Athens Marathon 5K and 10K 2026: routes and cut-offs

What this guide covers, and what it does not

This is the manual for the shorter races of Athens Marathon weekend: the 5K, the Universities Night Run, the 10K, the Kids Race and the Special Olympics race. It covers route, start procedure, time limits, bag drop, traffic bans and results, sourced only to the organiser's own pages (athensauthenticmarathon.gr). Those race pages carry no publication date, so we write "as read on 29 September 2026". The only dated organiser announcement used is the blog post of 12/9/2026 (Kids Race registration).

It does not cover the 42.195 km Marathon, the Marathon start buses or Marathon blocks, nor weather, training or medical advice. For the dates and programme of every race see "Athens Marathon 2026: dates and races" (/en/articles/athens-authentic-marathon-2026-guide); for getting around and watching, the visitor guide (/en/articles/athens-marathon-travel-spectator-guide); for the 42.195 km route, the km-by-km course guide (/en/articles/athens-marathon-course-km-by-km); for how the races compare with other Athens events, "Athens Marathon vs Half vs Poseidon: which to run" (/en/articles/athens-marathon-vs-half-vs-poseidon-which-to-run); and for 5K and 10K races across Greece, the beginner guide (/en/articles/beginner-5k-10k-races-greece). The finish in the Panathenaic Stadium has a history of its own: see the first Olympic marathon of 1896 (/en/articles/spyridon-louis-1896-olympic-marathon), Pheidippides between history and legend (/en/articles/pheidippides-history-vs-legend) and the 2004 Olympic marathon in Athens (/en/articles/athens-2004-olympic-marathon).

5K Telekom (Saturday 17:00): route, water and chip mats

The official page gives the route as: Amalias Avenue, Panepistimiou, Riga Feraiou, right onto Akadimias, left onto Vas. Sofias, a turn-around on Vas. Sofias at the Nimits junction, back along Vas. Sofias in front of The Ilisian, Irodou Attikou, into the Panathenaic Stadium through the Propylaea, finishing on the left side of the track; the last 170 m are on the tartan. In the organiser's cut-off table the turn-around sits at 3.05 km.

There is a single water station, at 2.8 km; bottled water is also given at the start and finish. The station has chemical toilets (four, two men's and two women's, plus one accessible). Chip mats are at 1 km and 3.05 km besides the start and finish, and anyone with no reading at the start, a split or the finish is left out of the official results. The bib with the embedded chip must be worn on the chest and visible.

The page sets a 60-minute limit and says all finishes will be completed by 20:10, "including the time delay of all consecutive starts and the start of the 5km Universities Night Run". The intermediate cut-offs are wall-clock times: 19:39 at the 2.8 km station and 19:43 at the turn-around. A note of our own, from arithmetic on the published times: 20:10 is 70 minutes after 19:00, when the last runner crosses the start line, ten more than the stated 60 minutes. The Terms & Conditions add that the limit is 60 minutes for the 5K (90 for the 10K) "from the start time of the race", that the official time runs from the starting gunshot and the net time from the start mat, and that classification uses the official time; they do not say whether the start time means the race start or each block's start, and read against the 17:00 first start a 60-minute limit would end at 18:00, before the last blocks have started. The organiser does not reconcile this with block start times, the clock cut-offs or the 20:10 end, so follow the clock cut-offs printed on the race page (19:39, 19:43, 20:10) and confirm with the organiser. For comparison, the Universities end of 21:10 is exactly 60 minutes after its last start at 20:10, and the 10K end of 10:10 is exactly 90 minutes after 08:40.

Universities Night Run (Saturday 20:00): who runs, and what differs

It is a 5K on the same route (Amalias, Panepistimiou, Riga Feraiou, Akadimias, Vas. Sofias, turn-around at the Nimits junction, Irodou Attikou, Stadium), starting at the level of Bodossaki Hall. It is open to university students and academic teaching staff holding an academic ID, an ISIC card or an academic certificate, which is checked when the bib is collected; without it neither bib nor kit is handed over. The minimum age is 17 (born in 2009).

There are two starts: 20:00 (distinguished athletes and the 1,500 best performers) and 20:05 (the next 1,500), and the last runner crosses the start line at 20:10. The organiser predicts the first finisher at 20:15 and sets the end of the time limit at 21:10, with intermediate cut-offs of 20:40 at 2.8 km and 20:44 at the turn-around. Water, toilets and chip mats are as for the 5K Telekom. The bag is due by 19:30. The race cap is 3,000.

