Sofia Marathon

The Race

History

Sofia Marathon traces its history to 1983. An official news article marking the 2025 edition described it directly as the “42nd Wizz Air Sofia Marathon,” a figure that, set against the 1983 founding year, suggests the race has run in most years since with a small number of interruptions rather than as a strictly unbroken annual event.

The race is now organised as a five-distance weekend: a 5 km FIB Mass Run and a 10.5 km Garmin Run on the Saturday, followed by the marathon, the Address Run half marathon, and a new-for-2026 HONOR Together Relay Run, two runners covering 21 km each, on the Sunday. The 2026 edition was awarded a World Athletics Road Race Label, an upgrade from the historical Bronze Label status the race held previously.

The course

The marathon starts and finishes near Serdika, in central Sofia, close to the Serdika I and Serdika II metro stations. The marathon distance is completed as two laps of the same circuit also used for the half marathon and, in the new relay format, split evenly across the two legs.

The course reaches out through the Lyulin district on Sofia’s western edge, with a stage near Vardar metro station and a turnaround area near a Billa supermarket in the Lyulin 8 neighbourhood, before returning toward the centre across Chavdar Bridge, one of the course’s best-known spectator points.

Km 0-5: Out from Serdika. The marathon starts at 09:30 near Serdika in central Sofia, with the half marathon and the new relay race following 15 minutes later at 09:45.

Km 5-12: Toward Lyulin.The route heads out toward the Lyulin district on the city’s western edge, passing a stage near Vardar metro station.

Km 12-15: The Lyulin 8 turnaround. Runners reach a turnaround point near a Billa supermarket in the Lyulin 8 neighbourhood, the outermost point of the course before heading back toward the centre.

Km 15-21.1: Chavdar Bridge, and the first lap closes. The route crosses Chavdar Bridge, a point the organiser itself singles out as one of the most emotional on the course, where spectators traditionally gather in numbers, before returning to Serdika to complete the first 21.1 km lap. Half marathon and relay-leg-one runners finish or hand off here.

Km 21.1-42.195: The second lap.Marathon runners repeat the same route a second time, out to Lyulin and back across Chavdar Bridge, while half marathon runners have already finished, thinning the field noticeably for the marathon’s closing kilometres. Because the course is a two-lap repeat, Chavdar Bridge and its crowd offer a lift twice rather than once.

Logistics Map

No GPX file or renderable organiser course map was available during research for this race, so the map below shows confirmed landmark and transport-node locations rather than a plotted route line: the Serdika start-finish, the Lyulin district stage and turnaround, and Chavdar Bridge, crossed on each of the two laps. Tap a marker for details.

Pacers

Not confirmed either way in research. Several other races on this site have explicitly documented pacer programmes; its absence here may reflect a genuine gap rather than confirmed non-existence. Check the official FAQ page directly closer to race day.

What to wear

Mid-October in Sofia generally runs cool given the city’s elevation of around 550 m above sea level, noticeably higher than many other European capitals. A specific race-morning temperature range was not confirmed in research; a throwaway layer for the 09:30 start is a sensible general call regardless of the exact conditions on a given year.

Entry

Entry is direct online registration through sofiamarathon.bg, with no ballot. Registration for the 2026 edition opened 10 February 2026, and the site references real-time tracking of available spots, implying registration is capped and can close early if demand is high. Group registration is available, though specific group-rate pricing was not confirmed. Exact entry fee amounts were not confirmed in research; check the Fees tab on the official distance pages directly before registering.

The marathon entry package includes an ASICS-branded race T-shirt, a functional gear bag for the cloakroom, a personal-photo opportunity, a Powerade isotonic drink, a €20 Wizz Air voucher, a finisher’s medal, an online participation certificate with race result, on-course refreshments and water plus fruit, sweets, salty snacks, chocolate bars and water at the finish, on-course and finish-area medical support, and gifts from partners. Required gear includes the bib with disposable timing chip, an SMS-based tracking service, and a functional wardrobe bag.

There is no Boston- or London-style GFA route, and no charity or tour-operator entry pathway was found in research.

Fast Runner / GFA Standards

Not applicable. No evidence of a GFA or fast-runner entry pathway was found.

Race Weekend

Expo

The Running Expo runs across the full race weekend period, 6 to 11 October 2026. Specific venue, hours, and collection-requirement detail beyond this date range were not confirmed in research.

