We went with Apostolos Greek Tours and I would recommend them to anyone wishing to do this marathon. They took care of everything for you, from meeting us at the airport and providing transportation to the hotel, to picking up our race number at the so-called expo so we didn't waste our time, to great race support - especially at the finish, where they provided us with bananas and pretzels. They also provided great sightseeing with great tour guides and wonderful staff that took care of just about everything for us. What a great experience and historic marathon.

It was nice to run on the Olympic course. The course is mostly uphill - not too steep, but challenging. Not too many spectators (it was raining) and fairly industrial. Plenty of fluids at the aid stations and the course was closed to traffic. The finish was a little strange because we had to go slightly past the stadium and make a 180-degree turn to go back toward the finish. Hard on the legs at the end and a bit slippery.

Well organized, but expect to stand in lines for buses before the race.

The best aspect of the organization was free bus, metro and tram passes for two days before and 3 days after the race. They also had an info booth at the airport where we picked up our passes. The shirt was lame and there wasn't any worthwhile logo merchandise at the meager expo. This was their 1st expo so I understand the growing pains. It was an 45-minute tram ride from the city. I don't know why they didn't have the expo at one of the hotels in town.

Registration: I had no issues but my running partner received no confirmation email though his credit card was charged. His registration was OK once he arrived.

Expo: Ridiculous. Way out of town. No easy way to get there. Poor directions on how to get there. The bare minimal in clothing options - I've seen better expos at a community college 5K

Race T-shirt: awful. While it's a nice Adidas shirt, the marathon logo is an iron on. Are you kidding me - is this 1970. I'm afraid to wash it - the logo might come off. However, I was given a nice towel that wasn't an iron on

Pre-race support/setup: satifactory

Weather for 2007: cool, cloudy, a few drops of rain

Course: one long uphill in mid race followed by a long downhill stretch. From midpoint the views are monotonous urban strip mall stretch. Hopefully philipedes had a better sight. Nice finish in the Olympic stadium. Spectators sparse but friendly, water/Gatorade available at appropriate intervals except the first stop where they ran out of water. Note to organizers - liter bottle don't work, people take a sip or two and then throw most of it out, use 1/2 litter bottles or cups

Post-race support: Mylar warming sheets available, food/fluids were fine

Medal: worst in my marathon and 1/2 marathon collection. No colors. I have a 3rd place age group medal in a local 5K that is larger and heavier

Location: Athens is a gritty urban mess

Firstly, a big thank you to the organizers for including a power walking category, starting 2 hours earlier than the runners, which meant that walkers like myself could finish when there were still plenty of people about! When I turned up at 5 a.m. to catch the bus to marathon the sight of the illuminated Panathaneikon Stadium was a real inspiration and really made you want to get back there later in the day in the race. Great souvenirs in the race pack including free transport around Athens for days before and after the race. Great website . The only downside was the packet pick up..the best way to get there was by tram, but it took a good 45 minutes each way on overcrowded trams, so you had to stand. Either they need to make the packet pick up more central or put on more frequent trams. In fact both metro to the airport and trams could do with being more frequent as they were very crowded! There was not a great deal at the Expo and no pasta party but this was not a problem for me!!Organization on the course and refreshments were excellent and the finish in the stadium truly memorable!!It rained so the road was rather slippery at times.The course has some long inclines, but the last 7kms are downhill and somehow I even managed a PB!! All in all a fantastic experience!! A must do marathon and Athens is cheap too!!

I'd describe the athens course as 'gritty' - most of the time you're running through urban/industrial sprawl, and it's not a beautiful city, but at least you can see the mountains in the distance. I was worried about the inclines, but it wasn't too bad, just long slopes really rather than hills! Race organization on the day was fantastic, loads of water stations with bottles or cups to choose from, and energy drinks and gels as well as water. The buses to the start were well organized and fast. Plenty of toilets. They looked after you well at the end too, though some food stalls or fruit to snack on would have been ideal. The pre-race organization was not so good. Getting to the registration the day before was difficult, there weren't clear instructions for how to reach it on public transport, and taxi drivers hadn't heard of the address we were given! It is miles out of town, in the middle of an industrial area. Also there was no pasta party and virtually no expo... Guess it's the race that really matters, but its a shame they can't improve the logistics for registration.

Dear Marathoners,

As a Canadian with strong Greek roots, I truly enjoyed this race. The organizers of the historic race (SEGAS) got everything right: The race kit pick-up location, the water/aid stations, volunteers, spectators, safety and the race support. The free transportation for the entire week made traveling around Athens a breeze. The course was magnificent, providing numerous challenging hills, and scenic views of the mountains in the background; and you cannot forget the finish at Panathanaiko Stadium. I would highly recommend this race to every marathoner - not only as a personal challenge, but to be a part of history.

Hello future marathoners,
I participated the 2006 Athens Marathon and it met and surpassed every expectation I had from this course. From the organization, to the scenic and challenging course, to the friendliness of fellow runners and spectators, the marathon experience was amazing. Also, finishing in Panathanaiko Stadium is truly unique experience. As a Canadian with Greek roots, I enjoyed running in the original course (no words can explain the experience!). I would highly recommend this course to every marathoner who wants to be challenged by the hills and partake in history itself!!!

Not a marathon for those who love cheering crowds. Very few spectators and a lot of dull scenery. Tough course with long inclines.
The organization was good, nothing extraordinary.
That said, I think it's one of perhaps 5-6 marathons that one should run.

My third marathon ever and I was excited to be running in Athens! I won't lie... trying to find the registration building was horrible. I spent the day before the marathon on my feet all day. But when I did find it, it was well organized. I enjoyed myself but was definitely surprised by the 40-degree temps the day of the race. I was not prepared for the cold. The first 5 miles were interesting and a little confusing. We did get mixed up with the top runners when they had us do some loop. Water stations were good. This course was tough! I had fun.

The course was hard, with a few spectators, but the ones that were there were great. Apostolos Greek Tours did a wonderful job and I would highly recommend Paul Samaras and Jill Clancy to everyone. They took care of all the details and the transportation - not only to and from the race, but the rest of the tours they offered were first-class. Jeff Galloway and his wife were on this tour also. Truly a trip of a lifetime!!!