Athens Renewed My Love for Running:
There’s something I’ve always adored about the half marathon distance.
21.1km is a long way — but it’s not that long.
You can train seriously for one, of course. You can spend 10, 20+ weeks building mileage, obsessing over nutrition, tapering, fuelling and trying to squeeze every last second out of your legs. But you don’t necessarily have to…
Give me a pair of On’s, a banana or two, a bit of stubbornness and some grit, and I can deliver 21.1km on any stage.
And I think that’s part of the beauty of the distance. Not every race has to be about running your fastest time. Sometimes you can just turn up, run the damn thing and remind yourself, you still have that dog in you!
That’s increasingly what I’ve come to love about these European race weekends. Before Athens, I’d already run solo half marathons in Helsinki (Finland), Tallinn (Estonia) and Sofia (Bulgaria), and the race has become almost the excuse for the trip — a few days somewhere new, followed by 21.1km through it, for some silverware.
Athens, however, came at a slightly different time for me.
After running a 3:51:52 marathon in Barcelona in March 2025, which I was extremely proud of – I’d managed to completely burn myself out on running. I was still getting out there, but the enjoyment had started to disappear, and with it, the motivation.
Following suit came the workplace burnout, alongside severe side hustle and personal drive depletion.
So when I saw Athens on the calendar, I wasn’t looking for another PB. I wanted somewhere that might rekindle something within me.
And if you’re going to look for inspiration, Athens isn’t exactly a bad place to start on the world map.
There’s something pretty fitting about running through a city so closely connected with the origins of the marathon itself. The ancient legend of the messenger running from Marathon to Athens became the inspiration for the modern marathon, before the first Olympic marathon was held here in 1896.
Maybe I was hoping some of that ancient Greek energy would rub off on me.
Maybe I just fancied some space and a city break.
Either way, I booked the trip.
And somewhere between the Acropolis, thousands of runners and a surprisingly quick 21.1km, I think I found what I was looking for.
Getting to Athens from the UK
For anyone considering doing the same, one of the biggest attractions was how easy it was to turn this into a long weekend from the UK.
I flew from London Luton to Athens on Thursday 5 March with EasyJet, departing at 08:00 and arriving at 13:35.
£38.99.
The return with Wizz Air on Monday evening was £20.42, leaving Athens at 21:05 and getting back to Luton at 23:10.
£59.41 return.
No added cabin luggage or seat allocation fees required.
Not bad at all.
I needed three days of annual leave and booked four nights in a penthouse apartment in Exarchia for £214.23.
I’d deliberately spent a little more on somewhere comfortable. After a pretty rough period of work and running burnout, having my own space and a terrace overlooking Athens felt like money well spent. But there were cheaper options available in and around the city.
Better still, it was roughly ten minutes from the race start, removing some pre-race stress and friction.
Race-morning me was very grateful for that decision.
The airport was easy enough too. I used the metro into central Athens, with the airport station right by the terminal and a direct connection to Syntagma taking around 40 minutes.
So far, so good.
Why the Athens Half Marathon?
When I started looking for my next European race in late 2025, Athens quickly stood out.
The event itself is a big one. The 2026 edition was the 14th running Athens Half Marathon, with the wider event also featuring a 5K, Family Run and Special Olympics/Para-Athletes race. Around 25,000 runners take part across the events, supported by around 1,500 volunteers, with the course passing some 40 historic monuments.
And it is popular.
Very popular.
Registration for the 2026 race opened at midday on 13 January. I was sat at my laptop, working from home, flight already booked and waiting for the entries to open. Thankfully, I managed to secure a place.
The demand was huge, with the race selling out rapidly and the organisers subsequently introducing a public ballot after demand massively exceeded the available places.
My entry cost was €50, including the official race T-shirt, which came to £43.48 on my Monzo account.
Not bad at all.
Pre-travel costs:
- Flights, £38.99+£20.42 =£59.41
- Penthouse Accommodation, £214.23
- Race Entry (w/T-Shirt), £43.48
- Pre-Travel Total = £317.12
Athens before the Race…
The great thing about doing a race abroad is that the race doesn’t have to be the whole trip.
You’re still on holiday, and when running solo, I always treat it that way.
I spent the days before the race exploring Athens, mostly on foot – taking in the Acropolis, Plaka, Monastiraki, Syntagma and the various ancient sites scattered around the city.
