Niantic just locked in the most consequential event of the Memories in Motion season's spring leg. The Spring Marathon kicks off tomorrow, Tuesday May 12 at 10:00 AM local time, and runs through Monday May 18 at 8:00 PM — six full days of bonuses anchored by the in-game debut of Flittle and its evolution Espathra, both lifted straight from the Paldea region.
This is the first new Paldean Pokemon to drop into Pokemon GO since the Spring Marathon was first teased back in April, and it's arriving alongside the season's first costumed Pikachu — Marathon Visor Pikachu, which is shiny-eligible from day one.
The debut: Flittle and Espathra
Flittle is a small Psychic-type from Paldea that evolves into the much larger, much faster Espathra after 50 Flittle Candy. In Pokemon GO it spawns in two specific places during the event:
- 5 km Eggs — Flittle hatches alongside flower-crown Pichu, flower-crown Togepi, and flower-crown Happiny. Tier 2 of the event GO Pass halves egg hatch distance, which is what makes farming Flittle Candy realistic in six days.
- The GO Pass: Spring Marathon track — guaranteed Flittle encounters at certain ranks, both free and Deluxe.
If you want Espathra by the time the event ends on the 18th, plan to walk. Even with the halved egg distance, 50 Candy is a real grind without Pinap luck.
Marathon Visor Pikachu, and the rest of the costume lineup
The event's headlining Pikachu — wearing a marathon visor — is available exclusively through the free Timed Research, which awards 21,000 XP and a guaranteed Pikachu encounter at the finish line. There's a shiny variant in the pool, so worth multiple research runs if you can grind it.
Eggs are stacked with returning costumed Pokemon: flower-crown Pichu, Togepi, and Happiny, all shiny-eligible. Field Research adds Cherry Blossom Eevee (CP 424–459) and Flower Crown Buneary (CP 501–539), also both shiny-eligible. The costume rotation is unusually generous for a six-day window.
The GO Pass: free vs. Deluxe
Every trainer is automatically enrolled in the free GO Pass: Spring Marathon at 10:00 AM local time on May 12. The Deluxe upgrade is $4.99 (with a higher-tier paid track at $6.99+ in some regions) and shifts the Tier 1 XP bonus from 2x to 3x while adding Silver Pinap Berries, Candy XL, Incense, and avatar items to the ranked rewards. The free track still covers Stardust, Rare Candy, Ultra Balls, and Flittle encounters — you do not need to pay to debut Flittle.
The two confirmed milestone bonuses worth chasing:
- Tier 1: 2x XP per PokeStop spin (3x for GO Pass Deluxe holders)
- Tier 2: 1/2 egg hatch distance for all eggs placed in an incubator during the event window
That second one is the real prize. Halved hatch distance during Memories in Motion stacks with the Adventure Sync bonus week-of, meaning a 10 km can break in 2.5 km of real walking if you stack the right incubators.
The wider May picture
Spring Marathon is sandwiched between two other major Pokemon GO moments. Two days earlier, on May 9, Lechonk Community Day ran with 5% shiny odds and an evolution window granting Oinkologne the exclusive Mud-Slap Fast Attack. Two weeks after Spring Marathon ends, on May 29, Pokemon GO Fest 2026: Tokyo kicks off as the franchise's first in-person Fest chapter of the year — and that's where Mega Mewtwo X and Mega Mewtwo Y are debuting.
Tucked between them is also a Pheromosa, Buzzwole, and Xurkitree raid rotation that overlaps Spring Marathon almost perfectly, running May 13 to May 19 with a Raid Hour spike on the evening of the 13th. Pheromosa is exclusive to Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and India servers; Buzzwole stays in the Americas and Greenland; Xurkitree is global. If you live in a Pheromosa region, this is the week to remote-raid trade with friends in Buzzwole regions.
What to do tomorrow morning
Open the app at 10:00 AM local time. Auto-claim the free GO Pass: Spring Marathon and the Timed Research from the in-app store. Drop two eggs in incubators immediately — every egg you hatch from 10 AM to 8 PM on the 18th gets the halved distance, so the early ones return the most. If you've been hoarding flower-crown Eevee from prior events, this is also the cleanest time to evolve into an Espeon or Umbreon while the Field Research is fresh.
Six days, two debuts, one halved egg counter. Lace up.
