MARATHON TOURS & TRAVEL ANNOUNCES THE LAUNCH OF THE GREEK ODYSSEY RUNNING FESTIVAL

Retracing Greece’s ancient trails and dramatic coastline with the brand new Greek Odyssey Running Festival from Marathon Tours & Travel – the perfect Athens Marathon.The Authentic add-on.

Marathon Tours & Travel, global leaders in running travel experiences, in partnership with 8th Floor, has announced the launch of a brand-new event, the Greek Odyssey Running Festival, taking place in Messenia, Greece on Saturday November 14 2026, which includes a half-marathon and 10K distance.

Hosted the weekend after the Athens Marathon. The Authentic, the Greek Odyssey Running Festival offers runners the perfect way to extend their time in Greece, combining two race distances with the country’s rich mythology, dramatic coastline and warm late-autumn climate.

Costa Navarino, the official hospitality partner, located on the south-west coast of the Peloponnese, one of the most unspoiled and breathtaking landscapes in the Mediterranean, sits amid landscapes steeped in ancient history and sites, including nearby Methoni Castle and Voidokilia Beach. These have captured global imaginations this year following the release of Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, filmed extensively in this corner of Messenia. 

Runners will be able to choose between the half-marathon and 10K distances, with Marathon Tours & Travel offering two specialised travel packages, both based at the five-star The Westin Resort Costa Navarino:

• Three-Night Package (November 12-15): A focused race weekend including a half-day tour of Pylos and Methoni Castles – filming locations for the recently released Odyssey film – a pre-race pasta dinner, welcome reception and guaranteed race entry.
• Five-Night Package (November 10-15): Designed as the ideal extension for runners coming from the Athens Marathon the weekend before, with a group transfer from central Athens. The extended stay includes three excursions – a choice of castle olive oil tour or a hike to Nestor’s Cave (also featured in the new Odyssey film), plus a full-day trip to Ancient Olympia – alongside the same pre-race dinner, welcome reception and guaranteed entry,

Both packages include daily breakfast, all excursions and celebrations and group airport transfers to/from Athens.

Both packages include daily breakfast, all excursions and celebrations, and group airport transfers to/from Athens. And for those wanting to make the most of their trip to Greece, runners can also team up their Greek Odyssey race with the Athens Marathon. The Authentic the weekend before. A limited number of spots remain, and more information can be found via: https://marathontours.com/en-us/events/athens-marathon/

Brendan Fox, MD of Destination Sport Experiences, the driving force behind the event, said: “I’ve been coming to this part of Greece for years, and there’s something about Costa Navarino that gets under your skin – the light, the history, the sea. When we started talking about where to put our next event, it felt obvious. Runners don’t just want to turn up and race anymore, they want to feel something bigger, and running through landscapes that inspired Homer, that Hollywood has just spent millions bringing back to life, gives them exactly that. We’ve poured a huge amount into getting the details right and I’m very much looking forward to welcoming our first runners this November.”

Jeff Adams, President of Marathon Tours & Travel, added: “The Greek Odyssey Running Festival is a brilliant addition to our growing range of destination events. It reflects exactly what we’re building towards – giving runners more ways to combine world-class races with genuinely unforgettable travel experiences, in destinations with real depth and meaning behind them.”

Booking is now open, and runners are encouraged to secure their place early via: https://marathontours.com/en-us/events/greek-odyssey-half-marathon/