikova (1:47:04).

The first places in the 10.55 km race were taken by Nikolay Efremov with 00:40:39 for the men and Elena Zdravkova with 00:43:48 for the women. Genadi Genadiev finished second (00:40:49) and Kalin Stefanov and Nikolay Peshev shared the bronze(00:43:42). Niya Yotova from ASICS FrontRunner (00:44:52) was second and Ralitsa Tyutyundzhieva (00:49:09) – third among the women.

In the relay, the first place was taken by the team “We Eat Everything with Salt” of Martin Argirov and Marinela Kraycheva (01:19:53 h) with the runners-up being the team Azimut – Panayot Panayotov and Georgi Iliev (01:21:15) and the team “MG-04-05” – Todor Marinov & Jay Demirev (01:21:42).

Among the veteran men (60-70 years old) in the marathon distance, Krasimir Hristov came first with a time of 04:13:30, and among the women – Malina Ivanova with a time of 04:02:58. The oldest marathon runner in Bulgaria, Boyka Arsova, once again ran the course in the control time and took first place in the women’s age group 70+.

Over the years, the Friendship Marathon in Pleven has established itself as a beloved and awaited event in the region, attracting a diverse audience. The marathon is not just a competition for established runners, but a sports and cultural celebration, which is attended by hundreds of Pleven residents and guests every year. This year, during the event, visitors had the opportunity to join group activities and sports within the Park+ initiative, supported by DECATHLON Bulgaria, and to enjoy the wonderful musical and dance performances prepared by the talented children from the Children’s Center – Pleven.

This year’s Friendship Marathon was organized by volunteers from Bulgaria, the USA, Great Britain, Romania, Switzerland and Russia as well as representatives of the Roma community in Pleven. With their teamwork, they proved that building a just social environment is a cause that transcends all language and cultural barriers and state borders.

The 11-th Pleven Friendship Marathon is organized by leading foundations and social enterprises in Bulgaria, whose main mission is to support people in disadvantaged situations and with different abilities: “Eyes Open“, “To Run” Sports Club, “Maria’s World” Foundation , Social Future – “Jamba” Foundation in partnership with the Municipality of Pleven, Center for Working with Children – Pleven, “Elite” Running Sports Club from Romania, Bulgarian Association for Persons with Intellectual Disabilities, “BCause” Foundation, “Autism Today“, and with the support of many companies for whom corporate and social responsibility, contribution to building a fair social environment and a sustainable future are at the core of their business.