I found myself constantly looking upwards, too. Athens has some brilliant viewpoints, and watching the city change as the sun went down quickly became one of my favourite things to do.
If you’re bit of a views and vibes chaser like me, I’d recommend:
- Mount Lycabettus – huge panoramic view across Athens and the coastline. Best around sunset.
- Philopappou Hill (Pynx) – a greener setting, with one of the best perspectives towards the Acropolis.
- Areopagus Hill (Mars Hill) – classic elevated view over the Ancient Agora and central Athens.
And don’t let the word hill fool you. Athens is full of them.
The city had plenty going on at street level too. The main shopping streets and areas around the center were full of performers, musicians and all sorts of random entertainment. Some of the street performers were genuinely among the best I’ve come across in Europe – the sort of stuff that makes you stop for five minutes and forget where you was heading.
Then there was the food.
Gyros, pizza, coffee and gelato became a fairly regular part of the itinerary, and I found eating out noticeably better value than what I’m used to in the UK.
One place I kept hearing about, and eventually joined the queue for myself – was Tylixto Greek Wrap in Monastiraki.
It was busy every time I saw it, with locals and tourists lining up along Aiolou Street, but the queue moved quickly. The whole thing felt like exactly what I’d hoped for from a Greek street-food stop: busy, casual, cheap and very, very good.
If you’re visiting Athens and want to try a proper gyro, I’d definitely put Tylixto on the list.
The only slight problem?
I was walking 30,000–40,000 steps a day. Probably not textbook half-marathon preparation.
But I wasn’t in Athens to sit in my apartment and carb-load for four days. I was there to experience the city.
And Athens was brilliant.
Highly recommend to get the ATHENA TRAVEL ticket, for tram, train and bus access around the city.
The Half Marathon Expo
Before race day came the official race expo.
Early Friday, 6th March, I made my way to the ERGO Half Marathon Expo, held at the Palaio Faliro Indoor Stadium (former Tae Kwon Do venue), from Thursday to Saturday.
When travelling solo, I always make getting to the expo a priority. Get the admin out of the way early and you can relax for the rest of the weekend knowing that everything is sorted.
Getting there was probably the most awkward journey of the weekend, but entirely my fault. I decided to get off the train a few stops early to see the Olympiacos’ Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus on my way.
I’d hoped to make a fixture that weekend too, but unfortunately couldn’t get a ticket for Olympiacos v PAOK on March 8th – local rivalry!
Walking from Piraeus afterwards was difficult and definitely not recommended.
But once I arrived, the expo itself was great.
It was big, busy and absolutely full of running stuff – exactly the sort of place where you suddenly realise you apparently need a whole new wardrobe.
Bib and bag collection was straightforward on entry. I joined the applicable queue based on my bib number, scanned my QR code and collected the race pack. The race shirt was waiting at the end of the expo, and everything was checked off separately.
Once the non-negotiables were acquired – I embraced the expo and all of the nutrition, hydration, clothing, technology, running accessories and plethora of brands trying to convince me that my current collection of running gear wasn’t quite sufficient.
I picked up some dope new running socks, new electrolyte tablets (I’d forgotten to bring my own), some O2Pro nasal strips… and collected a ridiculous amount of snack and protein bar freebies, including hot and fresh pots of Melissa protein pasta – for a free lunch!
The nasal strips were a new one for me. I’d never used them before, but the O2Pro team did a pretty good job of convincing me that they’d change my life. I was sceptical, but decided to give them a go for the race after the live demonstrations.
Turns out, for me, they actually made a noticeable difference. I felt like my airflow and breathing were better throughout the run, and they’ve since become something I’ve carried forward into other races and hikes.
It was exactly what I wanted from a race expo: plenty to look around without making the actual race preparation complicated.
On my journey back, I realised that my Athens Travel Ticket also covered the tram, which made getting back to central Athens much easier. A few stops on the tram, followed by the 30-minute train back into the city, and I was home without too much drama.
Race pack safely extracted.
Did the Expo need to be so far out of the city center? I don’t know, but fun adventure across the city nonetheless.
Race Day
Sunday morning.
8am kick-off.
Syntagma Square.
Thousands of runners packed into the streets of central Athens.
The race starts and finishes on Vasilissis Amalias Avenue beside the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, right in front of the Greek Parliament.
For me, the logistics were ridiculously easy.
Ten-minute walk from the apartment, arrive at the start, get to bag-drop, find my area and get ready.
No taxis.
