Athens Marathon. The Authentic 2026
Sunday, 8 November 2026 · Athens, Greece
On this page
The weekend at a glance
- Your number
- Allwyn Marathon Expo, Faliro Indoor Hall and Exhibition Centre. Wednesday 4 November 12:00 to 21:00, Thursday 5 and Friday 6 November 10:00 to 21:00, Saturday 7 November 10:00 to 20:00. You collect it yourself
- Start
- Marathon, first block 8:30 and final block 10:09, with the last runner crossing the start line at 10:15. The schedule is indicative until the organiser confirms it.
- Getting to the start
- Free runner buses for the first wave run from 5:00 to 6:45 from six stops, except Syngrou-Fix, where the last bus is 6:15. For the second wave they run from 6:30 to 7:45 from four stops.
- Finish
- Panathenaic Stadium
- Bag drop
- None at the start. Hand in the official bag at the expo on Wednesday from 12:00 to 22:00, Thursday and Friday from 10:00 to 22:00, or Saturday from 10:00 to 21:00. Collect at Zappeion with your bib.
- Time limit
- 8 hours. The cut-offs are 10:39 at 5 km, 11:41 at 10 km, 13:33 at 20 km, 15:25 at 30 km and 17:25 at 40 km
- Drinks
- 15 supply stations, at 5 km, 7.5 km, 10 km and onwards to 40 km, and at the finish
- Weather
- The last five race mornings ran from 12.1 °C to 17.8 °C at 8:30 at Marathon
- Entering
- Entries for 8 November 2026 are closed and every level shows sold out. The organiser has not posted when 2027 entries open. There are two fee levels, and runners from outside the EU can only enter at the higher one
The Athens Marathon runs from the town of Marathon to the Panathenaic Stadium in the middle of Athens, and the organiser bills it as the authentic route. The 43rd edition is on Sunday 8 November 2026, with the first start at 8:30.
It is not a fast, flat course. The organiser's own kilometre description has a flat stretch through Nea Makri at 6 to 10 km, uphill in parts from 11 to 17 km, and its hardest section at 30 to 31 km before a steep descent to the stadium. The marathon has sold out, and the organiser expects up to 75,000 runners across its five events.
The next edition's details have not been verified. The logistics below are for the 2026 race, including its published clothing-bag hand-in hours. The start schedule remains indicative until the organiser's final confirmation.
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Getting to Athens
The airport has its own metro station on line 3. The airport page puts the ride to Syntagma at about 40 minutes. A first train leaves at 6:30 and the last runs around midnight, later on weekend nights.
The marathon is on Sunday, and the runners' buses leave from the middle of the city, so base yourself in Athens, not out at Marathon.
Where to stay in Athens
The buses leave from six central metro stops, so a room near a central metro line keeps the morning short. The Panathenaic Stadium finish is 1.4 km on foot, about 19 minutes, from Syntagma. You can walk back to the centre after the race.
The expo is a separate trip to Faliro on the coast. Bus lines A1, B1, 217 and 860 stop at Agia Skepi, and trolley line 10 and tram lines 6 and 7 also serve it.
Collecting your number
You collect your bib and kit yourself, only from the Runners' Centre during the announced hours.
The expo is open Wednesday 4 November from 12:00 to 21:00, Thursday and Friday from 10:00 to 21:00 and Saturday from 10:00 to 20:00.
Race morning
There is no bag collection at the start. Hand in the official clothing bag at the expo on Wednesday 4 November from 12:00 to 22:00, Thursday 5 and Friday 6 November from 10:00 to 22:00, or Saturday 7 November from 10:00 to 21:00. Collect it at Zappeion after the finish by showing your bib. Decide before you hand it in what you will want after finishing.
Free buses run from six central Athens metro stops between 5:00 and 6:45 for the first wave, except Syngrou-Fix, where the last bus leaves at 6:15. The second wave, blocks 11 to 15, has buses from four stops between 6:30 and 7:45. Use the deadline for your own stop and wave. Be in your block 15 minutes before your start.
The indicative schedule lists 16 starts, including the disabled-athlete start. The first block starts at 8:30 and block 15 at 10:09; 10:15 is the expected crossing time for the final runner. There is a longer gap between blocks 10 and 11, so the starts are not all 2 to 6 minutes apart. The organiser says the schedule is finalised two weeks before the race.
