On your mark…

Race Weekend is the Celebration.

RACE DAY

SATURDAY, JANUARY 24, 2026

7:30 A.M.

510 North Thomas Street, Athens

You are ready!

Find the Starting Line with all your details in place, and be ready to celebrate at the Finish Line!

Here’s what to expect on Race Day.

  • Friday, January 23, 2026, 4:00 - 7:00 PM, or Saturday, January 24, 2026, 6:00 - 7:00 AM, in Grand Hall 8 at the Classic Center (300 North Thomas Street, Athens)

  • We suggest staying in one of our partner hotels. If you are driving to downtown Athens on race day, locals would suggest parking on the University of Georgia campus (the North Campus Deck is perfect and should be free on Saturday — but do read carefully about which lots are not free). The College Avenue Parking Deck is possible. The Classic Center Parking Deck will be overcrowded.

  • All races start near 510 North Thomas Street, in downtown Athens (on the west side of the Classic Center)

  • Relay teams, be sure you understand when and where to meet your shuttle!

  • All races start together at 7:30 AM, including the first segment of the relay. We suggest arriving to the downtown area by 7:00 AM and being in your assigned corral by 7:15 AM.

  • Gear check will be available in Grand Hall 8, inside the Classic Center, starting at 6:00 AM.

  • Plenty of warm, dry restrooms are available inside the Classic Center. Port-a-potties will also be set up near the Starting Line, near the Finish Line, and at aid stations and water stops along the course.

  • The final mile of the marathon (from 25.2 to the Finish Line) and the final mile of the half marathon (from 12.1 to the Finish Line) is your Home-Stretch Mile! Special awards for the fastest male and fastest female full marathoner, and fastest male and fastest female half marathoner, to finish this mile.

  • The finish line is at the corner of Foundry Street and East Dougherty Street, near the north-east corner of the Classic Center.

  • Race results, plus post-race relaxation, celebrations, food, drinks, and other activities, will all be in Grand Hall 8, inside the Classic Center.

  • Overall awards for the Half Marathon, and the Home-Stretch Half Marathoner awards, will be presented in Grand Hall 8 at 9:30 a.m. Overall awards for the Marathon and Marathon Relay, and the Home-Stretch Marathoner awards, will be presented in Grand Hall 8 at 11:30 a.m. Age-group awards will be available in Grand Hall 8 after overall winners have been finalized.

  • Party planning is happening! Our 2025 After Party was at Creature Comforts Brewery in downtown Athens.

Other 2025 Race Day Details

Watch for 2026 updates soon!

Marathon Water Stops

Marathon water stops are at Miles 2.2, 4.8, 6.5, 8.4 (+ GU), 10.1, 11.3, 13.4 (+ GU), 15.7, 17.4, 19.8 (+ Bananas), 22.75 (+ GU), 23.8, 24.8, and 25.8. All water stops have water and lemon-lime Powerade.

Marathon Nutrition

GU energy gels will be available at approximately Miles 8.4, 13.4, and 22.75 of the marathon course (salted caramel, with caffeine; vanilla, with caffeine; raspberry lemonade, no caffeine; and strawberry banana, no caffeine). Real bananas will be provided at approximately Mile 19.8 of the marathon. We suggest that you also carry plenty of whatever fuel has worked for you in your training.

Half Marathon Water Stops

Half Marathon Water Stops are at Miles 3.3, 4.2, 6.5 (+ Bananas), 9.5 (+ GU), 10.7, 11.5, and 12.6. All water stops have water and lemon-lime Powerade.Safety on the Course

Medical tents, medical personnel, aid tents, police and sheriff’s officers, and volunteer HAM radio operators will all be easily identifiable along the course. Please familiarize yourself ahead of time with the safety details presented in the Participants’ Guide.

Half Marathon Nutrition

Bananas will be available at approximately the half-way point of the half marathon (Mile 6.5). GU energy gels will be available at Mile 9.5 of the half marathon (salted caramel, with caffeine; vanilla, with caffeine; raspberry lemonade, no caffeine; and strawberry banana, no caffeine). We suggest that you also carry plenty of whatever fuel has worked for you in your training.

Relay Details

See the Relay Teams page or the Relay Guide for Relay Leg maps, details about the Relay Exchange Zones and Relay Shuttles, and other information for the marathon relay.

Bands and Entertainment

Lots! See the list on our Bands and Entertainment page.

Home-Stretch Mile

Watch for signs marking the final mile of the course! Special Home-Stretch Marathoner and Home-Stretch Half Marathoner Awards will be presented to the male and female marathoner, and the male and female half marathoner, who cover the Home-Stretch Mile in the fastest time.

Course Finish Time

The course will be fully supported until 1:30 PM. The Finish Line will be fully supported until 2:30 PM.

Partner Restaurants

Try one of our partner restaurants for food and drink Friday evening, Saturday after your race, or Sunday morning!

Celebrate with a finisher’s medal, a marathoner’s laurel wreath, and our Personal Best gong!

The lululemon Classic City Marathon has already developed a tradition about our medals: They are designed every year by a different Clarke County School District student! Congratulations to London Moore, a senior at Cedar Shoals High School in Athens, who designed our 2025 finishers’ medal!

All finishers (marathon, half marathon, and all members of all relay teams) who did not opt out at registration will receive medals at the finish line. If you opted out of receiving a medal, we are making a donation to the Firefly Trail project in honor of your sustainable no-waste choice. All individual marathon finishers will receive a compostable, natural laurel wreath. And all runners will have the chance to celebrate a personal best time or personal farthest distance with our celebration gong at the finish line!

Post-Race Celebrations Indoors!

Come inside the warm, dry Classic Center after your race to find race results and awards — and water, snacks, food, family, friends, photo opportunities, fun activities, a band, and more. You did it. You deserve to celebrate.

🛡️ Can I Do This?

Yes! Trust your training. You have been working hard! Lay out everything you will need the night before, eat whatever you have been eating before your training runs, and have a plan in your head for your race. Racers tell each other “Don’t go out too fast,” which means not to let the excitement at the starting line sweep you up into running a pace that you will not be able to maintain. Racers also tell each other “Run your own race,” “Have a great run,” and (our local favorite, here in Athens) “Have a good race, and have a safe race!”

If you are looking for any other details about your race, try the Course Information page, read the Detailed Guides, use the navigation options at the top of the page to find many more details about our races, or try our Instagram account or our Facebook page.

Or email us!