Classic Marathon 2025 Preview

The first Classic Marathon took place back in 1988, nearly forty years ago, and so is actually now older than some of the cars that are now eligible to compete on this most prestigious of events. 2025 marks the 31^st running of the rally that arguably sparked a sport that now see’s events of this type running all over the world. Quite a responsibility then to deliver a rally that holds true to the principles of its forebears, whilst also delivering an event that remains fresh and one that sits comfortably in a world that has changed immensely since the late 80’s.

That responsibility sits with Will Rutherford this year, who has largely been custodian of the route for 2025, with help from Andy Pullan, a former Marathon winner. The rally begins on the shores of Lake Geneva and travels a border hugging route south and west to the Basque Coast resort of Biarritz in six days’ time. Along the way the 56 crews who will take the start this year will experience 2000 miles of incredible driving, with testing regularities and thrilling speed tests, a prospect that the competitors will be feeling excited and apprehensive about in equal parts.

So how do you maintain the perennial appeal of this modern classic, as it heads towards the end of its fourth decade of existence? Will Rutherford thinks the secret to that is to strip the event back to the components that made those older rallies so successful. “We have to maintain the legacy” he tells me, “Those first events were so unique at the time, Philip Young conceived the idea of a long-distance international rally for classic cars, and capturing the essence of that is so important to maintain the standard of the event and deliver a rally that captures the Marathon magic.” Will is passionate about maintaining the status of this event, and well aware of its history having been involved in various ways since the early 2000’s. “It’s certainly a big responsibility, it’s the first time I’ve been solely focussed on the route, but I’ve had help from Andy Pullan who as a former winner knows exactly what level we should be pitching at.”

Will is excited about the roads, that he thinks echo those earlier events, as this year the rally returns to France for the first time since 2010. “We wanted to get back to some of those famous climbs, like Tourmalet and Grand Colombier, but you also have to balance the route with roads in the flatter areas, 6 days of purely mountain driving might just be too much of a good thing! France is perfect for that, and I can’t wait to see the scenery changing as we pass through the Alps and Pyrenees, as well as the Ardeche and Languedoc and then Basque country.” Will is also keen to note that it isn’t enough to just pick a route on nice roads, those roads have to be utilised correctly to get the best out of them for the competition, “you can have a great road, but it might not work well within the context of the rally, there has been a lot of work to make sure we are making the best of the route for the competition. It’s a tricky thing these days, as the roads are so much busier than they ever have been, and that extends to the street furniture as well, things like speed bumps and safety features, all of that is taken into account, and I hope that the preparation leads to an event that the crews can really get stuck into. It’s not an easy rally, and neither should it be, but we’ve tried to strike the balance of testing those experienced Marathon competitors whilst also bringing newer crews into the fold. In the old days, this was something people looked to build up to, and we hope it still is.”

Those busier roads are certainly an aspect that increases the difficulty of the route planners task, and in the interests of evolution the Marathon will employ the Joker system for the first time, meaning that if anyone gets caught out by unexpected traffic, such as a peloton of cyclists in the middle of a regularity, their rally isn’t destroyed by a piece of bad luck.

The field is the usual mix of those seeking extended European adventure for the first time, and those very much looking to win, including the last Classic Marathon winner, Mark Godfrey, who triumphed in Slovenia two years ago with wife Sue in the maps seat. This year though Mark is competing alongside Bart den Hartog, the usually long-haired dutchman has even had his haircut to celebrate this new partnership. The pair have not competed together before, and it will be interesting to see how quickly they gel; Bart certainly has big shoes to fill. They will no doubt be pushed hard by the chasing pack which is made up of HERO-ERA Cup winners and Golden Roamer champions, such as Paul Bloxidge and Ian Canavan, and many that have lifted trophies on everything from one day events through to the longest and toughest endurance rallies. There are also some absences this year, with no entry from Marcus Anderson and Matthew Lymn-Rose, who for the last few years have been Marathon specialists in their red E-Type, and 2021 Marathon champion Paul Crosby is also missing, possibly creating an opportunity for some new names to challenge for the trophy.

The Marathon is always capable of springing a surprise or two, and that could easily be reflected in the results. There are plenty of crews in the ranks that could achieve glory, including the likes of Malcolm Dunderdale and Anita Wickins, and the Baines’, who have all enjoyed success in domestic events this year. Then there are others who have tasted Marathon success before, such as navigator Peter Rushforth, a man who has no doubt forgotten more than the most people know and is always there or thereabouts on this event. His task may be tougher this year, as the 1300cc Renault 4 he is competing in alongside Vincent Hayes is the smallest machine on the event.

The competition will play out across many of the mountain roads of the Alps and the Pyrenees, on a mix of tarmac and gravel roads winding through dense forest and Alpine countryside, as well as some travel across the flatlands that are almost inescapable in France. Whilst the backdrops will be stunning, the drivers and certainly the navigators will likely have little time to take in the vistas, as eyes will very much be on the job at hand, as they anxiously attempt to incur as few penalties as possible, although the accumulation of these will be inevitable.

As well as all of the high-altitude regularity action there will be a number of tests for those with an itchy right foot to get stuck into, though it is worth remembering that this is quite literally a marathon and not a sprint, so machine preservation and mechanical sympathy will need to be balanced with outright speed.

For those that do finish though, taking the checkered flag in the elegant surroundings of Biarritz, the achievement can be celebrated almost as enthusiastically as a win, such is the challenge of the Marathon. There will only be one winner of course, but the adventure can be toasted by everyone who succeeds in going the distance.