The Athens Marathon, the Authentic Marathon, is not just a sporting event, a hard race, a tough course of 42,195m. More than that, the Athens Marathon, the Authentic Marathon, is a bridge that unifies the legend with history; it showcases the strength of human will; it is a fountain of …
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The Athens Marathon, the Authentic Marathon, is not just a sporting event, a hard race, a tough course of 42,195m. More than that, the Athens Marathon, the Authentic Marathon, is a bridge that unifies the legend with history; it showcases the strength of human will; it is a fountain of values, of social liability, environmental sensitivity, friendship and solidarity.
The “Athens Marathon. The Authentic” is one of the most significant sport, cultural and social events hosted in the city of Athens. The Athens Marathon is enhanced by the willingness of thousands of volunteers and it is totally supported by several authorities of the public and private sector. The event gives back to the Greek community more than 3.5 million € annually, through its charity, as well as sponsor initiatives.
The Athens Marathon will be held this November and thousands of runners from all over the world are expected to participate in every year’s race. Apart from the sporting experience, they will have the chance to enjoy the traditional Greek hospitality, discover the fascinating landscape of our country and explore a city which is constantly improving its standards.
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A must run marathon!
Athens Marathon is a race every marathon runner should run at least once in a lifetime. Buses take runners to the ancient city of Marathon early in the morning. The … MORE
Athens Marathon is a race every marathon runner should run at least once in a lifetime. Buses take runners to the ancient city of Marathon early in the morning. The course is tough with much elevation gain. The atmosphere is super and the finish in the antique stadium is priceless! An epic experience!
Tough Race but Great Trip!
I was a history major in college with a particular interest in classical history. I took a ton of classical language and literature classes including ancient Greek so Athens has … MORE
I was a history major in college with a particular interest in classical history. I took a ton of classical language and literature classes including ancient Greek so Athens has been one of the top destinations on my bucket list. Being a history nerd, of course I wanted to run the authentic marathon course. I signed up for this race through Marathon Tours. While you definitely can do this race without a tour group, I absolutely loved the trip and would highly recommend it. I was originally planning to do the full 8 night trip with them but then I won entry into the Tokyo Marathon and had to figure out how to rearrange my vacation dates so I could go to Tokyo and ended up doing the 4 night trip. Even the shorter trip was excellent and I got to see a lot of Athens. There was good pre race communication from both marathon tours and from the marathon. Marathon Tours has us stay at the Royal Olympic Hotel. This was very convenient so you should consider staying there with or without Marathon Tours. The expo is a bit further out. One nice things is Marathon Tours bused us to the expo. You get your bib first and I liked that they have a chip reader to make sure it works. You then have to walk through the entire expo to get the shirts and swags. The expo is big with lots of vendors. The shirt is okay. You also get a backpack and a poncho. The race is point to point from Marathon to Athens following a similar course to what Pheidippides supposedly ran. There are buses that pick you up in downtown Athens right near our hotel. It’s about a 45 minute bus ride. It is a very long morning as you need to catch the bus by around 6am and the race doesn’t start until 9 and the last corrals start after 10. One great thing about going with Marathon Tours is you make friends to hang out with while waiting. There was a good number of porta potties and the corrals were spread out in different areas. I was one of the later corrals and scheduled to start around 9:55. I was impressed as I crossed the start line right about the time I was supposed to start. For such a huge race impressive with predicted start times. This is a huge race with a very exciting atmosphere. However it is a rough course. Choosing a historically significant course is cool in theory but it doesn’t necessarily mean it will be the most scenic or have the best elevation profile. The first 10K of the race is nice mostly flat and slightly net downhill. I was doing excellent and on pace to finish under 6 hours the first 10K. However the next 20K is almost all uphill. There is one downhill break in the beginning but it is about 7 miles of straight climbing with no relief and some of it quite steep. This destroyed me. I’ve been training for Tokyo (which is flat) and not this race as Tokyo as a strict time limit and this race has a not strict 8 hour time limit and have been working on a steady run-walk on a flattish course so haven’t really done hill training. I had to walk almost all of that 7 mile. My time prediction on the app was over 7 hours with how slow I was on the uphill. The good news is the last 10K is mostly downhill. I made up some time at the end and did manage to finish under 7 hours. I was actually pretty happy with my last 10K pace. I wasn’t fast but was about 15 minute/mile which I thought was good for how sore I was after the uphill. Scenery for the course is okay. Greece is a scenic place. This is not the most scenic course in Greece. I did like all the towns we went through that had a lot of spectators and loved the finish at Panathenaic Stadium. Production was mostly good. The roads are all closed and it is well marked with Km markers. There are sufficient aid stations but the aid they provided was not quite enough. It was hot and humid which didn’t help the hills. All the aid stations had water but it was odd they handed you bottles of water. Only a few had electrolytes, one had gels and a couple had bananas and one at the end had coca-cola which tasted great. I could have used more electrolytes and more simple nutrition like gels. I meant to take clif chews but forgot to bring them on the bus (that is on me but a perfectly produced race you shouldn’t need to bring anything). Even though I was super, super slow because I didn’t hill train I had no issues being near the back. All the aid stations were well stocked and the finish line was still really exciting. There was a little less spectators at the later miles but there were enough to keep me going. This was my slowest marathon but I also think it was my hardest and most people in Marathon Tours group felt this was one of the toughest if not the toughest they have done. My slow finish time made me a little nervous for Tokyo but my first and last 10K were fine and I won’t have a never ending 7 mile hill in the middle of that race. I guess we will see in March. The medal is decent. It is my best European medal though still not as nice as most of my American Marathon medals. The only post race food was a banana and you also got a bag with water, powerade and juice. This seems typical of Europe. I really loved the historical significance of this race, the energy from spectators and participants and the back of the pack friendliness. However the scenery was only okay and I did not like the elevation profile. I am still very happy I did this and do think it should be a bucket list race and a bucket list trip. I would though recommend hill training. While I was never at risk of not making the time cutoff it was just miserable doing the hills with so little training. Here’s hoping I am faster at a flatter marathon.
A bucket list Marathon for me.
Great Race! I loved Greece! It was the perfect time to go, no crowds and cooler temperatures. Wear a hat, it is very sunny! Bring Toilet paper! And brace yourself … MORE
Great Race! I loved Greece! It was the perfect time to go, no crowds and cooler temperatures. Wear a hat, it is very sunny! Bring Toilet paper! And brace yourself for the climb! It starts at mile 8 and continues until after 20. The last 5K is downhill, I truly enjoyed that! The day started cool but warmed up fast. The sun is very intense, I made the mistake of not wearing a hat. Another note you will wait for a long time for the race to start, if you are not in the first waves. I took the race slow and steady. My goal was to finish strong! When I ran in to the Panthenaic Stadium, I was overcome with Joy! I waited a long time to do this Iconic race because the elevation gain and the heat scared me, I would tell anyone to just do it! I have run all the World Majors, and almost 40 marathons, this one will always be one of my best memories.
I booked my trip through Sports Tours International. https://sportstoursinternational.com They did a great job with the hotel and travel information. They picked up our bibs so we did not need to go to the Expo. I should not have gone! The lines to get into the Expo were huge ( about 45 minutes) and it was not worth the trip. It was one of the worst expos I have been to.
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!