Who says that during a pandemic there aren’t good events in Macedonia?

For all the adventurers and all the nature lovers it is our great pleasure to introduce you to Dejan Krle who is part of the organization of “Vodno-Matka Trail Marathon 2021”. This all-day event in nature will take place on March 27^th , and consists of two marathons; one is a 42 km mountain marathon and the other is a 26 km half-marathon on the slopes of Vodno and through the Matka Canyon.

What makes our team really proud is the fact that both marathon and half-marathon pass through beautiful landscapes in the country where participants have the chance to enjoy the stunning green beauty that nature offers and mystical historical places hidden inside.

Dejan says that the marathons pass through the most beautiful areas of Vodno, a mountain from where you can enjoy the view of the Skopje valley and the surrounding mountains such as: Skopska Crna Gora, Zeden, Karadzica, Jakupica, Kitka, and in the distance the picturesque Shara Mountain.

From Vodno, the race passes along the river Treska and the Canyon Matka. It is a unique and amazing feeling when running along the nature which is complemented by the mystical monasteries, churches and monuments from the Byzantine period.

Almost every year there are more than 300 participants from Macedonia who are, first of all, nature lovers. About 24 percent are young people under the age of 29.

There are also a lot of foreign tourists. Nearly 120 runners and a hundred other companions are part of this event. Foreigners stay here for several days. They usually arrive two days before the event, spend the night and organize walks, in order to get to know the region where they will compete.

Dejan also sent us a list full of positive reviews from the foreign participants, many of whom come from the neighboring countries and say they will return again for the race.

The Mountain running is one of the fastest growing sports. In 2019, thousands of marathons were organized around the world that took place in national parks, protected areas and nature reserves.

Among the other things, they contribute by significantly increasing the economic benefits during off-season adventure tourism in the mountainous regions and the places with significant cultural heritage.

Mountain racing encourages young people to develop a healthy and active lifestyle and promotes a range of opportunities for various sports activities and visits to places of interest around the city of Skopje and the Matka Canyon. The long-term vision of TREX in the next 5-10 years is to reach its full potential and offer 5 events with 15 mountain marathons in different lengths, such as 20 km, 40 km, 60 km, 80 km, 100 km and 170 km on more than 3000 competitors as well as to become part of the prestigious Ultra-Trail® World Tour events.

Dejan says that all marathons, including the one Vodno-Matka, are created in order to meet the needs of all the nature lovers.