Olympia Marathon 2026: race guide

What it is and where it takes place

The International Olympia Marathon is a two-day running event in Ancient Olympia, Elis, held this year on 28-29 November 2026. It is organised by TSOMOKOS SA, per the copyright line in the official site's footer, and is run in memory of Charilaos Vasilakos (1875-1964), according to the organiser's own "Profile" page.

The start and finish of every race in the programme — Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K, Family Run and Kids' Race — is the Town Hall Square of Ancient Olympia (Πλατεία Δημαρχείου Αρχαίας Ολυμπίας), per each distance's own page. The official site describes the course in symbolic terms — an invitation to "run where the athletic spirit was born" and cross the "historic Sacred Way" — without that amounting to a certification or measurement claim; what is actually documented about the course is covered below, under "Course and certification".

Distances and start schedule

The programme covers five distances over two days. The schedule below is based on the consolidated timetable on the "Race Information" page and on the five separate per-distance pages; where those pages disagree, both versions are given.

• 10K: Saturday 28 Nov, start 15:00 — the distance page and the consolidated schedule agree
• Marathon 42.195 km: Sunday 29 Nov, start 09:00
• Half Marathon 21.0975 km: Sunday 29 Nov, start 09:00, alongside the Marathon
• Family Run 3K ("Health and Power-Walking Run"): its own distance page AND the live registration/ticket page both say Saturday 28 Nov, start 14:15; the consolidated "Race Information" schedule instead places the same race on Sunday 29 Nov at 09:05
• Kids' Race 1K (& wheelchair category): its own page says Sunday 29 Nov, start 09:05; the consolidated schedule places the same category at 08:30 the same day

Who can enter

Each distance has its own minimum age, per its rules page: 18 for the Marathon and Half Marathon, 12 for the 10K, 6 for the 1K Kids' Race. The 3K Family Run is, per its own page, "open to runners of all ages". At every distance, minors need a parent's or guardian's consent.

All five rules pages repeat, almost word for word, the same entry declaration: the runner takes part at their own exclusive personal responsibility, states they have undergone the necessary medical exams and a cardiology check, waives any claim against the organiser, consents to the use of their name/image by media, the organiser and sponsors for promotional purposes, and commits not to transfer their bib to anyone else.

Registration, cost and deadlines

Registration is online, through the official registration page, in two price tiers confirmed directly on the live page: Early Bird (available until 15 September 2026, already lapsed as of the 29/9 check) and Regular (available until 9 November 2026). Individual registration (1-5 people), Regular price per person: Marathon €30, Half Marathon €25, 10K €15, Family Run €10; Early Bird price: €25, €20, €10, €5 respectively. Group registration (6+ people), Regular: €25, €20, €10, €5; Early Bird: €21, €17, €8, €4. The Kids' Race is free for all children.

Alongside online registration, a Registration Center operates at the Town Hall of Ancient Olympia on Saturday 28 Nov (general hours 10:00-19:00), where gear is handed out and new on-site registrations are possible "until the new slots run out" — the official site does not publish a specific number of available slots. Runners in the 10K and Family Run are asked to collect their gear earlier (by 12:00-13:00), since their races start that same afternoon; the same narrow pickup window is also listed on the Kids' Race's own page, even though its race starts the next morning (Sunday 09:05), and the official site does not explain why. Entry paperwork for every distance is finalised, per the rules pages, by 20 November 2026.

A note on group registration: the live registration page and the FAQ both define a "group" as 6 people and up; the Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K and Family Run rules pages instead describe group registration as "for 10 people and up". Both wordings exist on the same official site; the online form (6+) is the one that actually applies at checkout.

Aid stations, cutoffs and timing

The Marathon has 8 aid stations: water at the start, finish and every station, isotonic drink at 4, 9.5, 14.5, 19.5, 25, 30 and 36 km and at the finish, energy gel at 14.5, 27 and 39 km, with water, toilets and medical support every 2.5 km. The Half Marathon has 6 stations, with isotonic drink at 4, 9.5, 14.5 and 19.5 km and at the finish, and gel at 14.5 km. The 10K has 3 stations, with isotonic drink only at the finish.

