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Athens Marathon (Greece) Runner Comments
Back to Athens Marathon (Greece) Information & Reviews
Course 4.2 
Organization 4.3 
Spectators 3.7
Number of comments: 140 [displaying comments 1 to 11]
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R. S. from SF, CA
(11/13/2023)
"Must-do but with flaws" (about: 2023)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Athens Marathon (Greece)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 Course: **** I would usually rate this course with three stars: while the first half is nice, the second half is strip mall after strip mall, but what could they really change unless they deviated from the first run? Nothing! It's the original, it's special, and that's what runners from all over the world come for. It is what it is. Organization: *** Could easily be a five star organization, but there are two major flaws for which I deducted one star each: 1. Late start The race starts quite late. It could be so much nicer, and the temperatures much cooler, if it started at sunrise. I took a shuttle bus (very efficient) at 6:15 am, arrived at the start shortly past 7 am, and waited for two more hours until the race started then. 2. Trash The amount of trash created by runners was incredible, easily the most that I have ever seen at a race. While I appreciated receiving an entire water bottle that I could carry from stop to stop, half empty bottles were tossed away everywhere along the course outside the city centre, sometimes even creating a hazard. Separate receptacles, as announced by the organisers, could not be seen. I would suggest offering cups (or refill stations) as a default, and then bottles upon request. Spectators: ***** Great support even outside the city limits. Loved the energy from the community. Thank you. | |
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M. B. from Tualatin, Oregon
(2/12/2020)
"My experience running the Athens Marathon.." (about: 2019)
50+ previous marathons
| 3 Athens Marathon (Greece)s
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I first ran the Athens Marathon in 2009 and because of the SUPER experience my wife and I came back in 2014 and I ran it again and finally this last year I was back for a third time as a 70 year old. This is a hard course to run but it is very well organized and supported by the people of Athens. The crowds along the hilly route were SUPERB and their support was simply the best! There was also great support from the police and medical community along the route and the aid stations were also very good. The finish in the historic marble stadium was most memorable and the finishers shirt and medal were GREAT! For the third time my wife and I went with the Apostolos Greek Tours 12 day tour and again for the third time it was just excellent. This tour takes special care of you not only on the tour, which is fantastic, but especially on race day too where they keep track of every runner and their needs. Apostolos Greek Tours takes you all over this ancient land with guides who do and excellent job. The hotels we stayed in were just great and the meals and other considerations we just excellent! I would highly recommend the Athens Marathon, which is the GREATEST Marathon in the world and the Apostolos Greek Tours which is a world class tour. In another 5 years you will hopefully meet my wife and I as we again travel thousands of mile from Oregon to Athens and I will again run this GREAT race and for the 4th time we will sign up for the Apostolos Greek Tours and we will again have an excellent time. | |
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A. B. from Alexandria, Virginia, USA
(12/30/2019)
"Pheidippides was avenged!" (about: 2019)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Athens Marathon (Greece)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I report that (at age 59) I started and finished the November 10, 2019, edition of this marathon. It was my ninth marathon start and finish. This was an awesome experience, from the online registration to having the medal placed around my neck at the Panathenaic Stadium. Bravo to the organizers, volunteers, runners, and supporters. This was a well-organized marathon. I was impressed with the efficient free shuttle service to the start in Marathon. The inclines from kilometers 11 to 31 are real. Respect them. I advise that you train on hills as much as possible. But the inclines are also doable. Yes you can. I am pleased that it was not my first marathon because, on account of my experience, I was better prepared to mentally deal with the inclines. This marathon offers Coca Cola as an option at the water stops. Interesting. But I stuck to water and sports drink. Two weeks before the marathon, during my final long run, I slipped, fell, and hurt my right foot. I did have it treated but at kilometer 12 or 16 of the marathon my foot started to hurt again. It made a challenging course even more so, but I finished. If you have supporters they should take the free shuttle service to the observation site at kilometer 31. My wife was there and not only was it great to see her she also had my supply bag. Thank you to her for her support. Onward to my tenth and final marathon, Buenos Aires. | |
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R. L. from Georgia USA
(11/17/2019)
"Excellent event and experience" (about: 2019)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Athens Marathon (Greece)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 My second marathon and my daughter's first. The pictures of the course elevation change really - look scary - and got us training well for hills. Glad we did. We have good hills areas north of Atlanta so those paid off. My daughter and I ran the whole race together and thoroughly enjoyed it. I bettered my first marathon by almost 35 minutes even with the hills in this race finishing 4:40 which was pleased to do! Well organized plenty of water/sponges and volunteers and folks cheering you on. So glad we did this event. | |
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J. J. from Huntingdon, England
(11/13/2019)
"Tough course, one of the most rewarding experience" (about: 2019)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Athens Marathon (Greece)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I never thought I would ever run a marathon, but told myself if I ever did it would be this one. Then the opportunity arose, and I couldn't let myself back down. This was my first marathon and I trained for 8 months to prepare, you need it for sure. Get those long distances in AND hills. Even though I had studied the profile, I still wasn't prepared for the 23km of hills. The experience was unforgettable, the city and its people seem to live for this because their cheering and support are amazing. The event is well organised, but communication on the travel cards they provide was lacking and didn't realize or understood it was already charged to pay for my metro or bus. Nothing else bad to say. Make sure you stay for a couple extra days to tour the city. The hop-on-hop-off is cheap and fast to get around and see everything. Airotel alexandros was an amazing and friendly hotel that was only a 10-15 minute walk to the buses that take you to marathon. They just started a new medal series that reflect historical events. The only marathon medal I have, but I think it's probably the best | |
