Athens Marathon 2026

In Greece 🇬🇷, within one of the oldest cities in the world, Athens📍, we gather for a race of mythological proportions. As the largest city and capital of the country, it spreads across the Attica Plain, overlooked by the Parnitha, Lycabettus, and Hymettus mountains 🏔️. Taking place in November 🗓️, the Athens Marathon welcomes you with temperatures ranging from 12° to 18°C 🌡️. An ideal weather 🌤️ for covering the 5 km, 10 km, or the marathon distance 👸. 

Fans of myths, stories, and legends, let us tell you about this marathon's tale. The star isn't Zeus ⚡️, Poseidon 🔱, or Odysseus 🏹, but a certain Pheidippides. A legendary runner sent to Athens, following the battle of Marathon 📍, to announce the victory over the Persian invaders, on September 13, 490 BC. And, the term “marathon” comes from this story, thanks to Pierre de Coubertin 🇫🇷. This French historian, by reviving the Olympic Games in 1894, introduced, from the first edition ☝️, a long-distance running event of about forty kilometers, the distance between the city of Marathon and Athens. Now that you're nearly an expert 🤓, let's focus on our event ⬇️.

The event features a 5 km, a 10 km, and a marathon (42.195 km). The finish line for all these races is the historic Panathenaic Stadium of Athens, where the first modern Olympic Games took place in 1896. It has been renovated several times, notably for the 2004 Olympics (the year the national football team won its only European Championship ⚽️), and has hosted over 30,000 people for the archery events and the marathon finishes 🏁. In a nutshell, runners from all over the world 🌎 are expected each year to participate in the most legendary 42.195 km. Beyond the sporting experience, you'll get to enjoy the magnificent landscapes of Greece and the warm hospitality of its people 😁.

To extend your weekend, we suggest visiting the iconic rocky plateau of the Acropolis, rising in the center of Athens and its museum 🖼️. And while you're there, don’t miss the unmissable “Virgin's House”, the Parthenon 🏛️, which is a true Greek treasure. Wander through the narrow streets of the old district of Pláka, where you can find souvenir shops 🏺 and restaurants 🍴. It’s a perfect segue into discussing the country's culinary specialties, like the choriatiki, for example, tzatziki 🥒, or the taramasalata (the real recipe).