Ancient Olympia hosts the Olympia Marathon on 28-29 November
Published on 11/07/2026 at 19:30 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWSRace weekend and ancient setting
- Olympia Marathon brings its two-day programme to Ancient Olympia on 28 and 29 November 2026.
- Town Hall Square serves as the start and finish area for the public road races.
- UNESCO records the ancient Olympic Games at Olympia from 776 BC and lists the site as World Heritage.
Ancient Olympia, also known locally as Olympia, hosts the Olympia Marathon on 28 and 29 November 2026 in Olympia, Greece. The two-day road-running programme links a present-day sporting event with the sanctuary where the ancient Olympic Games were held.
Olympia Marathon brings races to Town Hall Square
The organiser's official programme places the event across Saturday 28 November and Sunday 29 November 2026. The 10 km race is scheduled for Saturday, while Sunday includes the marathon, half marathon, 3 km run and a 1 km race for public-school pupils and participants with disabilities.
The races start and finish at Ancient Olympia Town Hall Square. The official programme also lists the registration centre at the town hall's multipurpose hall on Saturday 28 November. The published race programme gives the event a fixed place and date for visitors planning around the weekend.
The main marathon and half marathon start at 9am on Sunday 29 November, according to the organiser's race information. The marathon's listed start and finish locations keep the central public square as the event's operational focus, rather than placing the race solely inside the archaeological enclosure.
Ancient Olympia connects the race with Olympic history
Ancient Olympia lies in the north-western Peloponnese, in the regional unit of Elis, in the valley formed by the Alpheios and Kladeos rivers. The sanctuary's central sacred grove is known as the Altis, with temples, treasuries, training buildings and the ancient stadium within the wider site.
UNESCO says the Olympic Games were held at Olympia every four years from 776 BC to 393 AD. The World Heritage body also describes the sanctuary as a religious, political and sporting centre whose surviving structures include the stadium, hippodrome, Palaestra and Gymnasium. The site's ancient sports architecture gives the November race a specific historical setting, even though its start and finish are in the modern town. Further UNESCO information on Olympia records its World Heritage status and the protected landscape.
The archaeological site was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1989. Its remains are associated with Zeus worship from the tenth century BC and with the sporting facilities used during the ancient Games. The modern race therefore takes place beside a site whose athletic function is documented across more than two millennia.
What the 2026 race programme includes
The event has a Saturday and Sunday structure rather than a single start. A regional report lists the Town Hall Square as both starting point and finish for the 10 km race on 28 November and for the Sunday races on 29 November, including the full marathon and half marathon.
For travellers, this distinction matters: the fixed public programme is centred on the town square, while the archaeological site remains the cultural landmark that gives the event its setting. The race route is described by the organiser and regional coverage as running through the landscape of Olympia, but the confirmed operational venue is Town Hall Square.
Visiting Ancient Olympia: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- The Olympia Marathon programme runs on 28 and 29 November 2026, with the 10 km race on Saturday and the marathon and half marathon on Sunday.
- Ancient Olympia Town Hall Square is the confirmed start and finish area, while the registration centre is at the town hall multipurpose hall on Saturday 28 November.
- Ancient Olympia is in Elis in the north-western Peloponnese, where the Alpheios and Kladeos rivers meet.
- Greek is the official language and the euro is the national currency in Greece.
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Frequently asked questions about Ancient Olympia
When does the Olympia Marathon take place at Ancient Olympia?
The event runs on 28 and 29 November 2026. The 10 km race is on Saturday, with the marathon and half marathon on Sunday.
What is Ancient Olympia?
It is the archaeological sanctuary in Elis where the ancient Olympic Games were held. UNESCO lists the site as a World Heritage property.
Where is Ancient Olympia and how do you get there?
Ancient Olympia is in the north-western Peloponnese in Greece, in the valley of the Alpheios and Kladeos rivers. The race's confirmed town venue is Ancient Olympia Town Hall Square.
