Life’s paths meet at the starting line – three stories from the Sofia Marathon

Since its first edition in 1983, the Sofia Marathon has become one of the capital’s major sporting events. In 2026, it brought runners together for the 43rd time, once again showing how sport can unite people across borders and differences. More than 12,000 participants from 70 countries took part in an event that is much more than a race for a better time or a test of endurance and willpower. It is a place to meet and connect, where people from different countries, speaking different languages and practising different religions, stand shoulder to shoulder at the starting line.

After the finish, the marathon of life goes on

The Sofia Marathon reminds us that sport is not just about competing. It is also about being together, helping one another and discovering what connects us as people. Once the race is over, the marathon of life continues, with its difficulties, trials and unexpected turns. Sevda Dyukyandzhi introduces us to three participants from very different places and with different interests, who share a passion for sport.

Shivan Ibrahim: “Bulgaria is like a mother to me. I love it dearly!”

Shivan Ibrahim arrived in Bulgaria in 2011, crossing borders illegally on his journey from Syria through Türkiye. He spent years without legal status, moving between refugee camps, before his determination and perseverance helped him find his place in Bulgarian society and gain citizenship. The hardships of life as an undocumented migrant are now behind him. Shivan still runs, but these days, as he puts it, “along the same course as everyone else, in a free country, smiling and positive”.

Today, the refugee from Syria is a proud Bulgarian citizen with an established career and two children.

“It was an incredible feeling. We were smiling and full of energy. For us, winning wasn’t about coming first. It was about being together, supporting one another and running together.”

This is the power of sport to bring people together, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity or religion.

“There were so many people. All the time, you could hear different languages and talk to all sorts of people. We were like one body, running along the course together. It didn’t matter who anyone was – young or old. There were disadvantaged people, people from all walks of life. What mattered most was that we were all human,” says Shivan, whose own journey has been far from easy.

“My journey was a marathon too, but a different kind – a hard one, with a lot of stress and so many doors closed to me. That part of my life was a marathon: fleeing a country at war, passing through several countries and finally reaching a real marathon here in Bulgaria, where you run freely, because you want to! You’re not running from war or escaping something bad and dangerous. Here, you feel you’re really running. Perhaps what matters is to overcome your own limits and take part. To take part because you want to, with love,” says Shivan, who now proudly recites lines every Bulgarian grows up with:

“I am a Bulgarian child and I love
our green mountains!

“I always say it, and I’m proud of it. Bulgaria has given me everything!

“I ran this marathon smiling and full of energy because I know I’m in a free country, a country that has given me everything. If Bulgaria were a person, I’d hug her, kiss her on the head and say: thank you for what you’ve given me!” he says with emotion.

“For me, Bulgaria is like a mother. I love Bulgaria dearly! I can say I love Bulgaria more than Syria, because Bulgaria has given me more than I had in Syria. I’m very grateful to this country.”

Shaban Mustafa – second-fastest Bulgarian in the marathon with a time of 2:32:40, finishing 10th overall

Shaban Mustafa, from the village of Kosten, lives 300 kilometres from the capital. He works for Sungurlare Municipality, farms and tends his walnut trees. Despite his many commitments, he makes time to run early every morning and again in the evening.

“I won the marathon in 2012. I came first that year. But my greatest successes have been in mountain marathons. In 2015, I ran in one of the world’s most competitive and best-known mountain marathons. I finished fourth at the World Long Distance Mountain Running Championships, held at the Gornergrat Zermatt Marathon in Switzerland that year. I’m the only Bulgarian runner to have won the Jungfrau Marathon in Switzerland, also in 2015. I’m also a two-time world mountain running champion, in 2016 and 2023.”

Mustafa believes mass-participation events can encourage children and young people to take up sport. What does it take to get from a small Bulgarian village to the medal podium?

“Sport is good for the health of everyone who takes part. It teaches discipline and respect for others. Sport really does give you so much.

“That’s why I train twice a day, every day. The first thing I do in the morning is go for a run. Then, after work, I run again.”

Desislava Pavlova: “I’m happy to have improved on my previous performances”

Desislava Pavlova is a businesswoman from Sofia, and sport is an essential part of her daily life. For her, taking part in the capital’s biggest sporting event is a lesson in mutual support and determination.

“For me, running is much more than a sport. It’s a kind of therapy. It’s time to recharge, let go of tension and feel free and truly happy. This year’s Sofia Marathon left me with so many good memories and positive emotions. The atmosphere is incredible. It’s so inspiring to see so many people stepping outside their comfort zones and proving, above all to themselves, just how much they can do.”

The marathon may be a race, but it also brings people together.

Editor: Elena Karkalanova