Difficult...hills and heat! but absolutely a wonderful experience tho I needed more than 5 mos training bc prior id only run several 10ks, not even a half. Run starts 9am … MORE
Difficult…hills and heat! but absolutely a wonderful experience tho I needed more than 5 mos training bc prior id only run several 10ks, not even a half. Run starts 9am but bc we had to depart from Athens to city of Marathon by their provided buses at 6ish, by arrival we had to keep warmed up for still at least 1 1/2 hrs whilst keeping my nervousness at bay. Overall a must experience to cross the finish line inside the ancient Panathenaic Stadium in Athens. Many locals run this race for its historical significance to the origin of the “marathon”. I realized afterwards the true meaning of what it meant to endure the training of a marathon vs celebrating the completion of the run. This may be a one and done because fueling along the way was my biggest challenge.
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NO REGRETS!
Difficult...hills and heat! but absolutely a wonderful experience tho I needed more than 5 mos training bc prior id only run several 10ks, not even a half. Run starts 9am … MORE
Difficult…hills and heat! but absolutely a wonderful experience tho I needed more than 5 mos training bc prior id only run several 10ks, not even a half. Run starts 9am but bc we had to depart from Athens to city of Marathon by their provided buses at 6ish, by arrival we had to keep warmed up for still at least 1 1/2 hrs whilst keeping my nervousness at bay. Overall a must experience to cross the finish line inside the ancient Panathenaic Stadium in Athens. Many locals run this race for its historical significance to the origin of the “marathon”. I realized afterwards the true meaning of what it meant to endure the training of a marathon vs celebrating the completion of the run. This may be a one and done because fueling along the way was my biggest challenge.
Uphill for miles
This race was a constant uphill until mile 20. After mile 20 when it starts going downhill, my mistake was running hard to finish my goal of under 4 hours. … MORE
This race was a constant uphill until mile 20. After mile 20 when it starts going downhill, my mistake was running hard to finish my goal of under 4 hours. I started cramping multiple times due to that. I was lucky to have finished. Nonetheless, very nice experience. Finishing in the original Olympic stadium was awesome. I like the finishing medal — a classic olympic gold. I’m still using the book bag that came as part of the swag.
Hilly historic run
One of the reviews says don't do it if you want to see Greece - I disagree: it's a good chance to visit Greece with less people and discounted prices. … MORE
One of the reviews says don’t do it if you want to see Greece – I disagree: it’s a good chance to visit Greece with less people and discounted prices. Everything IS open in November in general and especially around the marathon dates because they know that a lot of tourists are coming.
In 2022 18, 500 runners (I think) participated in the marathon and 35-40,000 in all running activities.
It’s a big event and it’s well organized (despite Greece being not the most organized country).
The course is hilly (my watch counted 1,080′ of gain) and it was sunny and hot for us.
A lot of participants, but it made it more fun to run, not more difficult. Great support from the locals.
Don't do it as a vacation race
#1 point - Don't make this part your first time coming to Greece... Mostly because you are coming during the "Off Season" and many places aren't open or are closing … MORE
#1 point – Don’t make this part your first time coming to Greece… Mostly because you are coming during the “Off Season” and many places aren’t open or are closing down. This is a great race for someone who’s been to Greece before or has a followup trip planned in the future.
#2 point – If you are a runner who goes slower than 6.5 hours this race isn’t fun.
(More will be forthcoming)
Historic, crowded
This was extremely well-organized and the swag is great -- bag, shirt, medal. The historical significance makes it really special. I especially enjoyed the excited spectators in crowds along the … MORE
This was extremely well-organized and the swag is great — bag, shirt, medal. The historical significance makes it really special. I especially enjoyed the excited spectators in crowds along the route and especially in Athens. The race was extremely crowded throughout. Water stations were frequent enough but I found it strange that all the water was in 0.5 liter bottles rather than cups. There was gu offered only about 1/2 way through, which was not frequent enough for me. I was exhausted after and had a hard time with walking halfway around the track to get water and then finding my gear check bag. The excitement around the event was so much fun and I saw many participants wearing their medals around the city that night and the next day.
IIT ALL STARTED HERE!!!!!!!
I took a tour of the course the day before. I am so glad I did. Knowing where the hills were, where they began and stopped was something I keyed … MORE
I took a tour of the course the day before. I am so glad I did. Knowing where the hills were, where they began and stopped was something I keyed on, especially knowing that it would be downhill the last 10k. Take the tour, its a good way to spend the day and you will benifit from it. The starting line staging area is out in the middle of no where. Bring what you need to prepare yourself for the race. Not much for vendors there. you get to finish in the STADIUM. SMILE BECAUSE YOU ARE A WINNER!!!!!!!!!
What can one say - It's Athens!
Every serious marathon runner needs to run Athens - the birth place of the marathon. This was my 1st time running the Athens Marathon, and plan to do it again. … MORE
Every serious marathon runner needs to run Athens – the birth place of the marathon. This was my 1st time running the Athens Marathon, and plan to do it again. The course is challenging, and begins after about mile 6/7 into the race, shortly after departing from the Start – “Marathon.” The hills are rolling, and steep – one right after the other. The crowd support was awesome with everyone yelling out “Bravo” as you passed. The Expo was large, and everyone at the Expo were friendly. The finish of the marathon happens in the 1896 Athens Olympic Stadium – breathtaking! I plan to go back! The Finisher’s Medal and T-Shirt were nice.
Worth It! (with Marathon Tours)
Jen & Jane of Marathon Tours made this one super easy to enjoy. We stayed at the Hera, just steps from the Acropolis and Plaka. The hotel was easy to … MORE
Jen & Jane of Marathon Tours made this one super easy to enjoy. We stayed at the Hera, just steps from the Acropolis and Plaka. The hotel was easy to walk to from the finish line/stadium.
They drop you off in Marathon and it is crowded there. The race does have some hills. You end in the Olympic Stadium which is awesome. I recommend the event and going with Marathon Tours. Mark this one off your bucket list. Enjoy!