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J. M. from Athlone Ireland
(11/15/2018)
"Tough as hell but an unforgettable experience" (about: 2018)
6-10 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was one hell of an experience, I'm a slow runner at the best of times but with the heat on the day (20'c at the start) and the unrelenting hills, this was the toughest marathon I have done. The hills are not very steep but they are long, very long and you need to take this into consideration in your training. That aside, this was a brilliant event. The organisation was super. The expo was a good size with some excellent stands. The organisation of the transport to the start was perfect, start area was well organised and the feed stands were all full of very enthusiastic volunteers. The support was also top notch. It was a humbling experience to run through the area destroyed by wild fires in the summer and be cheered on from the locals. The final 1km was super great crowds and brilliant finish area. I would highly recommend this race but be prepared for those hills!! | |
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Mark Struble from Nevada USA
(1/13/2018)
"Nothing tops the original marathon course!" (about: 2017)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Athens Marathon (Greece)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I joined the Apostolos Greek Tours 12-day tour group for the 2017 Athens Marathon. Everything was coordinated from our airport arrival, marathon entry/expo and race drop-off and pick-up. Their services allowed me to concentrate on the race and have a fantastic marathon experience. Yeah, the course is fairly tough (I've run Boston and Big Sur Marathons and Heartbreak Hill and Hurricane Point on CA Highway 1 are short compared to the long hill at Athens), but the Greek roads are wide and smooth with hardly any crown so it's easy on your ankles. The crowd support was great, especially through the little towns; they love their marathon. I never high-fived so many cute kids in my life. The sense of history you'll feel as you run this route is unlike any other marathon you will EVER run! Finishing in the old marble 1896 Olympic stadium made me tear-up. Plenty of aid stations along the route and lots of SWAG, plus probably the coolest marathon finisher medal you'll ever get. Put the Athens Authentic Marathon on your bucket list! | |
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N. K. from Etoloakarnania
(1/13/2018)
"The authentic route is wonderful." (about: 2016)
4-5 previous marathons
| 2 Athens Marathon (Greece)s
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Long Distance runners from all over the world you are invited to participate in Athens Marathon,the Authentic.Greece is the proud homeland of Marathon. No matter how old are you, where you come from, which is your annual income, what are your beliefs, you are all invited to run the Authentic course. Organisation is perfect, thousands of spectators support the runners and the finish in Panathinaik Stadium (the first Olympic games in 1896 took place there) is a unique experience. I recommend to the runners who intend to participate in the race, firstly read the history of ancient Athens and Marathon. Finally, something very important and thrilling. At the 5th km,in your left hand, there is a hill.In fact, there are buried the 195 Greek soldiers for 2,508 years... | |
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Jeff Knapp from New York, New York
(12/1/2017)
"The Original! Fantastic experience." (about: 2017)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Athens Marathon (Greece)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The Authentic Athens marathon is a fantastic experience. The expo is exciting. The medal is beautiful and the finish in the Olympic Stadium is wonderful. The course is tough. Uphill from 10k to 31k. Not so very steep but relentless. So, no p.r.'s. The support along the course was top notch. Water, energy drinks, bananas and energy gels. It really is a first rate marathon and the Greeks are lovely people. | |
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ArchDuke Kenneth Khanh Du from California
(11/29/2017)
"Review Of 2017 Athens Marathon The Authentic" (about: 2017)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Athens Marathon (Greece)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Ah Athens, the City of Intellects! The birthplace of democracy. Some of the most brilliant minds in the world have lived /or visited here. Athens, the capital of Greece and the heart of Ancient Greece, populated by 11.1 million in 2015, remains the root of Western Civilization. ORIGIN OF THE MARATHON RACE In 490 BC, a Greek warrior named Philippides deliver the good news from the battlefield of Marathon to Athens to announce that the Persians had been defeated in the Battle of Marathon. Democracy triumphant! Philippides ran the entire distance without stopping and burst into the assembly, exclaiming (nenik-kamen, 'we have won!'), before collapsing and dying. From that point onward, 42.195 km or 26.2 miles became the gold standard for testing athletes and soldiers alike. 2017 ATHENS MARATHON, THE AUTHENTIC 42.195km The Athens Marathon recognized as a gold label world class event! The City of Athens provide free transportation card for all runners throughout the city during marathon weekend. There's also a free bus service that pick you up at major metro train stations in the downtown area from 5:30am to 6:15am on Race Day Sunday. In fact, I did not pay for my arrival train ride from Athens International Airport to Syntagma Square at 11:15pm Thursday night; nor did I pay for my early 2:30am Monday departure bus ride using the transport card. Language? Every other Greek person that I have approached to ask for direction speak English. And the entire City of Athens is easily accessible either by bus, train or trams. I felt safe walking about by myself. I stayed at Electra Palace Athens, 400 meters from Syntagma Square and 20 minutes walk from the Acropolis. The area within downtown central is quite safe & upscale. Every inch of space utilized. As soon as you step outside, there are bars after bars in one direction, and restaurants after restaurants in another. Some streets are lined with antiquity and jewelry stores. While Syntagma Square surrounded by McDonald, Kentucky Fried Chicken, etc. There's nothing more exhilarating than running through Athens crowded downtown area with hundreds of thousands of onlookers gathered to cheer you all the way to the finish line inside the world famous Panathenaic Stadium built in 660BC! There's a reason why the Hellenic Running Association allows runners 8 hours to complete the 42.195km full marathon from the town of Marathonas to the capital city Athens. (See photos of map & elevation chart.) In all 14,471 Finishers with 18,500 participants. |
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