Race Route

The Spartathlon route is conducted from point to point, the elevation varies from sea level up to 1,200 meters, on asphalt road, carriageway and mountain paths. Assistance stations are installed every three to five kilometers and are provided with food, water and other refreshments as well as the athletes’ personal belongings. The race takes place under police and medical supervision with doctors, physiotherapists and ambulances available throughout the 36-hour duration of the race.
The race is very demanding, not only because of the distance, but for the time requirements of passing the checkpoints as well as the weather conditions.

It should be noted that each of the checkpoints has its own time constraints and the runner should arrive before the official closing time because otherwise he will be disqualified from the race.
In order to be able to effectively plan his course it is useful to see the race in the order of sectors as they appear in the road manual.

Corinth Sector

Leaving the starting line at the base of the famous Acropolis of Athens, the athletes head for the pedestrianized part of Apostolou Pavlou Street, pass the Thissio train station and enter Ag.Asomaton Square where they will turn left onto Ermou Street. Almost immediately, the Sacred Way signals to them and the runners will stay on this historic route until the Monastery of Dafni, where they will cross the National Road Athens – Corinth and continue through Aspropyrgos to Elefsina (24.2 km). Returning to the old National Road to Corinth, they will successively pass Loutropyrgos, Megara (Marathon distance 42.5 km), Kineta and Agioi Theodoroi to reach the Isthmus and the bridge over the canal (78.5 km). The route up here is a series of gradual ascents and descents, near the sea, but now we turn south into the fields and the Peloponnese. Soon after the bridge (2.5 km) the runners turn left for Checkpoint 22, at the CROWN HELLAS CAN Factory (81 km).

Nemea Sector

The narrow road continues towards Ksamilia and Ancient Corinth. Descending through the center of Ancient Corinth, runners turn right at the Temple of Apollo and continue through the orange groves to Assos (100.5 km). Here begins the ascent of the hills that separate Ancient Nemea from the Sea. Along this winding ascent (351 meters in 24 km) the road passes through the villages of Zevgolatio and Chalkeio for checkpoint 35, entering Nemea (124 km) passing along the monuments of ancient civilization and the recently excavated stadium.

Department of Lyrkeia

Continuing on a rural road, where conditions have changed a bit in the last two decades, we need to be a little careful because it is easy to stumble upon stones or puddles that are constantly scattered along the road. It is now that in the afternoon darkness, for many runners, a wet dew begins to descend from the wooded mountainside. A small port in the dark is the village of Malandreni (140.2 km) before another rocky descent and a short ascent to the north-western part of National Road E65 and Checkpoint 43 in Lyrkeia (148.5 km).

Mountain and Nestani Sector

Lyrkeia is a lively spot on this special night and is often flooded with visitors as well as supporters who come to dine and watch the match as it progresses from this important spot. Leaving behind the aroma of coffee and tsikna from the souvlaki, the runners follow the road that maneuvers lazily upwards, quickly leaving civilization. In the next 13 km. the runner will climb some 960 meters to approach the top of the Saga pass on the side of Artemisio. The targets are the village of Kaparelli (154.1 km) and then checkpoint 47 at the base of the mountain (159.3 km). Reaching the top of the Saga does not mean a feat, and you will have to pay close attention to the treacherous twisted path. From the top (1,100 m) there is a steep descent and a zigzag path to the village of Sagas (164.3 km) in Arcadia, where the route joins again the cobbled road, with the often necessary quick acceleration to checkpoint 52, Nestani (172 km)

Tegea Sector

From Nestani the runner gradually facilitates towards the plain of Tripoli and passes successively through small villages and Zevgolateio of Arcadia. Now the road is between flat parcels that are often covered in morning fog until the sun rises above checkpoint 60 in Tegea (195 km). Here the runner needs to get physical strength, even though there are only 50 km left. for Sparta, there is often another disheartening attempt in the relentless heat of the new day.

Sparta Sector

From Tegea the road resumes the final upward course of the race, climbing from 640m to 975m in a space of 22km. Runners will pass through the villages of Kamari (196.8 km) and Manthyrea (202.1 km) where the road meanders and turns between a green landscape, which is visible as far as the eye can see. The last 28 kilometers to Sparta are almost all on downhill hills in the plain of Evrotas. In the village of Voutiani (236.2 km) runners can clearly see their goal and after crossing the bridge of Evrotas (243.5 km) they meet with the students of the local schools who will accompany them to point 75 and the finish line in Sparta, the capital of the Prefecture of Laconia. (245.3 km).