Amsterdam, Netherlands · October

Amsterdam Marathon Training Plan

A free half marathon and marathon plan for the TCS Amsterdam Marathon, built around the course and your current fitness. Answer four questions and you will see every week of it. No account, no email, no card.

Distances
Half marathon, Marathon
Course
Flat
Usually held
Each October

The Amsterdam Marathon course

Starts and finishes inside the 1928 Olympic Stadium, which is the detail everyone remembers, and runs through the city, along the Amstel river, and back. It is genuinely flat, and one of the long stretches beside the river is straight enough that it becomes a mental test rather than a physical one.

Weather on race day

Mid-October in the Netherlands is cool and frequently windy: starts in the 40s or 50s, highs in the 50s. The exposed river section is where wind is felt, and there is no shelter along it.

What to train for

Sustained even-effort running and wind tolerance. The long straight Amstel section around the middle of the race rewards runners who can hold a rhythm without landmarks or crowd noise, so include long solo tempo efforts rather than doing all your quality work in a group.

Registration and official details: Amsterdam Marathon official site

Amsterdam Marathon training questions

How long should I train for the Amsterdam Marathon?

Most runners give a marathon sixteen to twenty weeks of focused training on top of an existing base. The plan above counts back from your actual race date, so if you have less time than that it builds the best plan the remaining weeks allow rather than pretending you have longer.

Is the Amsterdam Marathon course hilly?

Flat. Starts and finishes inside the 1928 Olympic Stadium, which is the detail everyone remembers, and runs through the city, along the Amstel river, and back. It is genuinely flat, and one of the long stretches beside the river is straight enough that it becomes a mental test rather than a physical one.

What is the weather usually like at the Amsterdam Marathon?

Mid-October in the Netherlands is cool and frequently windy: starts in the 40s or 50s, highs in the 50s. The exposed river section is where wind is felt, and there is no shelter along it.

Do I need an account to get a Amsterdam Marathon training plan?

No. The plan above builds in your browser with no account, no email, and no card. Make a free account only if you want to keep it, log your runs against it, and have the coach keep adapting it as your training goes.

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