Athens Marathon 2026: Race Weekend on the Original Route
Every year on the second weekend of November, tens of thousands of people run the same road a soldier is said to have run almost 2,500 years ago, from the town of Marathon to the heart of Athens. The Athens Marathon, officially called Athens Marathon. The Authentic, finishes inside the all-marble Panathenaic Stadium, and for many runners it is the one marathon they want to do at least once in their lives.
In 2026 the race weekend falls on Saturday, November 7 and Sunday, November 8. Whether you have a bib, are travelling with someone who does, or simply happen to be in Athens that weekend, this is what to expect: the story behind the route, the schedule, the best places to watch, and how to make the most of a few days around the race.
The story behind the route
The race remembers the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC, when the Athenians defeated a much larger Persian force on the plain beside the sea. According to the legend, a messenger ran all the way to Athens to announce the victory and collapsed after delivering the news. The ancient historian Herodotus actually tells of a runner named Pheidippides who ran from Athens to Sparta to ask for help before the battle, and the dramatic run to Athens appears in later writers, but it is the story everyone knows and the reason the distance exists.
When the 1896 Olympics came to Athens, the organisers turned the legend into a race from Marathon to the Panathenaic Stadium. It was won by Spyridon Louis, a water carrier from Marousi, and his victory remains one of the proudest moments in Greek sporting history. The distance was standardised at 42.195 kilometres later, but the route from Marathon to the stadium has stayed at the heart of the race.
Today the event is organised by SEGAS, the Hellenic Athletics Federation, and since 1982 it has been dedicated to Grigoris Lambrakis, the athlete, doctor and member of parliament who was murdered in 1963 and became a symbol of peace and human rights. The 2004 Olympic marathons were also run on this course, and Mizuki Noguchi of Japan still holds the women's course record of 2:26:20 from those Games. The men's record, 2:10:34, was set by Kenya's Edwin Kiptoo in 2023.
Race weekend at a glance
The weekend is much more than the marathon. On Saturday afternoon, November 7, the city centre hosts a 1.2 km kids' race at 16:00, the 5 km road race at 17:00 and a 5 km night run for university students at 20:00, all finishing inside the Panathenaic Stadium. Earlier that day, at 12:30, the opening ceremony takes place at the Marathon Tomb, where the Marathon flame is lit and carried to the start area. Entry to the ceremony and to the stadium is free for spectators.
On Sunday, November 8, the 10 km race starts at 08:00 on Vasilissis Amalias Avenue near Syntagma, and the marathon starts in Marathon at 08:30. Runners set off in waves, with the last block crossing the start line around 10:15. The organisers expect the first man to reach the stadium at around 10:40, and the course stays open until 18:15, which gives runners up to eight hours to finish.
The numbers have grown fast. In 2025 around 76,000 runners registered across all the distances, including the children's races held in the towns along the route, and a record 19,104 people finished the marathon. Registration for 2026 closed in September, and the marathon sold out, so if you missed out this year the next chance is the 2027 edition, with registration usually opening about six months before race day.
Runners collect their bibs at the Marathon Expo in the Faliro Indoor Hall, the former Olympic taekwondo venue on the coast at Palaio Faliro, which is open from Wednesday, November 4 to Saturday, November 7. Even if you are not running, it is a lively place to soak up the atmosphere in the days before the race.
The route, from the plain to the stadium
Marathon to Nea Makri
The course starts in the town of Marathon, about 40 km northeast of Athens, and the first four kilometres are gently downhill. Runners then turn onto Marathonomachon Street and loop almost all the way around the Marathon Tomb, the burial mound of the Athenians who fell in the battle, before heading south. From the 6th to the 10th kilometre, through Nea Makri, the road is flat and the sea is never far away.
The long climb
This is the part every Athens runner talks about. From around the 11th kilometre the road starts to rise, and with a few short breaks it keeps climbing through Pikermi, Pallini and Gerakas. The 25th kilometre has a long uphill drag, and the toughest stretch comes at the Stavros junction between the 30th and 31st kilometres. Many runners say Athens is a course to run sensibly rather than fast, and the climbs explain why.
Downhill into Athens
After Stavros the course drops into Agia Paraskevi and follows Mesogeion Avenue through Chalandri and Cholargos, mostly flat or downhill. Runners pass under the bridge at the Katechaki junction around the 37.5 km mark, turn onto Vasilissis Sofias Avenue past the Athens Concert Hall and reach the last aid station by Eleftherias Park at the 40th kilometre. The final stretch follows Irodou Attikou Street past the Presidential Palace and the National Garden, and then comes the moment everyone waits for: the last 170 metres on the track inside the Panathenaic Stadium, with the marble stands rising on both sides.