Race Morning

The marathon starts at 09:30 on Sunday 11 October 2026, followed 15 minutes later by the half marathon and the new HONOR Together Relay at 09:45, all from the Serdika area of central Sofia. The organiser publishes a Runner’s Checklist for what to bring to the start area, and a separate guide on what to do and avoid in the final 48 hours before the race, though their specific content was not extracted in research.

Free, extended public transport is confirmed: Sofia Municipality and Metropolitan EAD extend Metro Lines 1 and 4 to a weekday-level service on race day, with the start-finish area close to the Serdika I and Serdika II metro stations. Spectators wanting to see the course’s outer stretch can reach the Lyulin district via Vardar or Lyulin metro stations, and the Chavdar Bridge cheering point via Hadzhi Dimitar metro station on Line 3. An ASICS Cheering Zone is confirmed to return for 2026 at the final metres before the finish line. Named corral or wave structure and bag-drop procedure were not confirmed in research.

Nutrition on Course

Refreshments and water are confirmed at aid stations along the course, included in the entry fee; the finish area separately provides fruit, sweets, salty snacks, chocolate bars and water. A specific aid-station count, km-by-km breakdown, or personal-bottle-service procedure was not found in research.

Spectating

Because the marathon runs two laps of the same circuit, a spectator positioned anywhere on the shared route sees the marathon field pass twice. Chavdar Bridge is the organiser’s own singled-out highlight, reachable via Hadzhi Dimitar metro station on Line 3; the outer Lyulin turnaround is reachable via Vardar or Lyulin metro stations. An ASICS Cheering Zone returns for 2026 at the final metres before the finish line near Serdika, a third strong vantage point.

One route: take Metro Line 3 to Hadzhi Dimitar station for the Chavdar Bridge cheering point. A second: take Metro Line 2 toward Vardar station for the Lyulin “tunnel” stage, or continue to Lyulin station for the turnaround area near the Billa supermarket. A third: stay near Serdika I or Serdika II metro stations for the start, the finish, and the ASICS Cheering Zone in the final metres before the line. A named live-tracking app or finish-grandstand detail beyond the ASICS Cheering Zone itself was not found in research.

Post-Race Food

No specific, sourced restaurant names near Serdika were identified in research. The area sits at the heart of central Sofia, within reach of Vitosha Boulevard’s dense restaurant strip, but this page will not name a specific venue without a direct source.

Where to Stay

Because the course starts and finishes at the same point, near Serdika, a hotel within easy reach of that area, and of the Serdika I or Serdika II metro stations specifically, serves both ends of the race equally well.

Serdika, the immediate start-finish area

The single most practical base, given the official confirmation that the start-finish sits close to both Serdika metro stations, with extended weekday-level metro service running on race day itself.

Vitosha Boulevard

Central Sofia’s main pedestrian shopping and dining street, a short walk from Serdika, with a denser concentration of restaurants and cafés than the immediate start-finish area itself.

Around Sofia University and the National Assembly

A short distance from Serdika, generally recommended for a quieter stay with easy walking access to the city’s main museums and government-quarter architecture.

Along Metro Lines 1 or 4

Given both lines run extended, weekday-level service on race morning, a hotel anywhere along either line offers a reasonably direct, confirmed transport route to the start-finish area even without a central location.

Recommended hotels

Booking timeline

Entry is open registration with no ballot results date, though the official site’s own real-time spot-tracking feature suggests a capacity cap exists and popular distances could close early; booking a hotel as soon as a runner has entered is a reasonable general recommendation.

See & Do

These sit at or close to the start-finish, or directly on the course’s own route.

Serdika Archaeological Complex

At the start-finish itself. An open-air excavation of Roman-era Serdika, the ancient settlement beneath modern Sofia, uncovered during metro construction and now visible at street level directly around the Serdika metro stations.

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral

Within easy walking distance of central Sofia. A large Neo-Byzantine Orthodox cathedral completed in 1912, one of the largest in the Balkans, and one of Sofia’s most recognisable landmarks.

Vitosha Boulevard

Central Sofia’s main pedestrian shopping and dining street, running toward a direct view of Vitosha mountain at its southern end, flat and easy walking for a first day back on foot after the marathon.

Boyana Church

A short taxi or bus ride from the centre. A small medieval church with UNESCO World Heritage status for its well-preserved 13th-century frescoes, considered among the finest examples of medieval Bulgarian painting.

Vitosha Mountain

Reachable by metro and connecting bus within about an hour. A mountain rising directly above the city, with a cable car and hiking trails, covered in full in the excursions below.

After the Race

Sofia Marathon runs in October. These itineraries reach a mountain above the city, Bulgaria’s largest monastery, its second city, and a mountain town below the Pirin range.