On your mark…

Race Weekend is the Celebration.

RACE DAY

SATURDAY, MARCH 20, 2027

7:30 A.M.

Downtown Athens

Many of the details on this page are still in progress. Check later for more!

  • Friday, March 19, and Saturday, March 20, 2027, in person in downtown Athens

  • We suggest staying in our partner hotels downtown. If you are driving to downtown Athens on race day, locals would suggest the North Campus Parking Deck or elsewhere on the University of Georgia campus (many lots and decks are free on weekends, but do read carefully). The Classic Center Parking Deck is an option but will probably be overcrowded.

  • All races start together in downtown Athens.

  • The first member of all relay teams starts at the main starting line at 7:30 a.m. All other relay team members, 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 starting at 6:00 AM.

  • Port-a-potties will be set up near the Starting Line and at 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 2027 Finish Line is in downtown Athens at the amazing Classic City Marathon Festival!

  • Race results and awards, plus post-race relaxation, celebrations, music, snacks, vendors, and more will all be in downtown Athens at the Classic City Marathon Festival.

  • Overall awards for the Half Marathon, and the Home-Stretch Half Marathoner awards, will be presented at 9:30 a.m. Overall awards for the Marathon and Marathon Relay, and the Home-Stretch Marathoner awards, will be presented at 11:30 a.m. Age-group awards will be available after overall winners have been finalized. (Please note that age-group awards are not announced live, and we do not mail awards. Check your time and find the awards table before you leave, if awards matter to you.)

  • We have gathered in previous years at Creature Comforts Brewery in downtown Athens. Party planning for 2027 is underway!

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!

Fun fact: Our medals are designed every year by a different Clarke County School District student!

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

New for 2027: Post-Race Celebrations at the Outdoor Classic City Marathon Festival!

Stick around after your race to find race results and awards, enjoy your snacks, and celebrate with family and friends! There will be photo opportunities, fun activities, music, vendors, and more at the amazing Classic City Marathon Festival. You did it. You deserve to celebrate.

More Race Day Details

Much of this information is from 2026, but it will give you a pretty good idea of our great on-course support and other details.

Water Stops

Water stops are approximately every 2-3 miles. Marathon and marathon relay water stops will be near Miles 2.2, 4.8, 6.5, 8.4 (drinks and GU), 10.1, 11.3, 13.4 (drinks and GU), 15.7, 17.4, 19.8 (drinks and bananas), 22.75 (drinks and GU), 23.8, 24.8, and 25.8. Half Marathon water stops will be near Miles 3.3, 4.2, 6.5 (drinks and bananas), 9.5 (drinks and GU), 10.7, 11.5, and 12.6. All water stops have water and Powerade.

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). GU energy gels will be available at Mile 9.5 of the half marathon (same flavors). Real bananas will be provided at approximately Mile 19.8 of the marathon, which is approximately Mile 6.5 of the half marathon. 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.

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.

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 Closing Time

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

Awards

We run for the joy of running, and we celebrate every participant, all day, no matter your pace! We also provide awards for the few people who ran the fastest, but our awards are fun, symbolic, and of almost no actual monetary value (no worries about your status as a student-athlete or an amateur). Overall awards (only) will be announced in brief awards presentations at approximately 9:30 a.m. (half marathon) and 11:30 a.m. (marathon and marathon relay). We do not announce age-group award winners out loud during the awards presentations, and we do not mail awards. Please take the time to find race results after the race and find the awards tables before you leave, in case you won an age-group award! They will celebrate with you!

Partner Restaurants

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

Can I Do This?

Welcome, first-timer racers! And yes, you can do this!

Trust your training. You have been working hard, and you are ready.

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!