On 18th January 2026, I ran Nicosia Marathon. I am a frequent traveller to Cyprus for Marathon events, but this was my first time in Nicosia. This was my 2nd Marathon of 2026, my 180th Marathon (plus) and my 133rd time as an official pacer (including 70 marathons).
It’s not all about the food, but I do love Cypriot food. It was a different experience for me as the event is inland, where Limassol and Larnaka Marathons are by the ocean. Usually there was a risk of it being to warm, but it was considerably colder in January, making ideal running conditions. I arrived on Friday evening and enjoyed a nice platter for 2, a great way to start the weekend.
The event is now organised by the same team as Limassol and Larnaka Marathons, so it had a familiar feel to it. I organised the Pace Team and we collected our kit on Saturday afternoon at registration.
Kit ready, I tried to have an early night. The marathon started at 06:45, with the half starting at 07:10, so I asked for everyone to meet at 06:00.
Nicosia Marathon
On race morning I found it hard to get out of bed. I set my alarm really early to make sure I was awake, then just stayed cuddled up under the covers. I made my way to our meeting point for 06:00, which was only a 10 minute walk from my hotel.
It is a nice set up with the start and finish within 300 metres, and underneath the finish they set up the event village, which also protected it from bad weather. It was really quiet when we arrived and some of the pacers were running late, so they missed the pacer photo. But we had 10 pacers, 5 for the half and 5 for the full.
We made our way to the start, and there were toilets without queues. After being in the start area for a few minutes it started to fill. I am not sure about numbers, but it felt smaller than Limassol and Larnaka, but interestingly I ended up with 15-20 runners with me, with around 10 staying with me right to the end. Every pace group that passed me had a good group, so this worked well.
The weather was perfect. It was cool, but not to cold. It rained a little bit during the run, but only lightly. The aid stations were perfect size for the field, with water being given out more frequently than needed. The course was changed for this year, changing the single loop, to a repeated loop, which kept the course more populated and interesting. The half marathon started not long after the marathon, but there was also the 10k and 5k, which all crossed paths, making the event feel busier and more enjoyable.
The course was mostly flat, with the first 2 laps taking 28k. Then there was a slightly more challenging section, which didn’t feel that bad. As I didn’t know how challenging it would be, I made up a margin of 90 seconds so the last section would be easier to manage. I was pleased to see so many people stay with me, or pull ahead.
The markers were pretty good throughout, although some of the out and back was a bit confusing as there were a few markers near turns, so it was not clear which way the distance had been met. I could tell from my tracking of the distance, but small improvements here would make a difference.
As the last section was easier than expected I had considered lowering the pace slightly. But at this stage I had about 5 people ahead of me, 5 with me and 5 just behind. It was getting tough and I didn’t want to lose people. Also, to be transparent, at bigger races I am more confident that the markers will be in the right place and there won’t be any surprises. This is why for most races I will deliver 15 seconds under target consistently, because I can adjust and trust the markers, so I leave the smaller margin, encouraging others to go ahead. But at some smaller races I have had times when the markers don’t make sense, and i would always rather be to fast than 2 slow. I would hate to miss a time, meaning those around me miss their target, just because I’m trying to get close to my target.
Once I was about a KM away I could see I was going to be slightly faster than I wanted. However, I also had all my runners ahead of me, with no one anywhere near me behind. I got my team to push on, but I kept on pace to deliver in 3:59:09. I am happy with that for this race.
There were a lot of runners waiting for me at the finish and many happy faces. I called that a success.
I made my way to the Ice Power massage tent, and had a double massage. It felt so good.
After watching the rest of the pacers finish, I relaxed, got another big meal, and now I am sat in the airport.
How was your weekend? Did you run anywhere?
pickupthepacepaul 