The course
The first 200 m go downhill out of the start area. Nea Makri, from 6 to 10 km, is flat. From 11 to 17 km the road climbs in parts. The long climb is through Pikermi and Pallini between about 25 and 28 km. Then it goes through Gerakas to the hardest section at 30 to 31 km, followed by a steep downhill into Athens.
There are 15 supply stations. They are at 5, 7.5 and 10 km and then on to 40 km, and at the finish. They give water, electrolytes, bananas and gels.
The time limit is 8 hours. The cut-offs are clock times, so if your start is later than 8:30 look at your pace against the clock.
Where to watch
| Mesogeion Avenue, by Katechaki | The runners pass at 37.5 km, where the long downhill from the Ministry of National Defence ends and they go under the bridge. Katechaki station is on line 3 |
|---|---|
| Vasilissis Sofias, by Evangelismos | The runners reach Vasilissis Sofias at 39 km and pass Eleftherias Park and the last drink station at 40 km, then go on by Evangelismos Hospital. Evangelismos station is on line 3 |
| Irodou Attikou, by the National Garden | The runners turn into Irodou Attikou at 41.2 km, past the Presidential Palace and the National Garden, with about a kilometre to the Panathenaic Stadium. Syntagma station is on lines 2 and 3 |
Weather in Athens in November
November in Athens is cool at the start and mild by the finish. These are the last five race days at Marathon at 8:30 (the average of the 8:00 and 9:00 readings) and at the Panathenaic Stadium at 13:00.
| Race day | 8:30 at Marathon | 13:00 in Athens | Wind at 8:30 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 November 2021 | 12.1 °C | 16.9 °C | 6 km/h |
| 13 November 2022 | 12.8 °C | 18.3 °C | 12 km/h |
| 12 November 2023 | 14.4 °C | 20.8 °C | 7 km/h |
| 10 November 2024 | 12.9 °C | 16.4 °C | 23 km/h |
| 9 November 2025 | 17.8 °C | 21.3 °C | 13 km/h |
The mornings were between 12.1 °C and 17.8 °C, and the 2024 start had a 23 km/h wind.
Afterwards
The finish is inside the Panathenaic Stadium. Collect your bag at Zappeion. The stadium is 19 minutes on foot from Syntagma.
Other race weekends
Close by, and with guides of their own, are Rome Marathon and Zurich Seville Marathon.
The next races with a guide
Sources
| Date, 8:30 start, 43rd edition, events on the weekend, 75,000 runners across five events | Athens Marathon. The Authentic, organiser, 2026 edition |
| 8 hour limit, kilometre cut-offs, 16 starts, course by kilometre, 15 supply stations, buses to the start | Marathon race, organiser, 2026 edition |
| Expo place, days and hours, how to reach it by bus and tram | Allwyn Marathon Expo, organiser, 2026 edition |
| No bag drop at the start, bag hours at the expo, bags back at Zappeion | Marathon race page, organiser, 2026 edition, checked 14 October 2026 |
| Airport metro to Syntagma | Athens Airport Metro, Athens International Airport |
| Past race dates | Athens Marathon. The Authentic, AIMS, archived copy of 10 September 2025 (the live page has moved) |
| Walking times between places | OpenStreetMap routing, foot profile, to the Panathenaic Stadium, checked on the date above |
| Registration closed and sold out, two fee levels, non-EU runners at the full level, four entries per order | Marathon race, registration information, organiser, 2026 edition, checked 4 October 2026 |
| Course heights and climb | Marathon course file (GPX), measured with the rule every course in the app uses, organiser, linked from its marathon page, checked 4 October 2026 |
| Km marks at the Tomb, Nea Makri, Katechaki, Vasilissis Sofias, Irodou Attikou, and metro lines at Katechaki, Evangelismos and Syntagma | Marathon race, route description and boarding points, organiser, 2026 edition |
| Race-day weather | Open-Meteo historical weather, at Marathon and at the Panathenaic Stadium, a 9 km grid |
Written from the organiser's published information and the app's own race data, checked on 14 October 2026.
If something here is wrong or out of date, tell us.