site.btaMore than 1,200 Competitors Expected to Take Part in 2022 Ultramarathon of Veliko Tarnovo

More than 1,200 racers are expected to take part in the 2022 Ultramarathon of Veliko Tarnovo on April 9 and 10, the organizers of the event, Brown Team Sports Club, said. 

This year's edition of the Veliko Tarnovo Ultramarathon has three trail running distances of 13, 33 and 53 km, two MTB biking distances of 30 and 48 km, and the traditional duathlon of 48 km MTB biking plus 33 km trail running. The tracks have variable terrains, hard and challenging profiles, breathtaking views and perfectly marked routes passing through two medieval fortresses. 

The majority of the participants in the 2022 Tarnovo Ultra are from Bulgaria, including Kiril Nikolov, aka the Disl, who is a famous Bulgarian orienteer and marathon runner, world biathlon vice champion Vladimir Iliev, and two-time world ski orienteering champion Stanimir Belomazhev. The foreign participants come from ten countries. 

The idea for a Tarnovo Ultra first appeared in 2015 and materialized in 2016, with distances of 43 km each for trail running and biking. In the following years the event developed to feature longer and shorter distances so as to make the competition more interesting and challenging for the participants, and more exciting and spectacular for the viewers. 

The first Tarnovo Ultra in 2016 started off with about a hundred competitors, to increase by about as many in each successive year until the pandemic 2020 when it became one of the biggest outdoor sports events of the year, with more than 600 competitors. In 2021, the Tarnovo Ultramarathon exceeded even the bravest expectations with more than 200 bikers and more than 650 runners at the starting line. 

The organizer of the race, Brown Team Sports Club, is a member of the Bulgarian Orienteering Federation. Since its establishment the club has always been in the top 3 of the club rankings in orienteering, performing equally well in foot orienteering, MTB-orienteering and ski orienteering. All the proceeds from the Tarnovo Ultra go straight towards the development of the Brown Club Sports Team and the purchase of new training maps for orienteering. The team members view themselves as one big family, not only in the organization of the Tarnovo Ultra, but also when attending orienteering competitions almost every weekend. It is thanks to the invaluable experience acquired at such events in orienteering, one of the most competitive sport environments in Bulgaria, that participants and spectators alike are always sure that all race and organization aspects of Tarnovo Ultra 2022 will be at the highest level possible.

More information about the 2022 Tarnovo Ultra, registration forms and a programme are available in English at https://www.tarnovo-ultra.com/index.php/en/.