Beginner 5K and 10K races in Greece
5K and 10K are the two most approachable road-running distances — usually the ones people pick for a first race. The bib2bib catalog lists dozens of such events over the coming months across Greece, from Athens and Thessaloniki to Santorini and Syros. Below are 25 selected, verified races with a bib2bib race page, organized by region and month (October–December 2026), what the two distances actually mean, and how to use bib2bib's filters to find what fits your own calendar. This guide describes races — it is not a training plan or medical advice.
What "5K" and "10K" actually mean
A 5K is a road race of exactly 5 kilometres (3.107 miles), the shortest of the common road-running distances. Per Wikipedia, it "is mostly popular with novice or infrequent runners or joggers as it is comparatively easier to complete the distance without endurance training" — you don't need prior racing experience to try one.
A 10K is exactly double that distance, 10 kilometres (6.2 miles). The same source describes it as "long enough to represent a challenge but short enough to remain accessible for an untrained runner" — a natural next step after a first 5K, without necessarily being a different category of difficulty.
Both distances are typically run on the road, though a handful of trail events offer them too — on bib2bib, the road/trail discipline is tracked separately from the distance itself.
- 5K = 5,000 metres
- 10K = 10,000 metres, double the 5K
- Both are road formats in all 25 races in this guide — no trail event is included in this list (5K/10K trail races do exist elsewhere in the bib2bib catalog, just not among the races selected here)
How to find a 5K or 10K race on bib2bib
bib2bib has dedicated distance pages: /en/races/distance/5k for every upcoming 5K race and /en/races/distance/10k for 10K. You can also combine distance, region and month from the main races page, e.g. /en/races?distance=10k®ion=attica&month=2026-10 for 10K races in Attica in October 2026.
Region pages (e.g. /en/races/region/crete, /en/races/region/central-macedonia) and month pages (e.g. /en/races/month/2026-11) work the same way — start with whichever filter matters most to you and add the rest.
Attica and Athens: October–December options
Attica has the largest concentration of 5K/10K races in the catalog, with something on offer roughly every two weeks through the end of the year.
- 18th Greece Race for the Cure® — 4 October 2026, Pedion tou Areos, Athens — 5K race + 2K walk
- Run Greece 2026 – Piraeus — 4 October 2026, Piraeus — 5K / 10K
- Athens Company Run — 11 October 2026, Olympic Village, Athens — 5K / 10K races, 2.5K sports walk
- Oropos Seaside Race — 11 October 2026, Skala Oropou — 0.5K / 5K / 10K / 21.1K
- Kallithea Night Run 2026 — 17 October 2026, Kallithea — 2.5K / 5K / 10K
- Nea Smyrni Historical Run — 25 October 2026, Nea Smyrni — 2.5K / 5K / 10K
- 12th Run the Lake Vouliagmeni — 20 December 2026, Vouliagmeni seafront — 1K / 5K / 10K
Peloponnese, Western Greece, Central Greece and Epirus
Outside Attica, nearly every major half-marathon weekend on the mainland pairs its headline distance with a shorter 5K or 10K option.
- 3rd Sparta Half Marathon — 11 October 2026, Sparta, Peloponnese — 5K / 21.1K
- Patras Night Half Marathon "Fanis Tsimigkatos" — 10 October 2026, Patras, Western Greece — 5K / 21.1K
- 2nd TAMYNAI Seaside Run — 11 October 2026, Karavos Aliveriou, Evia, Central Greece — 1K / 5K / 10K / 21.1K
- 10th Arta Half Marathon – The Bridge Run — 17–18 October 2026, Arta, Epirus — 5K walk on 17/10, 5K / 10K / 21.1K races on 18/10
- Michalis Kousis Half Marathon — 6 December 2026, Agrinio, Western Greece — 5K / 21.1K
Northern Greece: Thessaloniki, Central Macedonia and Thessaly
The region with the second-largest cluster of 5K/10K races, with Thessaloniki hosting one of the country's biggest night races.
- 6th Flamingo Run Kalochori — 4 October 2026, Kalochori — 1K kids, 5K, 10K
- Serres Half Marathon — 4 October 2026, Serres — 5K / 10K / 21.1K
- Thessaloniki Night Half Marathon — 17 October 2026, Thessaloniki — 21.1K / 10K / 5K / 1 mile
- 6th Volos Night Run — 24 October 2026, Volos seafront, Thessaly — 500m / 5K / 10K
- Run for Korinos — 1 November 2026, Korinos, Katerini — 5K / 10K
Crete and the South Aegean islands
On the islands, 5K/10K options often come with a travel angle — from Santorini and Syros to four different towns in Crete.
