Presented by an amazing team of local runners and experienced race professionals, the Classic City Marathon is committed to the work and the joy of creating the best possible race weekend for runners, spectators, and the entire Athens-area community. USATF certified marathon and half marathon courses cover downtown Athens, historic …
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Presented by an amazing team of local runners and experienced race professionals, the Classic City Marathon is committed to the work and the joy of creating the best possible race weekend for runners, spectators, and the entire Athens-area community. USATF certified marathon and half marathon courses cover downtown Athens, historic neighborhoods, and stunning riverside greenways. Walk to the Expo and start/finish lines from downtown hotels.
The 26.2-mile Classic City Marathon course and the 13.1-mile Classic City Half Marathon course start together in historic downtown Athens. While the two courses split early on, the marathoners rejoin the half marathoners at several points, and the last ~6 miles of the courses are the same. Both courses run through downtown streets, vibrant communities, university campuses, and scenic greenways, with many bands and Cheer Zones along the way. In the final miles of your race, you will be greeted by our energetic Greek Life (sorority and fraternity) historic homes, as you run up Milledge Avenue returning to downtown Athens.
The only other thing we can say is that Athens is geographically in the north-Georgia Piedmont region, which means (yep!) plenty of rolling hills. Parts of the courses use flat city streets or greenways, but running in Athens often means climbing up — and then climbing up some more. We have learned to love it, and we invite you to embrace it with us.
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This is a good race, recommend for GA
I was a pacer, so not a normal experience. They do a great job with race production, and the race benefits from using the convention center before and after the … MORE
I was a pacer, so not a normal experience. They do a great job with race production, and the race benefits from using the convention center before and after the race. This was very nice.
3rd year and better every year.
Classic Race Servies pulled off this incredible race with an impending ice storm. Heated inside start and finish area with real bathrooms, and lots of them. Warm and inside staging … MORE
Classic Race Servies pulled off this incredible race with an impending ice storm. Heated inside start and finish area with real bathrooms, and lots of them. Warm and inside staging area feet from the start line. Downhill start and stroll through the neighborhoods of Athens then onto the Greenway and Firefly trail. Finally finishing around Sanford Stadium and down Milledge Ave where the Frat and Sororities are lining the roads. It’s a little hilly with several long gradual climbs and some punchy short pulls. Make sure you check the elevation profile if you don’t know the area. I’ll see you there next year?
Tough Hills
Stay at the Hyatt if you do this race, the expo is right next door and the starting line is right outside the front door. My wife was able to … MORE
Stay at the Hyatt if you do this race, the expo is right next door and the starting line is right outside the front door. My wife was able to take a picture of the start from our room and send a “where’s Waldo” type of picture to our kids. Oh the race finishes near the hotel too. And there’s lots of stuff close, restaurants, a brewery, and shops so you don’t necessarily need your car after you get there.
The aid stations are 2+ miles apart, so I carried water. They use reusable plastic cups for the water and power Ade. First time I’ve seen that.
The course has some hills at the start, but it’s really rough towards the end. Most of the last 5 miles are climbs. Do some hill training. It’s nice at the end though as you hear them call out your name and home town as you finish.
There wasn’t a ton of crowd support on the course, but the UGA students along the course were enthusiastic. A whole line of college girls gave me high fives and a burst of energy when I needed it.
The shirt is nice, as is the medal, and they place a laurel crown on your head as well. The finish line party is actually inside the Classic Center so you don’t have to stay outside freezing (it was around 25 at the start and mid 40s at the finish). The beer ticket either got us a pint of beer at Creature Comforts brewery or a nice pint glass with a picture of the course on it. I opted for the glass.
All in all, in spite of the hills, I enjoyed the experience and recommend it to anyone doing 50 states who enjoy the smaller marathons.
Extremely well organized, great swag
2nd Annual race, but you wouldn't know it. They are extremely well organized. Advice: - Stay at the Hyatt... it's directly connected to the expo, the start is directly in … MORE
2nd Annual race, but you wouldn’t know it. They are extremely well organized.
Advice:
– Stay at the Hyatt… it’s directly connected to the expo, the start is directly in front of the building, and the finish line is behind the building. That combined with the easily walkable downtown area means you won’t need your car after you park it.
– Train for some hills. There was about 1200ft of elevation gain or so, according to my watch.
Pros:
– Great swag! The shirt is awesome. Great logo, great quality. 5/5. The medal is also really fun. I loved the whole olympic theme… when you finish they put a laurel wreath on your head. Very fun.
– As above, the best hotel/expo/start line/finish line proximity of any race I’ve ever done. Wildly convenient.
– Great volunteers.
Cons:
– At points, the marathon course could be better marked. I wondered if I was running in the right place at times.
– Weren’t many spectators, but it was also 22 degrees at the start so that could have been why!
Would definitely recommend this race to any 50 staters looking for a GA race!
Major Kudos to the staff & organizers
For an Inaugural event the City of Athens Marathon was great. Worried about the hills but the course layout was excellent in minimizing any steep climbs. Sold out race, prepare … MORE
For an Inaugural event the City of Athens Marathon was great. Worried about the hills but the course layout was excellent in minimizing any steep climbs. Sold out race, prepare to sign up quickly. Nice medal and wonderful tour through the city.
fabulous inaugural event
I was a little nervous signing up for an inaugural marathon but the race director answered any questions quickly before I hit the "purchase" button. all the logistics that a … MORE
I was a little nervous signing up for an inaugural marathon but the race director answered any questions quickly before I hit the “purchase” button.
all the logistics that a runner could want, were addressed with the planning of this event, 3 hotels gave runners discounts and all 3 were an easy walk to the start, finish, gear drop and expo. we lucked out with the weather.. breezy and 40 degrees was very nice. the day before was torrential rain and wind.
the expo was very low key…. a few local vendors, but the race shirt was a long sleeve tech.
race morning went off without a hitch. corrals separated estimated speeds. the course looked very hilly on paper, but I didn’t notice anything substantial until the last 5 miles ( my legs were pretty shot at that point)
finishers medal was nice and we received a laurel wreath after crossing the finish line. I didn’t attend the post race event or food.
volunteers were absolutely spectacular and numerous as were officers directing traffic and keeping us on course
I would highly recommend this marathon for anyone looking for a smallish event (400 marathoners, 600 1/2..?). or any one looking for a scenic Georgia event . we ran in the university of Georgia campus, along bike paths and next to a river.