10K allwyn (Sunday 08:00): the route to the Police Academy

The route is not an out-and-back on Vas. Sofias: Amalias Avenue, Panepistimiou, Char. Trikoupi, right onto Akadimias, left onto Vas. Sofias, Fidipeidou, left onto Mesogeion Avenue to the Police Academy, a turn-around at the Police Academy traffic light, Mesogeion, Michalakopoulou, left onto Mesogeion, Vas. Sofias in front of The Ilisian, Irodou Attikou, and into the Stadium, finishing on the left side. The turn-around is listed at 5.8 km in the cut-off table. Several of the same road names (Mesogeion, Michalakopoulou, Fidipeidou, Vas. Sofias, Irodou Attikou) also appear in the Marathon's final kilometres as the organiser describes them; the exact overlap is not stated and we do not assume it (see /en/articles/athens-marathon-course-km-by-km).

Water is at two points (a double water station) at 3.7 and 7.9 km, with six toilets per station (three men's, three women's) and one accessible toilet at the 7.9 km station. Chip mats are at 1 km, 5 km and 5.75 km; the page does not say whether 5.75 km and the 5.8 km turn-around are the same spot. The limit is 90 minutes and the end is 10:10, with wall-clock cut-offs of 09:10 at 3.7 km, 09:30 at the turn-around and 09:48 at 7.9 km. According to the official programme the race includes the Hellenic 10K road championships (and the Hellenic Sports Federation of the Deaf championship), the first finisher is estimated at 08:31–08:32 and the awards run 09:15–09:30. The Marathon starts in Marathon town at 08:30, so the last 10K block (08:35) starts after the Marathon has already been sent off (the last 10K runner crosses the start line at 08:40).

Kids Race 1,200 m and Special Olympics Hellas: times, gathering and pick-up

The Kids Race is on Saturday 7 November on Vas. Sofias at the level of the Parliament (Flower Market) and finishes in the Panathenaic Stadium via Vas. Sofias and Irodou Attikou. It is for pupils in grades 4, 5 and 6 of the 2026–2027 school year (born 2015, 2016 or 2017); entry is free and the cap is 3,000. There are three wave starts: 16:00 for grade 6, 16:05 for grade 5 and 16:10 for grade 4. The Special Olympics Hellas race (the Greek name adds "and people with disabilities") over 1,200 m starts at 16:20 and is open from age 9 (born 2017 or earlier).

On race day the children gather on the pavement in front of the Monument of the Unknown Soldier from 15:00 to 15:15; a child who is not there by then cannot run. At 15:40 guardians and escorts leave, taking the children's clothing, and head for the Stadium. After finishing, children are handed back on the marble stand opposite the finish straight, and only against the Escort Certificate collected with the bib. From Wednesday 4 to Saturday 7 November the bib and certificate are collected at the Runners' Center in Faliro by the guardian with an ID and the child's birth certificate, or by the group leader for schools and clubs.

Estimated first finishers: 16:05–16:07 (kids) and 16:25–16:27 (Special Olympics); the honorary awards for both are 16:35–16:50. Registration for the Kids Race opened on Monday 14 September 2026 at 12:00; the announcement of 12/9/2026 and the registrations page give 25 September as the closing date, unless the cap was reached sooner, while the FAQ says 1 October at the latest (see item 9 below). On 29 September the race page still showed a participation-package selector and no closed message, unlike the 5K and 10K pages; whether places remain is not stated, so check the official page. Separately, on Sunday 8 November 08:30–09:50 the programme lists "Kids' Fun Runs" in the municipalities along the Marathon course; we found no participation terms for them in the pages we read.

Blocks, wave starts and the arrival timeline

Runners are placed in blocks by their best finishing time in 2024–2026 in a race on a certified course, as declared on the entry form and checked by the SEGAS Marathon Office; with no declared or an invalid time, placement is automatic in one of the last blocks. The block is printed on the bib, and about ten days before the race every registered runner is emailed the bib number and block. Starting from a block that is not yours is checked electronically and leads to automatic disqualification and deletion from the results. Block times are indicative and are finalised two weeks before the race, which means around 24–25 October.