No early-morning public transport.
No stress.
And then the atmosphere hits you.
Music, crowds, runners everywhere and the whole of central Athens effectively turned into a race track.
It felt like a proper event.
Bag dropped (glad I got there early). Watch Ready.
Then we were off.
The Course
The 21.1km course takes you through the historic centre of Athens, passing landmarks including the Panathenaic Stadium, Temple of Olympian Zeus and Hadrian’s Arch.
And it’s not flat.
My Strava recorded around 190m of elevation gain, and the hills become increasingly noticeable as the race goes on.
You’re not dealing with one giant climb. Instead, it’s a series of rises and falls that slowly start taking their toll.
That’s particularly important if you’re coming here hoping for a fast time.
The upside is that you’re running through Athens.
The roads are closed to traffic, thousands of runners surround you and there’s something happening all the way around the course. DJs, performers, music and general street-level chaos make it feel much more like a city-wide event than simply 21.1km of tarmac.
The support was good, too.
Water was readily available throughout the course, with isotonic drinks, gels and other refreshments appearing at the usual intervals, plus further drinks and bananas waiting at the finish. I never felt like I was waiting too long for the next opportunity to grab something.
Once slight oddity is the course itself. You do loop back on yourself in places, running sections of roads you’ve already seen from the opposite direction later in the race. It isn’t a huge problem, or very avoidable in most cases… but you definitely notice it.
Other runners’ experiences I looked at before the race had highlighted the same things: the hills and heat can make the second half tough, but the atmosphere and scenery make up for it.
Having now run it myself, I’d agree.
If you’re chasing a flat-course PB, there are easier races.
If you’re looking for a memorable race experience in a brilliant city, that’s where Athens starts to make a lot of sense.
My Race
I really wasn’t expecting much from myself.
My half marathon PB was still sitting in Sofia, Bulgaria (1:39:05), and Athens was never supposed to be an attempt at beating it.
I’d barely trained. I’d come to Athens more interested in the experience than the time. I mostly wanted to find out what my fitness actually looked like after months of being inconsistent.
So I started conservatively.
Nothing heroic. Just settle in, find a rhythm and see what happens.
And then, somewhere along the way, I started getting quicker, in-tune with the crowd support.
By kilometre 9, I was running around 4:25/km.
By kilometre 12, I’d hit 4:15/km.
At this point I started thinking:
Hang on. Maybe I’m actually alright.
That probably wasn’t the wisest thought have halfway through a half marathon.
The final few kilometres got progressively harder, with kilometres 19 and 20 dropping to a 5:22/km and 5:30/km respectively.
But by then, I was committed. I kept pushing
And somehow crossed the line in:
1:44:19
Very pleased with the performance.
I had been expecting something around 1:55–2:00.
Instead, I’d just run my third-fastest half marathon ever.
Strava recorded 21.38km at an average pace of 4:51/km, with around 190m of elevation gain and an average heart rate of 172bpm.
Somewhere along the way, I’d even managed my second-fastest 5K ever.
Not bad for a race I’d basically turned up to with no expectations.
There was, however, one small problem.
I was absolutely rekt. Near the very end, I pushed up one of the final hills, pulled over to the left and emptied whatever was left in my stomach, right there, in Athens. During the half marathon, how classy.
I cleaned myself up, got myself moving again, smiled for a few photos, collected my medal and carried on.
Perfect.
After the Finish
The finish area in Syntagma had a proper event-village feel to it.
Drinks, fruit, protein shakes, pasta, photos, freebies and plenty of runners limping around, rejoicing with family and looking absolutely knackered.
But this is also where I discovered one of the more random highlights of the weekend.
Trading cards.
Stoiximan had a Wheels of Change activation where I ended up getting three personalised cards featuring my name and race number.
One for my nephews.
And two for me.
Because apparently even after running 21.1km and vomiting at the finish, I still have the mentality of a ten-year-old collecting football stickers.
Plenty of other activities in the event space, and a return of the Melissa Protein Pasta van – which I over-indulged in once again.
The one real organisational gripe was baggage collection.
After collecting your medal and usual post-race goodies (protein shakes, bars, electrolyte drinks, water, bananas, oranges etc) from the event organisers, you was led straight through to baggage collection. This area got quite hectic in the mid-afternoon sun.
The queue was long and bags were being manually searched through rather than being organised particularly efficiently… However, not as chaotic as I’ve seen at other events.
