athens nov 2013

cant wait for this one ,last year was amazing apart from my fitness , hopefully  i will be in better shape this year to tackle the 6 mile hill ,fantastic organisation and wonderful hospitality from the greek people ,this is the one , amazing finish in the olympic stadium ,flights booked even managed to pay straight away ,last year they didnt want any money until 4 weeks before the race

Comments

  • I've been pondering a marathon abroad and my OH asked if there was one in Athens!  By 6 mile hill do you mean a hill that actually goes on for 6 miles though?!

  • yes it does im afraid  ,seriously though it is just a gradual incline between 14 and 20 miles not steep , then the last 6 miles is all downhill into athens and the olympic stadium , the package for 90 euros is well worth it , free transport for 5 days in athens inc OH , transport to the start in marathon on the day ,and a fantastic medal and teeshirt

  • MeadowerMeadower ✭✭✭

    I registered and booked my flights last night.  This is going to be my first marathon, and "excited" doesn't quite cover it.  I love the thought of running this original route and I couldn't get that out of my head - so it's done.

    I'd read about the hill beforehand, but I quite like the idea (and hopefully survive the reality of) a challenging introduction to the distance.

     

     

  • MeadowerMeadower ✭✭✭

    Well I've never gone beyond half distance before, but having just completed two halves in a week (Berlin and Edinburgh Rock 'n' Roll) I think I'm in a good place.  Will need to start some serious hill training though!

    Two-Stroke - has Martin scared you off this one, or are you and your OH still giving this one some thought?

  • hi wohlf , it was only my 2nd marathon after manchester in the april before so im no expert in marathon running but am more than welcome to give any information on the race , i also know athens quite well so can advice if needed regarding hotels and transport ,hotel we stopped in last year was very close to panathanikon stadium which we run into at the end of the race , athens gate hotel ,highly recommended and in a good part of athens for sightseeing bars restaurants etc , and a fantastic rooftop bar , hope i havent put you off two-stroke

  • MeadowerMeadower ✭✭✭

    Hi Martin,

    Appreciate the info.  I'm probably going to stay in hostel to keep costs down, but grab a hotel room to help with sleep on the Saturday night.  Haven't been to Athens before so I may try to find somewhere near one of the bus pick-up points.  Did you use the bus to travel to the startline last year?  Any issues?

    Also, I need to ask...how steep is this hill?  The course map on their website shows the gradient, but there are no numbers to help get a feel for what I need to prepare myself for!

    And finally (for now), what do you need to have on you for the free public transport?

    Cheers.

  • hi wohlf ,organisation with buses to the start line in marathon was superb from the centre of athens ,literally hundreds of buses ferrying people to marathon , when u arrive at the airport in athens u will be able to pick up your free travel pass from the marathon info point which will then get you to your hotel  just show  your registration confirmation at the desk, a good highly recommended hotel which i have stopped in twice is the hotel attalos [also good location ],nice rooftop bar,  finally the hill ,it is not really steep just relentless , my email address if u need more info is martin-andrew-smith@sky.com cheers

  • MeadowerMeadower ✭✭✭

    Excellent.  All sounds really positive, as if I needed any more reasons to get excited.  Thanks for the email, I'll no doubt get in touch a bit nearer the time.  Until then (since it seems to be quite quiet here!), hope the training goes smoothly!

  • Hi Guys.. Wife & I have just entered the Athens 2013 marathon and now looking for a hotel. Anything to recommend ??? I'll check out hotel attalos as suggested by Martin

    Wohlf, About the hill... we did Jungfrau marathon (1800m uphill) last year so I'm hoping it will help me a little. Trick is to pace yourself which is easier said than done.

    One thing that is an advantage is that with the race been in November the training schedule should be quite good sept/oct I think is good months for long distance runs

     

     

  • hi there ,attalos hotel is a great budget hotel , very friendly staff and good location ,excellent rooftop bar ,i have stopped there twice when island hopping , bit of a walk , probably 15-20 minutes walk or crawl from finishing in the panaithanikon stadium but still in the centre and very close to the metro stop , athens gate hotel we stopped in for the marathon last year and booked it this year and also in july after island hopping ,close to the stadium fantastic views of the acropolis , and a great rooftop bar again ,excellent breakfast  , they even start breakfast early the morning of the race 5.30am , before pick up which is 5 min walk from the hotel ,a bit more expensive but for such an occasion well worth it , me and my partner who is also running this year fly on the friday and back on the wednesday , just come out of hospital earlier today after knee arthroscopy for cartilage tear ,rest now and then start training for november , if u need any more info about the marathon or hotels please contact me ,my email address is martin-andrew-smith@sky.com if u want to email me , cheers martin

  • Martin thanks for the info. Sounds like the Gate Hotel is for my wife and I. Looked at it on the web site. We also fly out on Friday returning the following Friday. We may spend a bit of time island hopping weather permitting.

