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Athens Marathon (Greece) Runner Comments
Back to Athens Marathon (Greece) Information & Reviews
Course 4.2 
Organization 4.3 
Spectators 3.7
Number of comments: 140 [displaying comments 81 to 91]
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M. S. from Philadelphia USA
(11/10/2007)
"Nice event but I won't do it again" (about: 2007)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Athens Marathon (Greece)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 Registration: I had no issues but my running partner received no confirmation email though his credit card was charged. His registration was OK once he arrived. Expo: Ridiculous. Way out of town. No easy way to get there. Poor directions on how to get there. The bare minimal in clothing options - I've seen better expos at a community college 5K Race T-shirt: awful. While it's a nice Adidas shirt, the marathon logo is an iron on. Are you kidding me - is this 1970. I'm afraid to wash it - the logo might come off. However, I was given a nice towel that wasn't an iron on Pre-race support/setup: satifactory Weather for 2007: cool, cloudy, a few drops of rain Course: one long uphill in mid race followed by a long downhill stretch. From midpoint the views are monotonous urban strip mall stretch. Hopefully philipedes had a better sight. Nice finish in the Olympic stadium. Spectators sparse but friendly, water/Gatorade available at appropriate intervals except the first stop where they ran out of water. Note to organizers - liter bottle don't work, people take a sip or two and then throw most of it out, use 1/2 litter bottles or cups Post-race support: Mylar warming sheets available, food/fluids were fine Medal: worst in my marathon and 1/2 marathon collection. No colors. I have a 3rd place age group medal in a local 5K that is larger and heavier Location: Athens is a gritty urban mess | |
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GORDON WAINWRIGHT from Worcester, UK
(11/9/2007)
"A truly historic experience!" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Athens Marathon (Greece)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 Firstly, a big thank you to the organizers for including a power walking category, starting 2 hours earlier than the runners, which meant that walkers like myself could finish when there were still plenty of people about! When I turned up at 5 a.m. to catch the bus to marathon the sight of the illuminated Panathaneikon Stadium was a real inspiration and really made you want to get back there later in the day in the race. Great souvenirs in the race pack including free transport around Athens for days before and after the race. Great website . The only downside was the packet pick up..the best way to get there was by tram, but it took a good 45 minutes each way on overcrowded trams, so you had to stand. Either they need to make the packet pick up more central or put on more frequent trams. In fact both metro to the airport and trams could do with being more frequent as they were very crowded! There was not a great deal at the Expo and no pasta party but this was not a problem for me!!Organization on the course and refreshments were excellent and the finish in the stadium truly memorable!!It rained so the road was rather slippery at times.The course has some long inclines, but the last 7kms are downhill and somehow I even managed a PB!! All in all a fantastic experience!! A must do marathon and Athens is cheap too!! | |
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E. G. from UK
(11/8/2007)
"Race day great - registration a hassle" (about: 2007)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Athens Marathon (Greece)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 I'd describe the athens course as 'gritty' - most of the time you're running through urban/industrial sprawl, and it's not a beautiful city, but at least you can see the mountains in the distance. I was worried about the inclines, but it wasn't too bad, just long slopes really rather than hills! Race organization on the day was fantastic, loads of water stations with bottles or cups to choose from, and energy drinks and gels as well as water. The buses to the start were well organized and fast. Plenty of toilets. They looked after you well at the end too, though some food stalls or fruit to snack on would have been ideal. The pre-race organization was not so good. Getting to the registration the day before was difficult, there weren't clear instructions for how to reach it on public transport, and taxi drivers hadn't heard of the address we were given! It is miles out of town, in the middle of an industrial area. Also there was no pasta party and virtually no expo... Guess it's the race that really matters, but its a shame they can't improve the logistics for registration. | |
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C. F. from Ottawa, Canada
(5/25/2007)
