Athens Marathon. The Authentic course & pace calculator
The original route, from the town of Marathon to the marble Panathenaic Stadium. A long, steady climb from about 10 km to past 30 km, then a fast descent into central Athens. One of the toughest big-city marathon courses. The profile follows the official GPX.
- Climb
- 305 m
- Descent
- 253 m
- Low – high
- 4 m – 240 m
- Terrain at 3:00
- +2:55
- Typical start
- 16°C
- Sub-3 needs
- 2:55:57 flat
Course time calculator
Type h:mm:ss or use the step buttons.
16°C at your start → 19°C at the finish · dew point 10°C
Heat is scored with shade WBGT from temperature and humidity, starting to cost time above about 15°C (59°F) WBGT. Slower runners lose more because they are out longer. Wind, sun and rain are not modelled.
Certified distance only. Switch on to count the metres lost to corners, crowds and aid stations.
Same effort all the way: slower up the climbs, faster down the descents.
- Flat course
- 2:55:57
- Terrain
- +2:51
- Weather
- +1:12
- Athens finish
- 3:00:00
Average 4:16 /km on course · 4:10 /km flat
Elevation profile
305 m up, 253 m down. Hover or tap the chart for the grade and your clock time at any point.
- Climb 2%+
- Climb 0.8–2%
- Flat
- Descent 0.8–2%
- Descent 2%+
- 1Marathon · 0.0 km
- 2Panathenaic Stadium · 42.2 km
Course splits for 3:00:00
Even-effort splits with the selected weather. Climbing and descent are per split, from the smoothed profile.
| Split | Pace | Split time | Clock | Up / down |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 km | 4:08 | 4:08 | 4:08 | +0 m / −8 m |
| 2 km | 4:08 | 4:08 | 8:16 | +0 m / −8 m |
| 3 km | 4:10 | 4:10 | 12:26 | +0 m / −3 m |
| 4 km | 4:10 | 4:10 | 16:36 | +0 m / −4 m |
| 5 km | 4:10 | 4:10 | 20:46 | +0 m / −4 m |
| 6 km | 4:14 | 4:14 | 25:00 | +3 m / −1 m |
| 7 km | 4:10 | 4:10 | 29:10 | +0 m / −4 m |
| 8 km | 4:11 | 4:11 | 33:21 | +0 m / −1 m |
| 9 km | 4:17 | 4:17 | 37:38 | +7 m / −0 m |
| 10 km | 4:15 | 4:15 | 41:54 | +5 m / −0 m |
| 11 km | 4:21 | 4:21 | 46:15 | +11 m / −0 m |
| 12 km | 4:28 | 4:28 | 50:43 | +19 m / −0 m |
| 13 km | 4:20 | 4:20 | 55:03 | +9 m / −0 m |
| 14 km | 4:12 | 4:12 | 59:15 | +1 m / −2 m |
| 15 km | 4:16 | 4:16 | 1:03:31 | +7 m / −3 m |
| 16 km | 4:35 | 4:35 | 1:08:07 | +27 m / −0 m |
| 17 km | 4:05 | 4:05 | 1:12:12 | +2 m / −29 m |
| 18 km | 4:05 | 4:05 | 1:16:17 | +2 m / −24 m |
| 19 km | 4:19 | 4:19 | 1:20:36 | +10 m / −1 m |
| 20 km | 4:32 | 4:32 | 1:25:08 | +22 m / −0 m |
| 21 km | 4:35 | 4:35 | 1:29:43 | +25 m / −0 m |
| 22 km | 4:25 | 4:25 | 1:34:08 | +15 m / −0 m |
| 23 km | 4:22 | 4:22 | 1:38:30 | +12 m / −0 m |
| 24 km | 4:22 | 4:22 | 1:42:53 | +12 m / −0 m |
| 25 km | 4:38 | 4:38 | 1:47:30 | +28 m / −0 m |
| 26 km | 4:30 | 4:30 | 1:52:00 | +20 m / −0 m |
| 27 km | 4:22 | 4:22 | 1:56:22 | +11 m / −0 m |
| 28 km | 4:24 | 4:24 | 2:00:46 | +14 m / −0 m |
| 29 km | 4:15 | 4:15 | 2:05:01 | +4 m / −2 m |
| 30 km | 4:16 | 4:16 | 2:09:17 | +5 m / −0 m |
| 31 km | 4:38 | 4:38 | 2:13:55 | +29 m / −0 m |
| 32 km | 4:08 | 4:08 | 2:18:03 | +4 m / −21 m |
| 33 km | 4:06 | 4:06 | 2:22:09 | +0 m / −16 m |
| 34 km | 4:08 | 4:08 | 2:26:17 | +0 m / −9 m |
| 35 km | 4:09 | 4:09 | 2:30:26 | +0 m / −8 m |
| 36 km | 4:10 | 4:10 | 2:34:36 | +0 m / −4 m |
| 37 km | 4:05 | 4:05 | 2:38:41 | +0 m / −18 m |