Once I got to the front, it was fine.
It just took a while.
Everything else around the finish felt well handled, and vibes in the square were extremely high from the finishers!
What Did Race Weekend Cost?
This is probably the bit I’d have wanted to read before booking the trip myself.
For the core costs:
| Cost | |
|---|---|
| EasyJet Luton → Athens | £38.99 |
| Wizz Air Athens → Luton | £20.42 |
| 4 nights accommodation | £214.23 |
| Half Marathon entry + race shirt | £43.48 |
| Core total | £317.12 |
But that’s not the whole story.
Over the five days, I spent roughly another £180-200 on food, local transport, sightseeing and the inevitable miscellaneous spending that comes with wandering around Athens.
A lot of my food spending was actually pretty sensible. I did a supermarket shop on the Friday evening and stocked up the fridge and cupboards with food, snacks and bottled water. At the time I was also trying to keep myself fuelled for the race, so there was plenty of pasta, pizza and carbs involved.
The rest went on eating out, coffees, gyros and the occasional treat. And, as usual, the coffees have a funny way of adding up.
There were also a few race-related bits and pieces along the way, including a new pair of race shorts and running socks.
Athens also gives you plenty of opportunities to spend nothing at all. Wandering through Plaka, Monastiraki and Syntagma, exploring the National Garden, watching the Evzones (presidential guards) and simply taking in the city can easily fill a day without an entrance ticket.
But if you want to start ticking off the major attractions, costs can climb quickly. The Acropolis is the obvious example, and once you start adding museums, archaeological sites and other attractions, the sightseeing budget can grow surprisingly quickly.
Then there was my completely necessary purchase of a genuine PAOK shirt from the official team store.
Was it necessary? No.
Did I regret it? Also no.
So, all in, I’d put the total cost of the trip at around £500.
Could I have done it cheaper?
Definitely.
I could have stayed somewhere cheaper, eaten more supermarket food, skipped some of the attractions and avoided buying a completely unnecessary PAOK shirt.
Would I have done it differently on this trip?
Honestly, no.
This was a trip where I wanted to enjoy myself, have a comfortable base in Athens and experience the race without worrying too much about every pound I was spending.
Around £500 all-in for five days in Athens, four nights accommodation, return flights and a European half marathon feels pretty reasonable to me.
Especially when it only cost me three days of annual leave.
W&W Athens Half Marathon Scorecard
| Category | Score |
|---|---|
| 🏃 Course | 4/5 |
| 🏛️ Scenery | 5/5 |
| 🔥 Atmosphere | 4.3/5 |
| 📋 Organisation | 4.5/5 |
| 👕 Expo | 4.3/5 |
| 💷 Value for Money | 4.5/5 |
| 🇬🇷 City Experience | 4.75/5 |
| 🧍 Solo-Friendly | 5/5 |
| Overall | 4.5/5 |
My Scorecard for the Athens 2026 Half Marathon. Overall, it comes in at a 4.5/5 – a race I’d happily do again.
Would I Recommend the Athens Half Marathon?
Yes.
If you’re based in the UK and fancy combining a European city break with a proper half marathon, Athens is a brilliant option. Plus the pleasantly sunny weather in March was very surprising!
The flights from London can be cheap, you don’t need a huge amount of annual leave, getting around the city is straightforward and there’s more than enough to do before and after the race.
The race itself is challenging.
Train for the hills.
And if you’re chasing a PB, I’d probably pick somewhere flatter.
But that’s not really what Athens is about.
You’re running through one of the world’s great historic cities, surrounded by thousands of other runners, with the Acropolis and ancient landmarks all around you.
For me, that made the hills worthwhile.
The event also feels like a proper occasion. From the expo and the build-up on race morning to the atmosphere on the streets and the finish in Syntagma, it felt much bigger than simply turning up, running 21.1km and going home.
Was it worth the travel?
Absolutely.
Was it worth the roughly £500 I spent?
For me, yes.
And ultimately, the 1:44:19 wasn’t even the best part.
I went to Athens because I wanted to fall back in love with running.
After Barcelona, I’d started wondering whether I’d lost that feeling.
Running through Athens with thousands of others on a Sunday morning, reminded me why I loved it in the first place.
The fast time was the surprise.
Getting the enjoyment back was the real win.
And, obviously, the vomiting. Can’t forget the vomiting.
Athens Half Marathon 2027 sign-up information below:
<Not yet available as of September 2026>
