12-Week Training Timeline • Race-Day Checklists • Packing List
12-week training timeline, race-day checklists, packing list, and a personalized fueling calculator — free, instant access.
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Race-Specific Training Focus:
Establish aerobic foundation. 70-85% volume in Z1-{{Z2}}. {{CTL}} rising steadily (+5-8/wk in loading weeks, netting about +10/month after recovery weeks). {{TSB}} slightly negative (-5 to -15). Week 4 = recovery week (60% volume). Feels boring but doable—you should finish most rides feeling like you could do more.
Layer intensity, develop race-specific fitness. 60-70% Z1-Z2, 30-40% Z3-Z6. Two to three quality sessions per week. The magic happens here: deliberately dig a fatigue hole ({{TSB}} goes to -25), recover just enough, then dig another hole. This is where fitness sharpens.
Repeat Climbing Variable Surface Dress RehearsalShed fatigue, maintain sharpness. Volume drops 30-50%. Intensity stays high but duration decreases. Week 11: {{TSB}} rises to +5 to +10. Week 12: TSB targets +15 to +25 for race day. Fitness doesn't improve—the goal is to remove the fatigue layer so you can express the fitness you've built.
The long course repeats its core 36 km loop three times.
The 12-percent concrete wall and 11-percent climb return on every lap.
The official course alternates soft dirt, rough gravel, farm roads, shallow water, concrete, and asphalt.
Greece's first UCI gravel qualifier has more verified course substance than many established races.
Three laps sound less adventurous until you inspect the lap: lake dirt, farm gravel, a stream, a concrete wall, another steep climb, and the Marathon Dam. The repeat format makes pacing brutally legible. If lap one feels heroic, lap three will collect the debt.
The long course carries 2,020 metres, about 6,627 feet, of climbing. That clears the published 6,000-foot threshold for score four, compressed into three repetitions of the same hard loop.
The race joins Lake Marathon, farm tracks, a stream crossing, the historic dam, and the town associated with the Battle of Marathon. Repeating terrain usually reduces adventure, but this loop has unusually strong place identity.
Starting at Marathon Stadium, racing beside the lake, crossing a stream, and passing over Marathon Dam gives each 36 km lap a real narrative. The history-rich setting is likely memorable without relying on invented crowd claims.
An inaugural event with an unusually transparent course package but no results history yet. (est. 2026)
One of the strongest new-race intakes in the catalog because the organizer published the actual demands. Tier 3 today; the first edition will decide whether it deserves more.
Expected Race-Day Conditions:
Climate: Mediterranean late-autumn weather
Key Challenges: Rain-sensitive dirt, Cool start conditions, Exposed lake wind
60-90 minutes Z2 endurance. Keep legs moving, nothing hard. Optional: 3 × 1 min Z4 to keep neuromuscular system awake.
45-60 minutes Z2. Maybe 2 × 3 min G Spot if you're feeling restless. Don't go hard.
Rest day or 30-45 minutes very easy spin. The last hard workout was 4-5 days ago. Everything now is just maintenance.
45-60 minutes Z2. Include 3-5 × 30 seconds Z5-Z6 (openers to keep legs sharp). Last real ride before race.
Travel day (if traveling) or rest day. Optional 30-minute easy spin if legs feel heavy.
20-30 minutes very easy with 3 × 1 min race-pace openers only if that is part of your practiced routine; otherwise take complete rest. Finish logistics, charge devices, and get off your feet.
Race day. Follow the warm-up, fueling, pacing, equipment, and safety plan you rehearsed. Nothing new.
Tire Setup (Repeated lake, farm-road, stream, and dam gravel loops):
Top Picks for This Course:
Rolling resistance data via bicyclerollingresistance.com
Climate Gear (Mediterranean late-autumn weather):
Drivetrain: Chain clean and lubed. Shifting smooth across all gears. No chain slip under power.
Tires: Tubeless sealant fresh. Tire pressure set for race conditions. Check for cuts, sidewall damage.
Cockpit: Computer charged and mounted. Bottles/cages secure. Bento box organized.
Wheels: Thru-axles tight. No spoke issues. Hubs spin smoothly.
Don't: Install new chain race week. Change tire pressure drastically. Add new untested equipment.
Essentials: Spare tube (even if tubeless), tire plugs, CO2 cartridges (2-3) or mini pump, multi-tool with chain breaker, quick link, tire levers.
Nutrition: Gels, bars, chews—whatever you practiced with. Bottle with sports drink pre-mixed. Extra water bottle.
