ROUTE DESCRIPTION

Start Point: Marathon Start Venue in the town of Marathon.

The first 200m of the course are sloping, leading the runners away from the Start area. The first 4 kilometers go downhill. The runners run along the Marathonos Avenue up to the 4thkm, where they turn left and enter the Marathonomachon Str., and area of the Marathon Tomb (War Memorial), which they follow for the next 2.2km. The course follows a rather circular route around the War Memorial.

The course becomes flat from the 6th to the 10thkm (Nea Makri). From the 11th to the 17thkm the course goes uphill at certain parts. Then, and up to Rafina Junction, the runners meet a steep descent. Starting from the Rafina Junction, the course goes uphill again, while the most difficult part is found up to the 20thkm. As the runners pass along the district of Pikermi, they run through some of the, more or less, uphill parts of the course up to the 25thkm. The passage through the city of Pallini (27km - 28km) is also uphill. The last and most difficult part of the course starts from Gerakas and goes up to Stavros Junction (30km – 31km). This steep ascent is followed by a steep descent leading to the Agia Paraskevi Square. Then, the runners follow the Mesogeion Avenue, going through the districts of Chalandri and Cholargos, meeting flat and downhill parts of the course up to the finish. The most characteristic downhill part is the one that starts form the Ministry of National Defense and finishes at the Katechaki Junction (37.5km), where the runners pass under the relevant bridge.

Right after the Erricos Dynnan Hospital, the runners continue left on Michalakopoulou Avenue until the traffic lights at Michalakopoulou and Pheidippidou crossroad. They continue running on Pheidippidou Str., until the crossroad at Kiffisias & Alexandras Avenue. The latter crossroad highlights the 39thkm, while the runners continue left on Vas. Sofias Avenue. On Vas. Sofias Avenue, the runners pass by the American Embassy, the Athens Music Hall and the Park of Liberty (40km), where the last feed zone is located. As they reach the Hilton Hotel, they slightly turn right heading towards the Syntagma Square, passing by the Evaggelismos Hospital and the War Museum.

At the last part of the Marathon Course and having turned on the Hrodou Attikou Street, the runners have eye contact with the Panathenaic Stadium, passing by the Presidential Residency and the National Gardens. Only a few meters remain in order for the runners to enter the Stadium and run the last meters inside it, before reaching the finish line.

The runners enter the Panathenaic Stadium from the left side, where the Finish Arch is found.