Pirin Ultra, live.

Five mountain routes from Bansko into the Pirin

Pirin Ultra takes trail and sky runners from the town of Bansko into the high ridges of Pirin National Park, a UNESCO listed park in southwest Bulgaria.

The race started in September 2016, and its 66 km route joined the Skyrunner World Series calendar in 2018. The 2027 edition, the eleventh, runs from 9 to 12 September 2027 with five mountain routes and a free 2 km run for everyone. Every route starts and finishes in Bansko.

The 160 km starts at 05:00 on Friday 10 September with about 11,000 m of climbing and a 50 hour limit, passing Banderitsa, Mandrata, the Javorov and Bezbog huts and the area around Pirin peak. The 68 km starts at 05:00 on Saturday 11 September with 4,400 m of climbing past the Begovitsa, Trite Reki and Demyanitsa huts. Neither of the two long courses is marked, so participants follow the official GPS track.

The 38 km Pirin Extreme starts at 08:00 on Saturday with 3,350 m of climbing over Duninoto kuche and Vihren peak, with four sections on fixed ropes at Koteshki Chal, Koncheto, the climb to Vihren and the Todorka ridge. The 17 km with 700 m of climbing goes the same morning at 09:00, and the 33 km Light, with 1,600 m, starts at 09:00 on Sunday 12 September.

The long routes ask for real mountain experience: scree, big rocks, dwarf pine and remote ground that is hard to navigate at night or in low visibility, plus a full mandatory kit with a compass and a GPS track. The organiser also expects every participant to be able to use a map, compass and GPS in all weather and at any time of day or night. The award ceremonies take place on the Central Square in Bansko.

On Livebib you can follow a participant who chooses to share their own live position from the phone they carry. This is not the organiser's timing, and the official results come from the Pirin Ultra organisation.