Crater marathon 2016

The third edition of the Crater Marathon will be organized on June 5, 2016, starting from the Wave Pool in Băile 1 Mai (5 km from Oradea, near Băile Felix Resort), the oldest wave pool in the country.

Crater Marathon is the newest and most suitable cycling marathon competition around Oradea. Crater Marathon is different from other cycling marathons organized so far in the area in that we tried to completely avoid both paved roads and settlements.
Thus, the routes contain less than 1 km of asphalt (in the Start/Finish area). The rest is just dirt or paved roads, paths in forests or on hilltops, and only touching the edge of localities, without crossing villages in length and breadth.
The trails also pass by several “Natura 2000″ protected areas:
- near the Start/Finish area is the "Water Lily Lake - Peţea Stream" Nature Reserve
- The paleontological reservation "Fossilizing Site on Şomleu Hill" with a vertical chasm incorrectly called "Crater" by locals
- three reservations in Tăşad (natural, paleontological and archaeological) with the “Cetățaua” archaeological site (with the remains of an ancient Dacian settlement) and the “Tortonian Limestones” in the Stracoș Valley, a valley where, following archaeological excavations, researchers found the remains of a 13-million-year-old whale.
The trails pass mostly through wooded areas. They also cross a coniferous forest with spruce, pine and juniper, which are mainly found only at mountain altitudes, with colder areas – not at all in hilly and plain areas like we find near Oradea.
Besides the coniferous forest, the trails also pass through the stream, speed through dry valleys and on ridges, and have steep climbs, possibly with push bikes for some of us.
In the Start Packages, among other things, we will also have specific news for cyclists, offered by Bellotto, and after completing the route, competitors will also benefit from the Pasta Party.
We have prepared four categories of routes:
- Children&Family, 2 km;
- Small – for cycling, 16 km, approximately 200 m difference in level;
- Short, distance 37 km, approximately 800 m difference in level;
- Long, distance 57 km, approximately 1600 m difference in elevation.