WHAT THE HELL IS THE BLACK SEA RUN?
To put it simply, The Black Sea Run is two weeks, roughly 3800 kilometres and twelve countries… It’s the adventure road trip we’ve all been looking for.
It’s been labeled Europe’s #1 adventure road trip by Norway’s MANN Magazine.
When is it?
Black Sea Run 2012 kicks off July 27th… and if you are lucky you should finish two weeks later on August 11th.
How long will it take?
Well if you’re absolutely crazy and want to drive 24hrs a day, you can make it in two days. But for the rest of us that want to sight see and enjoy the trip, it is about 6 to 7 days of driving depending on how many speeding tickets and wrong turns you have. Most teams take a day off in each city to recover from hangovers and to explore the city a bit.
From start to finish we feel that two weeks is the perfect amount of time for the trip. This gives you enough free time so you do not feel like you have spent the whole trip inside your car. Also we have found that keeping it at only two weeks your liver will thank you later!
Where does it go?
The 2012 Black Sea Run kicks off from Budapest Hungary and ends two weeks later in Ukraine on the Black Sea at the legendary music festival… KAZANTIP!!!
Check out the Routes & Dates page for more details.
The Cars
Driving around eastern Europe and Russia just wouldn’t be right if you didn’t take along some of the cars from their past. We recommend old, cheap cars that should have been taken to the junkyard to be put out of their misery years ago. See the cars page for ideas of cars that we would like to see you driving.
But this is your adventure, so if you want to show up in a school bus with twenty one-legged midgets, it’s up to you. Our philosophy is that if it has wheels and it’s drivable (or easy enough to push), then drive to up to the start line and let’s see how your team gets on. Just keep in mind, if you show up in a pimped-out 2012 BMW, people might stone you or steal your car!
Charity
Each team will be asked to raise money for charity. We have five charities that range from cancer research to bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations.
Knowing that your team is helping others in need adds another level to this adventure. Breaking down in the middle of nowhere and having to push your car into the next town can be rough, but knowing that you’re doing it for a good cause will give you that extra energy you need when the going gets tough.
Please see the Charity page for more info on how you’ll be making a difference.
Support
The Black Sea Run is supposed to be an ADVENTURE, so we have decided to leave behind our support team — of top mechanics, doctors and a Swedish massage therapist — because where is the adventure in that?
Teams taking part in this event are unsupported, which means this is where all the good sense your momma taught you comes in handy. Breaking down in the middle of Ukraine at midnight, miles from anything, surrounded by old ladies with three teeth and none of them speak english is the definition of adventure!
But don’t worry, you’ll always be found… this is still Europe, there is help around every corner.
Check Points
Once you sign-up online, you will receive a list of official BSR checkpoints. Each city will have a designated hostel/bar where teams can stay/drink. These checkpoints are optional; we want to make sure that teams don’t drive reckless or tired in order to make one. If you miss a checkpoint, don’t worry, you can always meet us at the next one!
What do we win?
This is NOT a race, but there will be prizes awarded for the following categories:
- - Best Car / Most Creative Car
- - Most money raised for charity
- - Best souvenir found along the route
- - And of course first across the finish line
