A unique mime marathon took place at Zlatni Pyasutsi (Golden Sands) resort near Varna this week and applied to be entered in the Guinness Book of World Records. Popular Bulgarian mime artist Alexander Iliev performed for 24 hours in the show that started on Tuesday at 10am and ended at 10am on Wednesday. Iliev was acting on an amphitheatric stage surrounded by grass in the centre of the resort. Ralitsa Georgieva, a young mime artist, also participated in the show.

The mime marathon included more than 400 different pantomime pieces, eastern dances, clown sketches, circus acts and variety tricks, as well as dances with original national masks from the repertoire of the greatest mime masters in the world. The actor's performance was accompanied by a variety of musical pieces ranging from traditional Chinese and Tibetan songs, classical and jazz music, to contemporary Bulgarian and international pop songs.

"During marathons of this kind, the mime artist loses over 10kg of his weight," Iliev explained. "He walks more than 140 miles on stage and drinks more than 40 litres of water."

The performer was allowed to have a one-minute break every hour. He said that the preparation for such a marathon was very complex. "Your body needs exposure to various physical stresses, coordination and balance exercises, and daily workouts. It's all a matter of accumulating skill and being in good physical shape."

This was not the first artistic marathon for Iliev. In 1992, he entered the Guinness Book of World Records with a 24-hour mime marathon and then, in 1994, beat his own record by performing for 25 consecutive hours. This week's marathon could be a new record as it was held outdoors for the first time.

Iliev also found his way into the Guinness files with his participation in the so-called Everest marathon with the highest staged concert ever at 5,350m above sea level in 1996.

His partner in the mime marathon, Georgieva, said that she volunteered to take part in the adventure. Her longest performance before the marathon was a three-hour play at the National Theatre and Film Academy where she studies. "I will try to reach and even break the record next summer," Georgieva said. She plans to train this summer by performing mime sketches in the streets. She said she admires her teacher and wants to become at least as good at mime art as he is.

"I am not really interested in breaking a record and getting into the Guinness Book of World Records," said Iliev. "This is first of all a patriotic marathon. We want to attract a maximum number of foreign tourists." The actor said his performance was also a way to present Bulgaria in a more unusual way and to offer unconventional forms of tourism. "We do not compare to the impression that the Rila Monastery, for example, gives foreign tourists. We just want them to have unusual, even bizarre memories of the country."

The marathon was also a stage to promote and sell the new travel guide of Bulgaria, which was written by Iliev and Evgeni Dinchev. Editions of "A Guidebook To Bulgaria" in Bulgarian and English can be bought in bookstores and at Slaveikov Square in Sofia.