“It's the biggest ultra race in Bulgaria and it is in the backyard of the capital, so it is really well organized with plenty of aid stations and you can really feel the support of the crowd in those places. *No bears too*
You need to be prepared for this long distance event obviously. You know for such events how important it is stay mentally strong for 10-20 hours.
I would say it's not super technical, but the terrain changes constantly”
Technicality: I don't really have a big database for comparison, but I can say it's very runnable. I'm not super experienced in long ultras, but I've seen way more technical segments on shorter races. I believe Vitosha 100 can be great for complete newbies in the mountain trail running, of course if they're prepared for its duration. I suspect that some segments of the race may become really difficult in case of rain or challenging weather conditions. As it starts at midnight, foggy weather for instance can cause troubles finding the right path, also a drizzle or low temperatures during the night can really make the experience quite uncomfortable.
Shoes / poles / pack: It's totally ok if you don't use poles. It's well runnable the whole time.
Aid Stations: The aid stations are great. I like to take my own gels, so not really sure if there are gels on the stations, but there's definitely a variety of foods, snacks and drinks.
Views and Vibes: The crowd vibe is great! I only ran it once (last year) and I'm making sure to include it in my race calendar for every year to follow.
Logistics: Couldn't be easier. It's starting and ending in Sofia. We didn't go at the start really early and still managed to find a parking spot. Going by public transport should also be fine.
What surprised them: I think all the info on the official website got me prepared enough and set the right expectations. The 1 thing that really caught me offguard was the dust. Last year it was really a nice & dry weather and it was dry the weeks before the event and as there were more than 1000+ participants there was a constant cloud of dust caused by the people, especially in the first half of the race since the runners are more packed, and on the forest ascents. A big part of the race is on singletracks in the forest.
One Tip for Runners: I don't think there was something I was missing during the race from my basic equipment. Make sure to bring a wind-protection layer and if you are not planning to push hard in the first half - possible some additional thermal layer, as it can get really cold at around km 30 (it was around 4am and I remember we were passing close to the Studena dam and my hands were freezing).
I'd suggest to bring more than 1 buff as you can use it as head or neck warmer but also as gloves if needed. Runners need to make themselves aware of the mountain marking, as there are big parts of the race with no race specific marks, but using the regular mountain path marks. However, to get lost in this event, you really need to put in some effort- there's plenty of people running it and also the track is following the most common (and probably biggest) mountain paths/ways. If you are a beginner in ultra racing I'd definitely recommend this one. It's also good as a very first event.