Athens Marathon pace plan
Your plan for 4:00:00
Average 5:41/kmTarget paces keep the effort even: slower on the climbs, quicker on the descents.
Section by section
- km 0–10 · +15 m / −34 m
Marathon to Nea Makri
5:36/kmThrough 10 km at 0:56:02
The road tilts gently down towards the coast. Keep it relaxed and conversational: the slightly quicker splits here come from the slope, not from extra effort.
- km 10–18 · +80 m / −58 m
Rolling road to the Rafina junction
5:43/kmThrough 18 km at 1:41:48
Short rises and a sharp dip near 17 km. Run the bumps by feel, ease off on the steep drop and settle your breathing before the real climbing starts.
- km 18–31.5 · +215 m / −8 m
The long climb to Stavros
5:54/kmThrough 31.5 km at 3:01:26
Hold effort, not pace: let the watch drift slower as the road climbs through Pikermi and Pallini. Shorten your stride and stay patient all the way to the high point.
- km 31.5–37 · +1 m / −71 m
Over the top to Halandri
5:29/kmThrough 37 km at 3:31:35
The biggest climb is behind you. Let your legs turn over again as the road drops towards Agia Paraskevi, but keep the effort in check with a 10K still to run.
- km 37–42.2 · +5 m / −82 m
Downhill into Athens
5:28/kmThrough 42.2 km at 4:00:00 · finish
The road keeps falling towards the city centre. Stay tall, keep your cadence quick and save any final push for the last kilometre to the stadium.
Show all splits
| km | Pace | Elev. | Elapsed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5:32 | −7 m | 0:05:32 |
| 2 | 5:31 | −9 m | 0:11:03 |
| 3 | 5:35 | −4 m | 0:16:38 |
| 4 | 5:35 | −3 m | 0:22:13 |
| 5 | 5:34 | −4 m | 0:27:47 |
| 6 | 5:39 | +1 m | 0:33:26 |
| 7 | 5:36 | −2 m | 0:39:02 |
| 8 | 5:37 | +1 m | 0:44:39 |
| 9 | 5:43 | +5 m | 0:50:22 |
| 10 | 5:40 | +3 m | 0:56:02 |
| 11 | 5:45 | +8 m | 1:01:47 |
| 12 | 6:00 | +20 m | 1:07:47 |
| 13 | 5:47 | +9 m | 1:13:34 |
| 14 | 5:43 | +5 m | 1:19:17 |
| 15 | 5:39 | 0 m | 1:24:56 |
| 16 | 5:59 | +20 m | 1:30:55 |
| 17 | 5:38 | −5 m | 1:36:33 |
| 18 | 5:15 | −36 m | 1:41:48 |
| 19 | 5:46 | +6 m | 1:47:34 |
| 20 | 5:57 | +18 m | 1:53:31 |
| 21 | 6:02 | +24 m | 1:59:33 |
| 22 | 5:58 | +19 m | 2:05:31 |
| 23 | 5:51 | +13 m | 2:11:22 |
| 24 | 5:50 | +12 m | 2:17:12 |
| 25 | 6:04 | +24 m | 2:23:16 |
| 26 | 6:00 | +21 m | 2:29:16 |
| 27 | 5:53 | +15 m | 2:35:09 |
| 28 | 5:53 | +15 m | 2:41:02 |
| 29 | 5:37 | −1 m | 2:46:39 |
| 30 | 5:43 | +6 m | 2:52:22 |
| 31 | 6:01 | +22 m | 2:58:23 |
| 32 | 5:42 | −1 m | 3:04:05 |
| 33 | 5:25 | −19 m | 3:09:30 |
| 34 | 5:29 | −12 m | 3:14:59 |
| 35 | 5:35 | −4 m | 3:20:34 |
| 36 | 5:34 | −5 m | 3:26:08 |
| 37 | 5:27 | −14 m | 3:31:35 |
| 38 | 5:29 | −13 m | 3:37:04 |
| 39 | 5:30 | −12 m | 3:42:34 |
| 40 | 5:23 | −23 m | 3:47:57 |
| 41 | 5:21 | −25 m | 3:53:18 |
| 42 | 5:32 | −8 m | 3:58:50 |
| 42.2 | 5:59 | +4 m | 4:00:00 |
About the Athens Marathon course
The Athens Marathon follows the road from the town of Marathon to the marble Panathenaic Stadium, the route tied to the legend of the messenger who carried news of victory to Athens in 490 BC. It is a point-to-point course, and it is not a fast one. The opening ten kilometres drift gently downhill towards the coast and Nea Makri, with a short loop past the burial mound of the Athenian soldiers. After that the road starts to roll, and following a sharp dip before the Rafina junction at about 18 km it settles into a long, steady climb through Pikermi and Pallini. The high point, close to 250 metres above sea level, comes at about 31 km near Stavros. The last eleven kilometres run mostly downhill through Agia Paraskevi, Halandri and Cholargos before the wide avenues of central Athens lead to the finish inside the stadium. Because most of the climbing sits in the second half, pacing by the watch tends to backfire here: runners who hold their flat-ground pace up the long drag often pay for it later. This plan spreads your goal time by effort instead. It asks for slightly slower kilometres on the climb and gives that time back where the road falls away, so the effort stays even from the start line to the stadium.
FAQs
Is the Athens Marathon a hard course?
It is one of the hillier big-city marathons. The course gains roughly 300 to 400 metres, depending on how it is measured, and most of it comes in one long climb between about 18 and 31 km. The effort model behind this plan puts the hills at around three minutes for a 3:30 runner compared with a flat course.
Where is the hardest part of the course?
The long climb from the Rafina junction to the high point near Stavros, roughly 18 to 31 km. It is rarely steep, but it goes on for more than 13 km at a stage of the race when fatigue is already building.
Should I bank time on the early downhill?
No. The first 10 km are slightly downhill, so your splits will come a little quicker at an easy effort, and the plan already allows for that. Pushing harder here only spends energy you will want on the climb.
How should I run the final descent?
Let the slope do the work and keep your stride short and quick rather than reaching out in front. Your legs will be tired after the climb, and overstriding downhill is what turns sore quads into a slow last 5 km.