Pokemon Go Spring Marathon: How to Catch Flittle, Espathra, and Rare Shinies

The Pokemon Go Spring Marathon event has officially arrived, bringing a much-needed wave of rare Shiny hunts and Paldean PokeDex entries to players. Running from May 12 through May 18 at 8 PM local time, this egg-centric event shifts the focus away from wild spawns and directly into incubators.

Following the slower pace of Niantic's recent Evergreen Week, the Spring Marathon introduces two new Paldean debuts: Flittle and its evolution, Espathra. Players will also have the chance to encounter a brand-new costumed Pikachu wearing a marathon visor, which can appear as a Shiny right from its debut.

Unlike typical new releases, Flittle will not spawn in the wild. Trainers have two primary methods to secure this Psychic-type Pokemon. The most reliable strategy is stocking up on 5KM eggs from PokeStops and Gyms, as Flittle is added to the 5KM hatch pool for the duration of the event.

Alternatively, players can encounter Flittle by progressing through the special event GO Pass, which offers both free and paid tracks featuring event-themed encounters. To obtain Espathra, players must evolve Flittle using 50 Flittle Candy, making it essential to hatch or catch multiple Flittles to complete a living Dex.

While the Paldean debuts are a major draw, the event also offers a strong lineup of costumed Pokemon hidden within 5KM eggs. With the exception of Flittle, all of these special hatches have a chance to be Shiny. The 5KM egg pool includes:

• Pichu wearing a flower crown
• Togepi wearing a flower crown
• Happiny wearing a flower crown
• Flittle

Niantic's design for the Spring Marathon highlights a recurring strategy: leveraging egg-exclusive debuts to drive player activity and, inevitably, incubator sales. By locking Flittle behind 5KM eggs and the GO Pass rather than wild spawns, the developer is actively pushing the community toward premium items.

While the free Timed Research path offers a guaranteed encounter with the marathon visor Pikachu, players aiming for a Shiny flower crown Togepi or enough candy for Espathra will likely need to invest in extra incubators before the May 18 deadline. This approach ensures that while the event is content-rich, the most coveted rewards remain heavily gated behind walking distances and microtransactions.