    Sorry to hear about your cartilage tear. Fingers crossed for you to be fit for the event.

     

    Thanks again

    Terry

  • MeadowerMeadower ✭✭✭

    Great to hear about someone else getting involved.  Pacing's exactly what I'll be doing...with it being my first I'll probably be overcautious, but I'm confident I'll be okay if I'm able to train properly.  Haven't been able to get going properly yet due to small persistent injury niggles, but hopefully I get a change of luck shortly.  Injuries seem to be a theme on here!

    You're sounding like you've done the rounds, Terry.  Have you got a fair few marathons behind you?

  • Hello Wohlf , I think I've done about 10. I did some in my early thirties and started it back again in my fifties as a goal to get rid of my spare tyre. I am not the fastest runner but my times have improved as I go on which is encouraging. (from 5h+ to 3:45).

    Like most runners I have a few niggles which used to get me frustrated. I try to be more accepting of it and change my training to suit how my body feels. I must be nice to have a 12/16 week training schedule uninterrupted and not finish the day with an ice pack strapped to the body.

    I think you have chosen a good debut marathon course.  Take you time save something spare for the 6 mile incline and enjoy the day and finish with a PB!!!

     

    On a side note what was Berlin like - been thinking about that?

     

    Terry

     

     

     

     

     

  • MeadowerMeadower ✭✭✭

    So it's sixteen weeks today.  That's fine...plenty of time!

    Solid advice, Terry.  I'm excited about it.  'Training' started yesterday with a 10k race and normal service will resume on Tuesday.

    Martin - how's the recovery going?

    Panos - have you ran Athens before?

  • hi wohlf ,just returned from greece on holiday ,visited stadium again in athens ,brought back great memories of the finish inside the stadium , back with a bit of light training on treadmill , knee still swollen slightly but otherwise ok , have some cartilage damage which they can do nothing about but fingers crossed and thanks for asking , 104 days today , cant wait , how u getting on wohlf with training and have u booked hotels etc , cheers martin

  • MoomkinMoomkin ✭✭✭

    Hi guys,

    First Marathon in a year. Plantar faciatis is a killer! Looking forward to some winter sun and enjoying the current warm weather training. You all aware of the expo and requirements to pick up your number and register beforehand. We won't arrive until the Saturday so will have to register on the way in from the airport. Hope all is going well with your training. ATB Moomkin 

  • Hi there , went to expo last year first thing Saturday morning , 5 min walk from panathanikon stadium , it was extremely busy but very well organised and had a great buzz about it , for anybody who doesn't know when u arrive at athens airport there is a marathon stand where u can collect your free travel passes which gives u 5 days free travel on public transport so u can get into the centre of Athens by metro or bus as soon as you arrive without having to pay , managed 5 miles yesterday which is the furthest I've done since knee op in June , still getting some pain so just gonna have to be careful , cheers martin 

  • Hi Martin

    We are now arriving just after midnight on the friday. I understand the buses run 24 hours but the metro closes down at 11:30. Do you know whether the marathon travel stand is staffed or operated out of hours from the info desk?  

  • hi moomkin , yes bus no x95 runs 24hrs to centre of Athens , as far as pick up at airport for travel pass I would have thought so but I will check for definite and let u know asap , cheers martin 

  • By the way expo is not where it was last year to pick up our numbers etc , bit of a bus ride this year

  • Hi guys.

    Less than 2 weeks to go. Hope your training been going better than mine.

    My training has been non existant due to a hamstring & back problem. Managed a half marathon "tester" a week ago. While I've been putting on the lbs my wife has been putting in the miles without me so she's looking good.. 

    Although its a bit frustrating, it not as bad as having a fantastic training period and picking up an injury at the last minute.

     I'm really looking forward to it and have been reminding myself of the original marathon history -thank god we don't have to do battle before the run!!

    See you in Athens!!!!!

     

     

Sign In or Register to comment.