• 5K, 20 starts: 17:00 block 1 (distinguished athletes and the 1,200 best) · 17:04 block 2 (next 1,500) · 17:10 block 3, then every six minutes (17:16, 17:22 … 18:52 for block 20, 1,500 each) · the last runner crosses the start line at 19:00 · time limit ends 20:10.
• Universities Night Run, 2 starts: 20:00 (distinguished athletes and the 1,500 best) · 20:05 (next 1,500) · the last runner crosses the start line at 20:10 · time limit ends 21:10.
• 10K, 11 starts: 08:00 (distinguished athletes and the 1,300 best) · 08:02 · 08:05 · 08:08 · 08:11 · 08:15 · 08:19 · 08:23 · 08:27 · 08:31 (blocks 2–10, 1,500 each) · 08:35 block 11 (next 2,000) · the last runner crosses the start line at 08:40 · time limit ends 10:10.
• Arrival: on Vas. Amalias Avenue, facing Syntagma, 30 minutes to 1 hour before the start; warm-up finished 20 minutes before; in your block 15 minutes before, entering from the back (arriving early buys a place in the front rows). Warm-up is allowed on Vas. Amalias at the level of Hadrian's Gate, behind the start area, or in the Zappeion grounds, not in front of the start line.
• Racing or manual wheelchairs (category H1-5) are allowed if registered and known to the organiser, with a separate start 5 minutes before the first block.

Bib pick-up, the bag drop at the Zappeion, traffic bans and spectators

Bibs and kits are collected in person at the Runners' Center & allwyn Marathon EXPO in the Faliro Indoor Hall (the former Taekwondo venue): Wednesday 4/11 12:00–21:00, Thursday 5 and Friday 6/11 10:00–21:00, Saturday 7/11: the week programme lists 10:00–18:00 for the 5K, the Universities Night Run and the Kids Race and 10:00–20:00 for the 10K and Marathon, but the Runners' Center page, the FAQ and the Expo page all give Saturday as 10:00–20:00 without that split. If you run the 5K, Universities or Kids Race, plan to collect by 18:00 and recheck (see item 8 in the list of disagreements below). You need an ID card or passport and a copy of the bib-number email (for Universities, the academic ID, ISIC card or certificate; for minors without an ID, a birth certificate); a representative with a photocopy of the runner's ID and a copy of the email can collect up to four kits. The Runners' Center page says nothing can be collected on "Sunday 9 November" (a date that fits another year; in 2026 Sunday is 8 November) and the programme lists no Sunday hours, so 10K runners should have collected by Saturday 20:00. The bib is strictly personal and may not be transferred; deferral to a later edition is not possible and cancellations were only possible until 25 September.

The clothing bag is issued with the bib, with a bib-number sticker that must be visible. The organiser accepts only its own bag and asks that it hold clothing, ideally only clothing, and no travel documents, money, valuables or medicines. It is handed in at the designated area in the Alea of Zappeion at least 30 minutes before the first start: by 16:30 (5K), 19:30 (Universities) or 07:30 (10K). After the finish it is collected at the same place with your bib; bags left uncollected are kept 15 days at the SEGAS Marathon Office and then discarded.

Traffic: for the 5K and Universities Night Run, a full ban in the city centre from 16:00 and on Vas. Amalias from 15:00; for the 10K, from 06:30 in the centre and from 05:00 on Vas. Amalias. The spectators' guide gives a wider window for vehicles in the centre and around the Stadium: Saturday 15:00–21:00 and Sunday 05:00–18:20 (the Universities Night Run time limit runs to 21:10, ten minutes after the Saturday vehicle window ends at 21:00). The organiser recommends the metro and advises against driving; the Stadium is about 1,000 m from the Syntagma, Acropolis and Evangelismos stations. On 29 September we found no Hellenic Police or OASA notice for 2026 (not on the organiser's site and not on the wider web): earlier years' measures do not apply automatically, so wait for the official announcements. More on getting around: /en/articles/athens-marathon-travel-spectator-guide.

Accompanying: all race routes are free of vehicles and the parallel lanes are reserved for the Traffic Police, ambulances and support vehicles. For the 5K, 10K and Universities Night Run, accompanying people may not move on the lanes next to the race stream, nor escort runners in any vehicle (bicycle, motorbike) on the runners' lane or the next one. A breach leads to expulsion of the offenders and disqualification of the athletes they accompany. Pets, bicycles, scooters, skates and rollers are not allowed, nor is running without sports clothing; headphones are allowed at low volume. Inside the Stadium the track is for finishers and organisers only; friends and family go to the stands.