The completion cutoff is 6 hours for the Marathon and 3 hours for the Half Marathon (each distance's own rules page and the FAQ agree on these two). For the 10K, though, the two official sources disagree: the 10K's own rules page states a 90-minute cutoff, while the organiser's FAQ states 120 minutes for the same race. The 3K Family Run has a 40-minute cutoff (its distance page and the FAQ agree), and the 1K Kids' Race has a 25-minute cutoff on its own page; the FAQ separately lists a 30-minute cutoff for a "1,000m wheelchair" category, without clarifying whether that is the same category under a different limit or a distinct one.

Timing uses a chip built into the bib number, which must be worn for the entire race; runners without an electronic reading at the designated points are disqualified. The Marathon has timing mats at the start, at 10, 21.1, 30 and 40 km, and at the finish. Unofficial results are posted online immediately after each race ends; official results follow within 15 working days, with a 10-working-day protest window. Runners who drop out are picked up by medical teams and sweep vehicles, per the FAQ.

Awards, cash prizes and the Charilaos Vasilakos dedication

In every race on the programme, the top three men and top three women overall receive a medal and diploma, the first man and first woman additionally receive a cup, and every finisher receives a commemorative medal. Cash prizes go to the top three men and women overall in the Marathon (€300/€200/€150), Half Marathon (€200/€150/€100) and 10K (€150/€100/€50); the rules pages do not mention cash prizes for the Family Run or the Kids' Race.

The race is held in memory of Charilaos Vasilakos (1875-1964), who — per the organiser's own "Profile" page — won "the first official Marathon in world history" on 10 March 1896 and, a few days later, was crowned Olympic silver medallist at the Athens Olympic Games. His grandson, Haris Vasilakos, presents awards and mementos to the top three finishers, men and women, of the Marathon and the Half Marathon, per their respective rules pages.

Course, certification and what the official site does not yet publish

The Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K and Family Run pages each include an "ELEVATION PROFILE" widget with distance, elevation and grade fields; as checked on 29/9/2026, all four pages showed these fields empty (only a "—" placeholder), with no actual course or elevation data available. The only distance with a published, turn-by-turn route description is the 1K Kids' Race: from the Town Hall of Ancient Olympia, right at the Olympia Palace hotel towards Χ. Κοσμόπουλου street, left towards the third parallel street, left onto Γ. Δούμα street, left onto Πραξ. Κονδύλη street, and finish back at the Town Hall.

In the FAQ, the answer to "Is the course certified?" is generic rather than specific to this race: "Yes, most official marathons carry AIMS/WA certification" — a statement about marathons in general, not an explicit confirmation that the Olympia Marathon specifically carries AIMS/World Athletics certification or any certificate number. The same FAQ confirms the whole course is marked at every kilometre and stays closed to vehicles for the entire duration of each race.

Practical notes for visitors: accommodation, access, bag check

The organiser's FAQ publishes a list of 15 hotels/pensions in Ancient Olympia with contact details, including Europa Hotel, Olympic Village Hotel 4*, Kronion Hotel, Hercules Hotel, Leonidaion and Pension Bacchus. No specific transport information to or from an airport or train station is published, nor is any weather forecast for the race weekend; we checked the homepage, the "Profile" page, the "Race Information" page and the entire FAQ (all 7 categories) on 29/9/2026 and found no such content on any of them.

The FAQ recommends arriving at the start area 60-90 minutes early, and describes a bag-check service: runners hand in a labelled bag with their bib number, which is returned at the finish area. It suggests packing dry clothes, a windbreaker, a towel and a snack, and advises against packing valuables, wallets, phones or anything that could spill. Headphones are allowed at low volume, so runners can still hear organiser instructions during the race.