Today on Vodno, the 14th edition of „Sparkasse Life - First to the Peak” is taking place. It is the kind of event that shows Skopje can be something more than gridlocked traffic, polluted air and political squabbling - the city can run, ride and breathe with the mountain that surrounds it. At least once a year.

Five competition categories: mountain running (4.5 kilometres), mountain biking (9 kilometres), road cycling (11.4 kilometres), an e-bike race (9 kilometres), and a company team-building race (4.5 kilometres). From the start of the cycling event at 9:45 a.m., to the running start at 10:00, to the whole atmosphere at the summit - the event has its own rhythm and its own magic.

The start is at the Museum of Skopje, the route passes the police station, climbs through Sreden Vodno, up to the peak. Everyone who finishes gets a medal. There is also a 1,000 euro prize fund for anyone who sets a new course record. After the race - food, drinks, DJ, concert. A family day outdoors, the kind of event most Western European cities host every weekend in the summer, while we get one a year.

Why does that matter? Because Mount Vodno is the largest piece of public green space in Skopje. Unlike city parks, which people mostly use for a stroll, Vodno demands a different kind of engagement - gear, trails, physical effort. When thousands of people show up on a single day in a single place, it isn't just sport - it is a statement that the city can be something different.

There is a broader lesson too. Skopje needs more events like this, not one per year. London, Barcelona, Athens host recreational runs every month. Vienna has better cycling lanes running through the whole city. We have one day on Vodno - and that's good, but not enough. With a bit of support from the municipalities, events like this could become routine, not a rare luxury outing.

Today, everyone who climbs to the peak will feel a little like part of something bigger than their own effort and sweat. It is one of the rare moments when Skopje shows itself as more than a political arena - as a place where you can actually live, move and breathe. If not for the rest of the year, then at least for one day.