The Warta 800 covers approximately 800 kilometers from the Warta River’s source in Zawiercie-Kromołów to its mouth in Kostrzyn nad Odrą. This unsupported bike ultramarathon takes place in August. Participants navigate using a GPX track, relying solely on their own physical strength to complete the entire course. With a 120-hour time limit, the event tests riders’ abilities in sleep management, pacing, navigation, and self-reliance, in addition to their riding speed.
Riders depart individually or in small groups at brief intervals, charting their own course through the Silesian, Łódź, Greater Poland, and Lubusz voivodeships. The route largely follows the Warta River, utilizing riverside trails, gravel roads, paths, levees, and escarpments rather than a direct road-only path. This is a national cycling race defined by its unique objective: to traverse a single Polish river from its origin to its terminus, carrying all necessary gear and managing challenges without external assistance.