Other: Sunscreen, chamois cream, arm warmers/vest, rain jacket (if forecast), extra base layer.
Race essentials: Bib number and pins, race chip, ID and emergency contact info.
The Gravel of Marathon Start Time: Not published.
Wake up. Coffee if you normally drink it (not the time to change habits). Breakfast: 100-150g carbs, minimal fat, minimal fiber. Oatmeal with banana and honey, bagel with jam, or white rice with a pinch of salt.
Start sipping sports drink. Begin hydrating and topping off fuel. Apply chamois cream and sunscreen.
Arrive at start area. Check in, use porta-potty. Get your head right.
Light warmup ride: 10-15 minutes easy spinning. Wake up the legs.
Final gear check: bottles filled and secured, nutrition in pockets, tire pressure verified, drivetrain sounds good. Run through your performance statements mentally.
Openers near the start: 2-3 x 30 seconds at race effort with easy spinning between. Gets HR up, legs awake, reminds body what fast feels like.
Roll to start line. Find your position. Deep breath.
6-2-7 breathing if anxious. You're ready. Trust your training.
Your Fueling Math (75.2 miles): At ~12mph, expect ~6.2 hours on course. Endurance pace — target 60-80g carbs/hour (375-500g total, or 15-20 gels).
Carb targets scale with duration: shorter races burn more carbs per hour at race intensity, while ultra-distance events shift toward fat oxidation and GI tolerance becomes the limiter (Jeukendrup 2014, van Loon et al.).
Enter your details for a complete race fueling plan — carbs, hydration, sodium, and an hour-by-hour strategy.
Your numbers are the easy part.
Hitting them at race intensity is a trained skill — gut training over 4-6 weeks, bottle logistics, heat adjustments when the plan meets the weather. The custom training plan builds your fueling protocol into the actual training weeks, so race day is a rehearsal, not an experiment.
BUILD MY PLAN — FUELING INCLUDEDGet race-day tips in your inbox
What Riders Say About Conditions: November reduces the heat risk around Attica, while rain could materially change the 90-percent off-road surface. Conditions deserve equipment flexibility but are not inherently an extreme-climate challenge.
Plan your fueling around these conditions — heat and humidity increase fluid and sodium demands significantly.
Aid Stations: Not published
2-3g carbs/kg bodyweight. Low fat, low fiber. Familiar foods only. 500ml water with meal.
One gel (24g carbs) with 200ml water. Tops off blood glucose.
Focus on pacing, positioning, settling in. Sip on drink. Heart rate is spiking, gut blood flow is reduced.
First gel or equivalent (24g carbs). Start your fueling clock. Hydrate consistently.
Consume carbs consistently by the clock. Target rate depends on race duration: 80-100g/hr for races under 4 hours, 60-80g/hr for 4-8 hour events, 50-70g/hr for 8-12 hours, and 40-60g/hr for ultra events (12+ hours). At lower intensities fat becomes your primary fuel and GI tolerance is the limiter. Set a timer. Your brain will be stupid. It will forget to eat.
Practice eating real food on easy rides. Start with 40-50g carbs per hour, mostly solid. Build tolerance gradually. SGLT1 transporters can double in 2 weeks of consistent gut training (GSSI).
Increase toward your race-day target rate. Mix of liquids and solids. Practice eating at tempo pace. Your gut adapts to what you train it for.
Hit your race-day target rate (see duration-scaled targets in your prep kit). Race nutrition only (gels, drink, bars you'll use on race day). Practice at race pace. For ultra events (12+ hours), include savory and mixed-macro foods alongside gels.
Stick with what worked in training. No new products. Trust your gut (literally).
Known Suffering Zones:
Budget Planning:
Cost of Trip: Budget-friendly (2/5)
Nearest Airport: Athens International Airport (ATH), with Marathon approximately 40 km northeast of central Athens
Athens International Airport (ATH), with Marathon approximately 40 km northeast of central Athens
Stay in Marathon, Nea Makri, or the Schinias area for a short race-morning transfer; Athens works only if you plan traffic and parking carefully.
Not published
Not published
Marathon and the surrounding coast have restaurants and groceries; bring tested race nutrition for the repeated laps.
Spin in Z1 after crossing the finish line. Let heart rate drop gradually. Stopping abruptly causes blood to pool in your legs.
20-30g protein, 60-100g carbs, 500-750ml fluid with electrolytes. Chocolate milk, protein shake with banana, or whatever the finish line has.
You lost 1-4 liters of fluid. Drink 500-1000ml within the first hour. Add electrolytes. If pee is dark yellow by evening, keep drinking.
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