Your plan in four answers
Set for April 11, 2027, about 24 weeks out.
- Distances
- 5K, 10K, Half marathon, Marathon
- Terrain
- Rolling
- Taper starts
- March 24, 2027
Course
The Canberra Marathon course
Billed by the organisers as Australia's oldest marathon, the race starts at 6:15 am on King George Terrace in Parkes and finishes on nearby King Edward Terrace in the Parliamentary Triangle. An opening loop circles Parliament House before the course runs through Telopea Park, down Kings Avenue and onto Parkes Way.
Read the full course notes
The standout moment is the climb up Anzac Parade toward the Australian War Memorial, after which the route returns through Barton and follows State Circle and Adelaide Avenue out to Weston Park. A stretch along Alexandrina Drive beside Lake Burley Griffin turns runners back toward the city, and the final kilometres follow State Circle and Brisbane Avenue to the finish. No total climb is published; expect wide, closed roads with steady undulation and Anzac Parade as the main sustained climb.
- Terrain
- Rolling
- Distances
- 5K, 10K, Half marathon, Marathon
- Weather on race day
- Canberra in April is usually crisp at dawn, roughly 4–9 °C at the 6:15 am start, warming to around 20 °C by early afternoon on a sunny day. Mornings are often still and dry, which is good for racing, but start with a throwaway layer and gloves. Later finishers should plan for sun and keep drinking as the day warms.
What to train for
Canberra rewards strength on gradual climbs: include a weekly hill session (for example 6–8 x 90 seconds uphill at 10K effort) and run your long runs on rolling routes rather than flat paths.
Practise holding effort, not pace, on long drags like Anzac Parade, and letting the pace come back on the way down.
Build long runs to 32–35 km with goal-pace segments in the second half. Do a few early, cold starts in race kit to rehearse layering and fuelling.
Sample week
A sample Canberra Marathon training week
A week from the middle of the build, about six weeks out. Your plan sets the real distances and paces from your own fitness and adjusts them every week as you train.
- Monday
- Rest, or 20 minutes of mobility
- Tuesday Key session
- Intervals: 5 × 1.5 km at 5K to 10K effort, easy jog between
- Wednesday
- Easy run, 10–11 km
- Thursday Key session
- Goal-pace run, 16 km with 10 km at race pace
- Friday
- Recovery run, 6 km, or cross-train
- Saturday Key session
- Long run, 26–29 km, the last 6 km at race pace
- Sunday
- Easy run, 6 km, then 6 relaxed strides
Your build to race day
Taper
Tapering for the Canberra Marathon
Start the taper two to three weeks before race day. Cut your weekly volume by about a third, then by half in race week, and keep a few short efforts at race pace so your legs stay sharp. The course rolls, so keep one short session on undulating ground in the first taper week. With the race on April 11, 2027, your taper starts around March 24, 2027.
Also in Claude
Ask Claude for this plan
Add AthleteSpace to Claude once, then paste this prompt and put in your own numbers.
Build me a training plan for the The Canberra Times Marathon Festival on April 11, 2027. I run [distance] a week, [days] days a week, easy pace [pace].
Canberra Marathon training questions
How long should I train for the Canberra 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 Canberra Marathon course hilly?
Rolling. Billed by the organisers as Australia's oldest marathon, the race starts at 6:15 am on King George Terrace in Parkes and finishes on nearby King Edward Terrace in the Parliamentary Triangle.
What is the weather usually like at the Canberra Marathon?
Canberra in April is usually crisp at dawn, roughly 4–9 °C at the 6:15 am start, warming to around 20 °C by early afternoon on a sunny day. Mornings are often still and dry, which is good for racing, but start with a throwaway layer and gloves. Later finishers should plan for sun and keep drinking as the day warms.
When should I start tapering for the Canberra Marathon?
Start the taper two to three weeks before race day. Cut your weekly volume by about a third, then by half in race week, and keep a few short efforts at race pace so your legs stay sharp. The course rolls, so keep one short session on undulating ground in the first taper week. With the race on April 11, 2027, your taper starts around March 24, 2027.
Do I need an account to get a Canberra 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.