Where to watch
If you are cheering someone on, the city end of the course is far easier to reach than the start. Marathonos Avenue closes to traffic in both directions from 07:30 on race morning, and the start area is meant for runners, so most spectators stay in Athens. The centre of Athens is closed to cars from 05:00 to 18:20 on Sunday and from 15:00 to 21:00 on Saturday, so the metro is the only sensible way to get around.
Metro Line 3 is the spectator's best friend. Its stations along Mesogeion Avenue, such as Ethniki Amyna, Cholargos and Katechaki, put you right on the course for the last 10 kilometres, when runners are tired and a familiar voice makes a real difference. Because the same line continues to Megaro Mousikis and Evangelismos on Vasilissis Sofias, you may be able to see your runner at Katechaki and then ride ahead to cheer again near the 39th or 40th kilometre. Agree on which side of the road you will stand before the race, as it is very hard to spot a face in a crowd of thousands.
The finish is the most emotional place to be. The Panathenaic Stadium is about a kilometre's walk from the Syntagma, Acropolis and Evangelismos metro stations, and spectators can take a seat in the stands for free. Only finishing runners and staff are allowed on the track, so pick a meeting point outside the stadium in advance. If you cannot be there, the race is shown live on ERT, the Greek public broadcaster.
Tips if you are running
On race morning, official buses take marathon runners from central Athens to the start. For the first wave they leave between 05:00 and 06:30 from six points including Syntagma, Panepistimio, Omonia, Evangelismos, Katechaki and Syngrou-Fix, where the last bus leaves at 06:15. Runners in the second wave board between 06:30 and 07:30 at metro stations along Mesogeion Avenue. Note that there is no bag drop at the start: your bag has to be handed in at the Expo by Saturday evening, and you pick it up after the finish on Vasilissis Olgas Avenue beside the Zappeion.
Respect the climb. Save something for the stretch after the 30th kilometre, run the uphill sections by effort rather than pace, and let the downhill into the city carry you home. November weather in Athens is usually mild, but it can still surprise: when the course record was broken in 2014, temperatures went above 20 degrees Celsius during the race. There are 15 aid stations along the way, with water at every one and sports drinks, bananas or gels at several of them.
For your pre-race dinner, Greek tavernas have plenty of pasta dishes that suit a carb-hungry runner. Youvetsi, orzo baked with beef or lamb in a rich tomato sauce, and pastitsio, the baked pasta layered with minced meat and béchamel, are both comforting choices, though they are rich, so keep the portion sensible. After the race, half of Athens seems to celebrate with souvlaki, and you will have earned it.
Make a weekend of it
Marathon itself deserves more than a bus ride in the dark. The Marathon Tomb, known in Greek as the Tymbos, is the mound where the 192 Athenians who died in the battle were buried. It is about 10 metres high and 50 metres across, and standing beside it on the quiet plain you can picture the armies facing each other. The small Archaeological Museum of Marathon nearby displays finds from the area, including from the tombs connected with the battle. Both are open from 08:30 to 15:30 and closed on Tuesdays.
Running fans should also stop at the Marathon Run Museum in the centre of the town, housed in the old primary school built in 1908. Its collection of more than 4,000 items covers the history of the race from 1896 to today, from Olympic champions to the shoes and kit runners have worn over the decades. The town's link with the sport even crosses the Atlantic: every spring, the olive wreaths that crown the winners of the Boston Marathon are cut from olive branches in Marathon.
Back in Athens, visit the Panathenaic Stadium on a quieter day so you can take it all in. Known to Athenians as the Kallimarmaro, meaning beautiful marble, it stands on the site of the ancient stadium of the Panathenaic Games and was rebuilt in white marble for the 1896 Olympics. Its horseshoe of marble stands is a sight in itself, and seeing it the day before is a great way to picture your finish.
Something I would highly recommend, especially if you arrive a few days before the race, is seeing the Acropolis and the city's highlights with a private guide and driver. You get the history explained properly at the Acropolis, then a comfortable drive between the other sights, so you see a lot of Athens without wearing out your legs before Sunday. The route also stops at the Panathenaic Stadium, so you can see the finish line before you run into it. One I highly recommend is the Acropolis and Athens Highlights Private Tour with Skip the Line Access, and you can check availability on its page.
However you take part, the Athens Marathon is a special weekend to be in the city. The streets fill with runners from all over the world, locals line the road to cheer, and the last few hundred metres inside a stadium built for the first Olympic Games of the revived era are something no runner forgets.
Photo: Thodoris Karakozidis, CC BY 3.0
