Your plan in four answers
Set for March 20, 2027, about 21 weeks out.
- Distances
- Half marathon, 5 miles
- Terrain
- Flat
- Taper starts
- March 8, 2027
Course
The Canyonlands Half course
The half marathon starts and finishes at Lions Park, where Highway 128 meets Highway 191 beside the Colorado River just north of Moab. It is an out-and-back on Highway 128, closed to traffic for the race, running upstream along the river through the red rock canyon known as Postcard Alley, with the turnaround just past mile 6 and Arches National Park running alongside.
Read the full course notes
Because the road follows the river, the profile is close to flat with only gentle rises and dips, but the whole race sits at about 4,000 feet of altitude. There are six aid stations with strict cutoffs: a pace of 15:30 per mile or faster meets them all. The 5 Mile is a shorter out-and-back on the same road, and the race has been part of Moab's spring since 1976.
- Terrain
- Flat
- Distances
- Half marathon, 5 miles
- Weather on race day
- Late March in Moab usually means a cold, dry desert morning: expect the mid-30s to mid-40s°F around the 8:15 a.m. start, warming toward the 60s by midday, with strong sun and low humidity. The canyon can funnel a breeze into your face on one leg of the out-and-back. Discard layers only at aid stations (littering the highway is grounds for disqualification), wear sunscreen and keep drinking in the dry air even if you do not feel thirsty.
What to train for
A flat road at 4,000 feet means steady pacing matters more than hill work, though effort will feel a touch harder than at sea level.
Build long runs to 11–13 miles and include tempo runs of 4–6 miles at half marathon effort to learn even pacing on a course with no terrain changes to break the rhythm.
Practise a smooth turnaround and settling straight back into pace afterwards. If you live near sea level, arrive a day or two early, start slightly slower than goal pace and let the second half come to you.
Sample week
A sample Canyonlands Half 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 km at 5K to 10K effort, easy jog between
- Wednesday
- Easy run, 5–6 mi
- Thursday Key session
- Goal-pace run, 7 mi with 4 mi at race pace
- Friday
- Recovery run, 4 mi, or cross-train
- Saturday Key session
- Long run, 10–12 mi easy
- Sunday
- Easy run, 4 mi, then 6 relaxed strides
Your build to race day
Taper
Tapering for the Canyonlands Half
Start the taper ten to fourteen days 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 is flat, so pacing decides the day: rehearse your goal pace in short segments during race week. With the race on March 20, 2027, your taper starts around March 8, 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 Canyonlands Half Marathon & 5 Mile on March 20, 2027. I run [distance] a week, [days] days a week, easy pace [pace].
Canyonlands Half training questions
How long should I train for the Canyonlands Half?
Most runners give a half marathon twelve to sixteen 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 Canyonlands Half course hilly?
Flat. The half marathon starts and finishes at Lions Park, where Highway 128 meets Highway 191 beside the Colorado River just north of Moab.
What is the weather usually like at the Canyonlands Half?
Late March in Moab usually means a cold, dry desert morning: expect the mid-30s to mid-40s°F around the 8:15 a.m. start, warming toward the 60s by midday, with strong sun and low humidity. The canyon can funnel a breeze into your face on one leg of the out-and-back. Discard layers only at aid stations (littering the highway is grounds for disqualification), wear sunscreen and keep drinking in the dry air even if you do not feel thirsty.
When should I start tapering for the Canyonlands Half?
Start the taper ten to fourteen days 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 is flat, so pacing decides the day: rehearse your goal pace in short segments during race week. With the race on March 20, 2027, your taper starts around March 8, 2027.
Do I need an account to get a Canyonlands Half 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.