Euroins supported the organization of the charity event Friendship Marathon in the city of Pleven.

On May 18, 2025, the eleventh edition of the Friendship Marathon took place in the city of Pleven. The event attracted over 900 participants, including runners from Australia, Argentina, Bulgaria, the United Kingdom, France, Greece, Germany, India, Italy, Poland, Romania, Ukraine, and the United States.

All participants ran in support of a charitable cause – a scholarship awarded for academic excellence to a student from the Medical University in Pleven who has lost one or both parents or has grown up in institutional care. The initiative is part of the Ready for Success campaign by the BCause Foundation.

Participants in the race were divided into six main disciplines: the 42.2 km classic marathon, 21.1 km half marathon, relay race (2 x 10.55 km), 10.55 km, a 3 km fun run, and the children’s race Fun Run Kids. For yet another year, the most popular discipline was Fun Run Kids – over 600 children took part in the race, grouped into three age categories.

As part of the Marathon, a traditional fun run was also held in partnership with the Bulgarian Association for People with Intellectual Disabilities and the Maria’s World Foundation, in support of individuals with different abilities.

Over the years, the Friendship Marathon in Pleven has established itself as one of the most popular and anticipated events in the region, attracting a diverse audience. The marathon is not just a competition for professional runners—it’s a sports and cultural celebration attended each year by hundreds of locals, guests, diplomats, and public figures. This year as well, visitors had the opportunity to take part in group activities and sports as part of the Park+ initiative, which promotes extracurricular physical activity and reaches out to the most vulnerable groups in society—people with disabilities, individuals with intellectual challenges, and those in need of adapted physical activities. The initiative encourages their full participation alongside all other visitors, recognizing them as active and equal members of the community.

The eleventh edition of the Friendship Marathon in Pleven was organized by some of Bulgaria’s leading foundations and social enterprises, whose core mission is to support people in vulnerable situations and individuals with diverse abilities. These include ICE-Open, SK “Da Bягаш”, the Maria’s World Foundation, and the Social Future Foundation – Jamba, in partnership with Pleven Municipality, the Children’s Activity Center – Pleven, Elite Running Club from Romania, the Bulgarian Association for People with Intellectual Disabilities, the BCause Foundation, Autism Today, and with the support of numerous companies for whom corporate social responsibility and contributing to the development of a sustainable civil society are fundamental to their business values.

Photographer: Daniel Kolev