Pokemon GO

Niantic's Pokémon GO continues to blend fitness and exploration in 2026 with the Spring Marathon event, a week-long celebration that encourages Trainers around the world to get outside, spin PokéStops, hatch eggs, and earn unique rewards. Running from May 12 at 10:00 a.m. local time through May 18 at 8:00 p.m. local time, the Spring Marathon offers new Pokémon debuts, special research tasks, themed bonuses, and an event-specific GO Pass with both free and paid progression paths.

Event Details & Time

• Start: May 12, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. local time

• End: May 18, 2026, at 8:00 p.m. local time

• Where: Worldwide in Pokémon GO

The event features a new GO Pass: Spring Marathon progression track (with both free and paid tiers), Timed Research, Field Research, Pokémon hatching from eggs, and special encounter bonuses geared around walking and exploration.

With so many exclusive Pokémon and limited-time rewards, having extra Pokécoins can help you make the most of the Spring Marathon. Top up Pokémon GO Pokécoins from Z2U to ensure you don't miss any opportunity.

New Pokémon & Special Encounters

A major highlight of this event is the introduction of new Pokémon and eventthemed encounters:

• Flittle — A new Pokémon making its Pokémon GO debut. 

• Espathra — Flittle's evolution, obtainable with 50 Flittle Candy. 

• Pikachu (with Marathon Visor) — A special costume variant that can be encountered during the event, including its Shiny form. 

These new additions not only expand your Pokédex, they also provide fresh incentives to play daily throughout the event period. 

Hatch Them All — 5 km Egg Pool

During the Spring Marathon, several themed Pokémon will hatch from 5 km Eggs collected ingame. These include:

• Pichu (Flower Crown) 

• Togepi (Flower Crown) 

• Happiny (Flower Crown) 

• Flittle 

Each of these Pokémon may appear in their Shiny variants, making the egg hatching experience especially exciting for completionists and collectors alike. 

Research Tasks & Rewards

Timed Research

A single free Timed Research task is available for all Trainers during the event:

Complete the research within the event timeframe to claim your rewards; otherwise this task will expire once the event ends. 

Field Research

Event-themed Field Research tasks can be picked up at PokéStops and typically involve activities like spinning stops and walking short distances. Rewards include encounters with:

• Buneary (Flower Crown) 

• Cottonee (Flower Crown) 

• Eevee 

These encounters provide an added layer of gameplay depth and variety beyond the timed research. 

GO Pass: Spring Marathon

The GO Pass system is central to this event. All Trainers automatically receive the free Spring Marathon GO Pass, which tracks progression through different ranks as you earn GO Points. Players can also purchase an upgraded version:

• GO Pass Deluxe – US$4.99 

• GO Pass Deluxe + 6 Ranks – US$6.99 

Higher rank progression unlocks better rewards, special encounters, and bonuses. Trainers who purchase the Deluxe version receive improved rewards at each rank and can unlock exclusive avatar items and additional Pokémon encounters tied to the event. 

GO Pass Reward Table (Selected Ranks)

The table below highlights key rewards available at certain ranks for both the Free and Deluxe GO Pass tracks:

▎Note: This table contains a subset of rewards. The full GO Pass includes many more ranks and items. 

Event Bonuses

During the Spring Marathon, Trainers benefit from a series of gameplay bonuses tied to their GO Pass progression:

• Tier 1 — 2× XP for spinning PokéStops (3× XP with GO Pass Deluxe) 

• Tier 2 — 50% reduced Egg hatch distance when eggs are placed into incubators during the event period 

These bonuses make it easier to level up fast and hatch more Pokémon with less walking distance required — perfectly fitting the marathon theme. 

Rewards & Incentives

The GO Pass holds a long list of deliverables — including interesting and valuable items as players rank up. Trainers can expect rewards like:

• Poké Balls, Great Balls, Ultra Balls 

• Stardust and XP 

• Rare Candy / Candy XL 

• Incubators and Super Incubators 

• Pokémon encounters (including Flittle & themed Pokémon) 

• Event-themed avatar items 

Paid GO Pass tracks often yield more and better rewards than the free track — making them appealing for Trainers looking to optimize event gains. 

Trainers who want to maximize their GO Pass rewards can consider purchasing Pokécoins to unlock Deluxe ranks faster. Z2U offers a safe and convenient way to buy Pokémon GO Pokécoins for your adventures.

Final Thoughts

The Pokémon GO Spring Marathon 2026 blends traditional event mechanics — like themed spawns, Field Research, and exclusive encounters — with fresh mechanics tied to exploration and GO Pass progression. making their debut and unique costume variants like Pikachu with a marathon visor, Trainers have plenty of reasons to get out and play between May 12 and 18. 

Whether you're chasing Shiny variants or racking up rewards, this event is designed to celebrate movement and discovery in a fun, immersive way.