Classic City Marathon, Half Marathon, and Marathon Relay

Classic City Marathon is held in Athens, Georgia, on March 20, 2027. Both the marathon (26.2 miles) and the half marathon (13.1 miles) start at 7:30 a.m., so the two fields run together through the opening miles before the half peels off toward its own finish and the marathon field settles into a longer day.

A March date in north Georgia means the bulk of your training falls in winter, which argues for an early start on mileage and a willingness to run long in the cold. For the marathon, plan on 16 to 20 weeks with a weekly long run past 20 miles and a couple of race-pace efforts; for the half, twelve weeks with a long run to 11 miles is enough. A shared gun time also makes it easy to travel with someone running the other distance.