The Athens Classic Marathon is one of the most important sports events hosted by the city of Athens. Thousands of runners from all over the world participate in every year’s race. Apart from the sportive event, they have the chance to enjoy Greek hospitality, to discover the fascinating landscape and to explore a city which is constantly improving its standards.
Of course, nowadays the Marathon race is held in many major cities around the world, but there is only one “Authentic Marathon”, in Greece 🙂
It takes place every year in Attiki, beginning November.
And you will run from the village of Marathon, of course :-), till centre Athens.
The route from Marathon to the centre of Athens
The Authentic Marathon starts in Marathon, a small town northeast of Athens.
Around the 5 km mark, the runners make a loop around the Marathon Tomb, a monument honouring the Athenian soldiers who lost their lives in the Battle of Marathon against the Persians in 490 BC.
From there, the runners continue along Marathon Avenue, following the historic route towards Athens and passing through several municipalities along the way.
As they approach the centre of Athens, the surroundings become increasingly familiar. During the final kilometres, the runners reach Vasilissis Sofias Avenue, passing landmarks such as the U.S. Embassy, the Athens Concert Hall (Megaron) and the National Gallery.
And then comes the moment everybody has been waiting for: the finish!
The runners enter the magnificent Panathenaic Stadium, also known as the Kalimarmaro.
This historic marble stadium hosted the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 and provides an unforgettable setting for the finish of the Athens Marathon.
Want to experience a little of the atmosphere yourself?
Watch the video and get in the mood.
Perhaps you’ll be running it next year!
Want to know the story behind the Marathon and
why the Marathon is 42,195 km long?
Its story takes us back more than 2,500 years, to the famous Battle of Marathon and the legend that inspired the race we know today.
Curious to know more about the Authentic Athens Marathon and its fascinating history? Continue reading here.
Learning Greek in Athens… and cheering on the runners!
Of course, running 42 kilometres might not be exactly your idea of a relaxing Sunday in Athens. We understand. 🙂
Perhaps you would rather learn Greek, meet local people and enjoy everything Athens has to offer, while leaving the running to others?
Then you are very welcome to join one of our Greek language programmes in Athens.
And the nice thing about learning Greek in the Greek capital is that there is always something happening around you: concerts, exhibitions, festivals, sporting events and plenty of opportunities to practise your Greek.
So, while the marathon runners are training their legs, you can train your Greek! And when Marathon weekend arrives, you can simply stand along the route and shout:
Πάμε! Πάμε! Πάμε!
Much easier than running 42 kilometres, and your Greek gets some exercise too. 🙂
