Athens marathon

Would like to do but not at the price the sports travel companys want.

Any advice on the route/ cheap flights/ hotels etc

Thinking about booking two weeks some where in Greece on a package holiday and hiring a car and shooting up to Athens to run the race, instead of laying on the beach.

Anyone done this or similar?

flights to athens are still cheap with easyjet from manchester ,hotels

 in athens are plentiful and not expensive ,plenty near the stadium for the finish ,i visited the stadium where u run into at the end of the race and it is awesome ,cant wait ,flying to athens on the friday before the race on the sunday and flying home on the tuesday ,if u want to visit an island close to athens aegina is lovely ,very greek and not too touristy ,not that there will be many tourists on the islands in november anyway ,stayed in hotel attalos 10 min walk from the stadium in july for 2 nights ,great budget hotel very friendly with a fantastic rooftop bar with amazing views of the acropilis , let me know if u need any more info about athens or the islands

We also fly out on the Friday but from Gatwick £103 each and 90 euro for the race. Fly back on Monday evening. Hotels are reasonable too!

I can't wait for this one but first we have Snowdon marathon two weeks before which is going to be used as a training run!!!

hi roger , ye hotels are reasonable even in the summer months ,noticed on the other thread u have managed to pay by bank transfer , is it that easy , hotel we have booked is about a minute walk from the finish at the magnificent olympic stadium

Money transfer was really straightforward although your bank may charge you for doing it. Once you have transfered your money you email the reference number to the marathon people and they confirm you are in.

We booked the Melia Athens Hotel, but not sure how far it will be from the finish, not too far I hope!

Really starting to look forward to it now as only 12 weeks to go...

Thanks to you both for the advice.

Still in the maybe stage, but will be at Snowdon for sure.

Has anyone been successful in paying the entry fee?  I've booked flights and hotel, but haven't been able to pay the €90.  I've e-mailed the organsiers and they told me they had a problem with their payment system, however they've confirmed my place.  The only alternative is to pay by bank transfer but I begrudge paying my bank £9.75 for the privilege,

I had to do thye bank transfer unfortunately.

hi top shuffler , had my place confirmed back in march still not paid though , had numerous emails from tota customer services manager for the marathon saying dont worry and i can even pay when i arrive in athens on the friday if payment by card cannot be made before ,dont really like the sound of that , flights and hotel booked ,stopping at athens gate hotel close to the finishing line ,i visited the stadium which we run into at the end of the race when i was in athens in july and it is spectacular ,should be quite an emotional finish ,cant wait

Received e-mail on Thursday (4th Oct) with a link to a payment page.  All paid up and entry confirmed.  Flights and hotel booked, time to focus on the running....

I'm all set for Athens in 3 weeks time. Really looking forward to my first time in Greece and my first overseas race. Has anyone done the course before? I hear a large chunk is uphill. I wondered if anyone could confirm this?

Also as I've not managed to recruit any other runners or supporters, I'll be heading out there on my own so if anyone doesn't mind keeping me company during the weekend would be good to have a couple of folks to talk to rather than sitting around Athens on my own!

i am sure you will love athens especially the finish in the magnificent panathanaikon stadium , this is only my 2nd marathon after manchester in april but been to athens many times , the greeks are the most hospitable people u will ever meet ,when are u flying from and wheen are u back ,also where are u stopping in athens i may be able to give some advice on hotels and where to go etc , me and my partner fly from manchester on friday 9th and back on tuesday 13th ,not really prepared for the course and the hills as been ill for a few weeks so it could involve some walking for me ,send me a message if u want some more info ,cheers martin

Hi Martin
I fly out from Heathrow on the Friday afternoon, back Monday evening. I'm staying at the Marina Hotel, near Omonia. Which I'm told is not a particularly nice area but is not as dangerous as it looks; It can't be any worse than some parts of the UK I've walked around! Some suggestions for places to find food would be useful. The only other thing that really worries me is finding my way to the start buses in the dark with no knowledge of Greek!
I've done 10 Edinburghs now so not worried about the distance, but I'm not that used to running long hilly sections so hopefully I won't need to adopt a run/walk strategy.

Den

Here`s my race report from 2010....it`s a great race - enjoy. Still in the stands afterwards.

http://abloggerstalebymrk.blogspot.co.uk/2010/11/my-own-tribute-to-past.html

Mr.K. I was already getting excited but you video has just multiplied this by 10!

Really looking forward to this now, but I have to get Snowdon out of the way next Saturday first which I should also be looking forward to as it will be my first Snowdon. I now see it as a training run (which it is) rather than a great top 10 British marathon (which it should be)

Fortunately I have got through the last 13 weeks training with just a few niggles (warnings) and nothing else so if I can be sensible next week and then for the two weeks after everything should be fine.

hi mr k ,is that the attalos hotel u stopped in ,nice place stopped there twice before when island hopping , dont like the look of the elevation map ,enjoyed your race report

hi den omonia not the best area to stop in but athens is a safe city to visit as long as you are careful ,have u paid for your hotel ,the best area for eating and hotels is round the plaka and monistaraki ,touristy but very nice close to the acropolis ,many hotels with rooftop bars with great views of the acropolis ,not that ill be drinking until sunday night

Save some energy for the underpass uphill section at about 20-21 miles. then enjoy the mostly down hill section after that.

Great race though. 

Really wish I was running Athens this year ! I am thinking of running it next year now. Like Martin love Island hopping and go to Athens quite a lot.We have never had any bother in Athens also stayed at the Atalos.

I hope you all have good runs and will look forward to see how you get on