"A Marathon for the Ages" (about: 2006)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Athens Marathon (Greece)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Dear Marathoners, As a Canadian with strong Greek roots, I truly enjoyed this race. The organizers of the historic race (SEGAS) got everything right: The race kit pick-up location, the water/aid stations, volunteers, spectators, safety and the race support. The free transportation for the entire week made traveling around Athens a breeze. The course was magnificent, providing numerous challenging hills, and scenic views of the mountains in the background; and you cannot forget the finish at Panathanaiko Stadium. I would highly recommend this race to every marathoner - not only as a personal challenge, but to be a part of history. | |
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Savvas Farassoglou from Ottawa, Canada
(5/2/2007)
"The Classic Marathon: Worth The Journey!" (about: 2006)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Athens Marathon (Greece)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Hello future marathoners, I participated the 2006 Athens Marathon and it met and surpassed every expectation I had from this course. From the organization, to the scenic and challenging course, to the friendliness of fellow runners and spectators, the marathon experience was amazing. Also, finishing in Panathanaiko Stadium is truly unique experience. As a Canadian with Greek roots, I enjoyed running in the original course (no words can explain the experience!). I would highly recommend this course to every marathoner who wants to be challenged by the hills and partake in history itself!!! | |
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J. S. from Stockholm, Sweden
(4/11/2007)
"Tough course" (about: 2006)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Athens Marathon (Greece)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 Not a marathon for those who love cheering crowds. Very few spectators and a lot of dull scenery. Tough course with long inclines. The organization was good, nothing extraordinary. That said, I think it's one of perhaps 5-6 marathons that one should run. | |
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Deb Gililland from Aviano AB, Italy
(2/25/2007)
"Good overall" (about: 2006)
2 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 My third marathon ever and I was excited to be running in Athens! I won't lie... trying to find the registration building was horrible. I spent the day before the marathon on my feet all day. But when I did find it, it was well organized. I enjoyed myself but was definitely surprised by the 40-degree temps the day of the race. I was not prepared for the cold. The first 5 miles were interesting and a little confusing. We did get mixed up with the top runners when they had us do some loop. Water stations were good. This course was tough! I had fun. | |
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N. M. from Canada
(11/29/2006)
"Historic Trip Of A Lifetime" (about: 2006)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Athens Marathon (Greece)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 The course was hard, with a few spectators, but the ones that were there were great. Apostolos Greek Tours did a wonderful job and I would highly recommend Paul Samaras and Jill Clancy to everyone. They took care of all the details and the transportation - not only to and from the race, but the rest of the tours they offered were first-class. Jeff Galloway and his wife were on this tour also. Truly a trip of a lifetime!!! | |
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K. A. from Los Angeles California USA
(11/29/2006)
"I wish I had..." (about: 2006)
3 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 I wish I had not tried to do this on my own. My friend and I thought it would be like any big marathon in the US, but it wasn't. We got so lost trying to pick up our race packet the day before the race that I can't even tell you where we went. And when we got there they didn't have a real expo like we are so used to here. We ended up spending five hours just to get our race packets. We were so tired from the ordeal that we didn't even go to the pasta dinner. The transportation to the race was fine and the race course was everything we expected it to be. We enjoyed Athens and the free bus/tram pass was great for getting around with, even though we got lost a number of times because of the language differences. (It really was Greek to me!) All in all, it was a fun trip, but I don't think I would try to do it on my own again. | |
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Tim Holcombe from So Cal, USA
(11/29/2006)
"FANTASTIC!!!" (about: 2006)
First Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my first marathon and one I'll never forget. I went with Apostolos Greek Tours, and I would HIGHLY recommend going with them. Paul and Jill not only take care of all the registration and transportation issues, but the optional tours of the Athens ruins and the Greek Islands were unforgettable. I believe there were around 150 runners in our tour group and everyone had a blast. The after-race dinner/dance is not to be missed! Many thanks to the four from Calgary who helped me through the race! |
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