Every marathoner needs to run the Athens Marathon. It is so much better than the "majors". The organisation was outstanding - it is an A to B course (Marathon to Athens) so participants need to take a bus from various points around Athens to the start at Marathon. The start area was at the athletics stadium in Marathon. There were enough portaloos available. The main start corrals were outside the stadium and the back three corrals were inside the stadium. There were enough volunteers who did a fantastic job on the day. The baggage trucks provided by DHL were extremely well manned and well organised. This year, to pay tribute to people who died during the previous years wildfires, all runners were given green buffs to create a 'forest of runners' near the 12km point where people lost there homes and lives. The first 10km out of Marathon was flat with a few inclines, then you climb up to 32km after which it's pretty much downhill into Athens. The crowd support and atmosphere were phenomenal. Residents in all the towns that the course runs through were out cheering, some local businesses had music playing and the kids that ran the mini races earlier that morning were out high fiving the marathon runners. The refreshment stations were well stocked with water and powerade. I think that fruit and energy gels were also offered but I didn't take notice. The atmosphere during the final stretch and at the finish was phenomenal and the running into the Panathenaic Stadium was the most EPIC finish line that I've ever run (it puts the finish line of all the "majors" to shame!). It's easy to get goose bumps or get emotional when running into that stadium. The finish funnel was easy to get through to collect your medal, goody bag, foil blanket if needed. The DHL trucks were about a 5-10 minute walk from the stadium and baggage collection was super easy. I would definitely recommend the original marathon to everyone who runs marathons.