- Crete International Half Marathon 2026 — 4 October 2026, Arkalochori, Heraklion — 0.2K / 1K / 5K / 10K / 21.1K
- Run As One – Syros Healing Waves — 4 October 2026, Ermoupoli, Syros — 5K / 10K
- 10th Paleochora Half Marathon — 18 October 2026, Paleochora, Chania — 5K (+20 m) / 10K (+30 m) / 21.1K (+100 m)
- 4th Amira Run Experience — 18 October 2026, Adelianos Kampos, Rethymno — 5K / 10K / 21K
- Santorini Experience 2026 · Ancient Thera Run 5K — 18 October 2026, Kamari, Santorini — 5.01K road/urban route, +120 m
- 12th Chania Night Road Race — 12 December 2026, Chania — 5K / 10K
Two big race weekends with a 5K or 10K on offer: Athens and Ancient Olympia
You don't have to run a marathon to take part in the country's two best-known race weekends — both pair their headline distance with a shorter option.
The Athens Marathon ("The Authentic") runs on Sunday 8 November 2026 this year — the date shown on its bib2bib race page. According to the race's official site, the evening before, Saturday 7/11, hosts two further 5K races with no bib2bib page of their own — the 5K Telekom road race (17:00) and the 5K Universities Night Run (20:00) — while Sunday 8/11 pairs the 10K allwyn road race (08:00) with the Marathon itself (08:30).
The Olympia Marathon takes place in Ancient Olympia, birthplace of the ancient Olympic Games, on 28–29 November 2026. The bib2bib catalog lists its distances as 1K / 3K / 10K / 21K / 42.195K. The official registration page, however, states exactly four races: Marathon (42,195 m, Sunday 29/11), Half Marathon (21,000 m, Sunday 29/11), 10K road race (10,000 m, Saturday 28/11) and Family Run (3,000 m, Saturday 28/11) — it does not separately list the 1K entry that appears in the catalog, and it lists no 5K at all. If you specifically want a 5K, the Olympia Marathon isn't it — for a 10K there, it is.
Practical notes: choosing your first 5K or 10K
This guide gives no training plan and no medical advice — only information about the races themselves. A few practical points worth checking before you pick one:
- Elevation: some races list +20 m, +30 m or more next to the distance (e.g. Paleochora) — a fully flat course is not guaranteed just because a race is labelled "5K" or "10K"
- Start time: several of the races above are evening or night races (e.g. Kallithea Night Run, Volos Night Run, Thessaloniki Night Half Marathon)
- Registration always happens through each event's own official site — bib2bib does not handle registration, only aggregates and links to the official sources
- Last-checked date: every bib2bib race page shows when it was last confirmed — the official race page always takes priority if anything differs
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a 5K and a 10K?
A 10K is exactly double a 5K (10,000 vs 5,000 metres). A 5K is considered more accessible to beginners, while a 10K is "long enough to represent a challenge but short enough to remain accessible" for an untrained runner, per Wikipedia.
Which 5K or 10K races are coming up in Attica?
A few examples: Greece Race for the Cure® (4/10), Run Greece Piraeus (4/10), Athens Company Run (11/10), Oropos Seaside Race (11/10), Kallithea Night Run (17/10), Nea Smyrni Historical Run (25/10), and Run the Lake Vouliagmeni (20/12). See the full list above, by region.
Can I run a 5K at the Athens Marathon?
Yes, but not through the Athens Marathon's bib2bib page, which shows only Sunday 8 November (10K + marathon). Per the official race site, the evening before, Saturday 7 November 2026, hosts two further separate 5K races (Telekom at 17:00 and the Universities Night Run at 20:00) — with no bib2bib page of their own.
Does the Olympia Marathon offer a 5K?
No. The official registration page lists only a Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K road race and 3K Family Run — no 5K distance. The bib2bib catalog additionally lists a 1K distance that does not appear separately on the official registration page.
How do I filter for only 5K or only 10K races on bib2bib?
Use the /en/races/distance/5k or /en/races/distance/10k pages, or add ?distance=5k or ?distance=10k on the main /en/races page — you can combine it with a region or month filter too.
Do I need training to run a 10K?
This guide gives no training plan and no medical advice — only information about the races themselves. For how to prepare, consult a qualified professional.
Are there 5K or 10K races on Greek islands?
Yes — examples include Syros (Run As One – Syros Healing Waves), Santorini (Ancient Thera Run 5K), and four towns in Crete (Arkalochori, Paleochora, Rethymno, Chania).