| 38 km | 4:06 | 4:06 | 2:42:47 | +0 m / −16 m |
| 39 km | 4:07 | 4:07 | 2:46:55 | +2 m / −16 m |
| 40 km | 4:04 | 4:04 | 2:50:59 | +0 m / −21 m |
| 41 km | 4:08 | 4:08 | 2:55:06 | +1 m / −12 m |
| 42 km | 4:05 | 4:05 | 2:59:11 | +1 m / −21 m |
| Finish | 4:12 | 0:49 | 3:00:00 | +1 m / −0 m |
Race-morning weather
Air temperature and relative humidity by hour from the first wave’s 09:00 start, from 98 mornings within three days of the race date since 2011 at ELEFTHERIOS VENIZELOS INTERNATIONAL, GR. Cool and warm are about the 10th and 90th percentile mornings by heat stress. Median wind 18 km/h.
| Local time | Cool | Typical | Warm |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09:00 | 13°C · 67% | 16°C · 67% | 18°C · 74% |
| 10:00 | 14°C · 61% | 17°C · 67% | 20°C · 70% |
| 11:00 | 15°C · 60% | 18°C · 58% | 21°C · 60% |
| 12:00 | 15°C · 54% | 19°C · 55% | 22°C · 56% |
| 13:00 | 15°C · 53% | 18°C · 57% | 22°C · 54% |
| 14:00 | 15°C · 63% | 19°C · 59% | 22°C · 55% |
| 15:00 | 15°C · 59% | 19°C · 54% | 22°C · 55% |
| Date | Start | +3 hours | Peak WBGT |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-11-10 | 14°C · 59% | 16°C · 48% | 16°C |
| 2023-11-12 | 16°C · 72% | 22°C · 41% | 21°C |
| 2022-11-13 | 14°C · 82% | 18°C · 60% | 19°C |
Data & method
- Route: Official Athens Marathon. The Authentic GPX (https://www.athensauthenticmarathon.gr/en/c/agones-2-26/authentic-marathon-1/marathonios-dromos-33), drawn on OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL). Measured at 42.27 km and scaled to 42.195 km.
- Elevation: Copernicus GLO-30 DEM (30 m), © DLR e.V. 2010–2014 and © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH 2014–2018, provided under COPERNICUS by the European Union and ESA. Sampled every 25–50 m, with bridges set to deck height and smoothed over 200–400 m.
- Weather: hourly observations from NOAA’s Integrated Surface Database (station 16716199999).
- Small climbs on flat courses can be terrain-model noise; they add only seconds to the estimates.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Athens Marathon. The Authentic hilly?
The course climbs about 305 m (1001 ft) and descends about 253 m in total, which is hilly by big-city standards. At even effort the terrain alone changes a 3:00 flat-course marathon by +2:55 and a 4:00 by +3:54.
What flat-course time do I need to break 3 hours at the Athens Marathon. The Authentic?
About 2:55:57 on a flat course, assuming a typical race morning. For a sub-4 you need about 3:53:59. Switch the weather off in the calculator to see the terrain-only figure.
What is the weather usually like at the Athens Marathon. The Authentic?
On a typical race morning it is about 16°C (60°F) at the first wave’s start and 19°C (65°F) three hours later, with a dew point near 10°C. That costs a 3-hour runner about 1:16 and a 4-hour runner about 2:20. Figures come from airport observations within three days of the race date since 2011.
How is the course-adjusted time calculated?
The course is cut into 100 m pieces. Each piece is run at your flat-course pace times a grade factor (about +3.3% per 1% uphill and −1.8% per 1% downhill) and a heat factor from shade WBGT at the time you reach it. Adding the pieces gives the course time, and the calculator works backwards from a goal the same way.