No stopwatch, no wall, just cinnamon buns: Vilnius’s Christmas marathon makes the news

While much of Europe braces for the festive rush, Euronews has spotted a Vilnius idea that does the opposite: a Christmas marathon of 3 to 42.195 km where the only thing to beat is the urge to hurry.

Mike Starling’s piece for Euronews began with the rise of the “race-cation” and then offered a gentler alternative: a marathon with no pace to watch and no dreaded wall, just warm drinks and Christmas lights along the way. The story has travelled well, appearing on AOL for German readers and on Yahoo Actualités for French ones. The marathon takes place on 12–13 December, needs no registration, and offers 3, 10, 21 and 42.195 km options.

The routes lead through quieter corners of the Old Town: a stop for a cinnamon bun at the Senatorių Pasažas courtyard, a visit to the Užupis Cat, and streets named Winter, Frost, Snow and Deer. Digital maps stay available until 3 January 2027, so the marathon can be finished at any pace. Go Vilnius’s head of communication Eglė Girdzijauskaitė is quoted saying that Christmas has become a season of rushing, and that Vilnius is compact enough to do the opposite.

Euronews rounds off the story with the rest of the festive calendar: the tree lighting on 28 November, the Christmas Market in Cathedral Square until 27 December, the ice rink at Town Hall Square until 25 January and the Christmas Train through the Old Town until 3 January.