Time limits, dropping out, the finish and results

The organiser's cut-offs are wall-clock times: 5K 19:39 (2.8 km), 19:43 (3.05 km turn-around), 20:10 (end); Universities 20:40, 20:44, 21:10; 10K 09:10 (3.7 km), 09:30 (5.8 km turn-around), 09:48 (7.9 km), 10:10 (end). Anyone who does not finish within the limit must stop and be taken to the finish; anyone who continues at their own risk must move onto the pavement, because the route is gradually reopened to traffic once the last runner has passed the stations in time. A vehicle (and an ambulance) follows the last runners to pick up those who drop out; anyone withdrawing goes to the nearest station or tells an official, volunteer or organiser. Medical cover is provided by EKAB and rescue teams; the organiser does not ask for medical certificates and everyone runs at their own risk.

After the finish, runners keep walking towards the exit, receive the medal (finishers only), leave by the ramp to the forecourts where water, juice and bananas are given, and go to the bag area. In the 5K, the Universities Night Run and the 10K, trophies (medal and certificate) go to the top three men and women; the Greek race pages give a cup to the first man and the first woman, while the English pages speak of a single first athlete (see item 10 below). In the 10K, trophies also go to the winners of the Hellenic 10K road championship. Estimated first finishers and awards: 5K 17:14–17:15, awards 17:30–17:45; Universities 20:15–20:16, awards 20:30–20:45.

Results for the 5K, 10K and Universities: during the race there is information on the website and the first finisher's official result is announced immediately; unofficial results for everyone follow, with a five-day objection window, and the official results after objections are resolved. Only runners in the official results can download a free participation certificate. To be in them you need a valid entry, the right block, a reading in every timing zone and a finish within the limit. Participants can buy photos from Witisi.Photo at photos.athensauthenticmarathon.gr; the organiser's wording is "within 48 hours after the end of the event", and it does not say whether that is when photos appear or how long purchase stays open. As for 2025: the organiser's results page links "Official Results 2024 - 2025" and an archive with year (2007–2015, 2018, 2021–2025) and race (5km, 5kmUniv, 10km and others) selectors; on 29/9/2026 its live-results page still embedded a frame for the 2025 edition.

Where the organiser's pages disagree, and what to recheck

The official pages do not agree on everything, and we do not resolve the differences silently: (1) Kids Race age: the race and registration pages say grades 4–6 (born 2015–2017), the Terms & Conditions say "9 to 12 years old". (2) Special Olympics start: 16:20 on the race page, the programme and the spectators' guide, 16:30–16:40 in the FAQ (we use 16:20). (3) Results objections: five calendar days on the race pages, five business days in the FAQ. (4) The FAQ also has an older paragraph with 2025 dates, which we do not use. (5) The 5K 60-minute limit against the 20:10 end and the clock cut-offs (above); the Terms & Conditions add that the limit is counted from the start time of the race and that the official time runs from the starting gunshot, without reconciling this with block start times (the same goes for the 10K's 90 minutes). (6) The start is described at the level of Bodossaki Hall on the race pages and at the National Gardens entrance in the programme heading; both refer to Vas. Amalias Avenue, but follow the points the official material shows. (7) The Marathon start is 08:30 on the race page, in the FAQ and in the spectators' guide, but 8:00 on one line of the week programme. (8) Bib pick-up hours on Saturday 7/11: the week programme lists 10:00–18:00 for the 5K, the Universities Night Run and the Kids Race, while the Runners' Center page, the FAQ and the Expo page give 10:00–20:00 with no per-race split; treat 18:00 as the safe deadline until it is clarified. (9) Registration closing: 25 September in the 12/9/2026 announcement and on the registrations page, 1 October at the latest in the FAQ (question 4); we do not know which date applies to the Kids Race. (10) Cup: the Greek pages for the 5K, 10K and Universities give it to the first man and the first woman, while the English pages speak of a single first athlete.

What to recheck: block times around 24–25 October, Runners' Center and Sunday rules around 30 October, and the Hellenic Police and OASA notices that were not yet published on 29 September. If anything differs, the organiser's newest announcement takes priority.