Athens, Greece · November
Pacing the Athens Marathon
Uphill for two thirds
The original route, from the town of Marathon to the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens. It climbs almost continuously from roughly 10 km to 31 km, which makes it one of the hardest of the well known marathon courses.
Official site: dates and entry
Dates, ballots and entry rules change every year and are not listed here. Check the official site.
How to pace it
No major marathon punishes an even pace plan more thoroughly than this one. The long climb between roughly 10 km and 31 km is not steep at any single point, and that is exactly what makes it dangerous. It is shallow enough that you can run it at goal pace, and long enough that doing so will empty you completely.
Plan the race as three separate sections rather than one. A controlled, deliberately unexciting opening on the flat. Then an effort based climb where you accept losing time and stop looking at pace altogether. Then a descent into the city where some of it comes back, provided you have legs left to use it.
The single most useful piece of preparation is setting the right target. A goal time earned on a flat course does not transfer here, and arriving with a flat course number in your head is the surest way to blow up on the climb while still believing you are on schedule.
The finish inside the Panathenaic Stadium is one of the great endings in the sport, and it is worth being in a state to enjoy it.
Worth knowing
- Run the long climb by effort, not by pace. Time lost there cannot be forced back.
- Set the target from this course, not from your flat course personal best.
- November in Athens is usually mild, but the climb is exposed and a warm year makes it much harder.
What the common targets ask for
| Finish | Per km | Per mile |
|---|---|---|
| 3:00:00 | 4:16 | 6:52 |
| 3:30:00 | 4:59 | 8:01 |
| 4:00:00 | 5:41 | 9:09 |
| 4:30:00 | 6:24 | 10:18 |