Charlotte, NC · November

Charlotte Marathon Training Plan

A free 5k, half marathon, and marathon plan for the Novant Health Charlotte 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
5K, Half marathon, Marathon
Course
Rolling
Usually held
Each November

The Charlotte Marathon course

Starts in the heart of uptown Charlotte and runs out through the surrounding neighbourhoods and greenways. The Piedmont terrain rolls continuously without ever presenting a single defining climb, which makes it deceptively taxing over the marathon distance. It is run on a Saturday, which is worth planning travel around.

Weather on race day

Mid-November in Charlotte is usually cool and dry: starts in the 30s or 40s, finishes in the 50s. It is one of the more dependable weather dates in the Southeast.

What to train for

Continuous rolling terrain at goal effort. The training that matches this course is long runs on routes that never flatten out, run at even effort rather than even pace. The absence of a landmark hill is exactly why people over-run the first half here.

Registration and official details: Charlotte Marathon official site

Charlotte Marathon training questions

How long should I train for the Charlotte Marathon?

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 Charlotte Marathon course hilly?

Rolling. Starts in the heart of uptown Charlotte and runs out through the surrounding neighbourhoods and greenways. The Piedmont terrain rolls continuously without ever presenting a single defining climb, which makes it deceptively taxing over the marathon distance. It is run on a Saturday, which is worth planning travel around.

What is the weather usually like at the Charlotte Marathon?

Mid-November in Charlotte is usually cool and dry: starts in the 30s or 40s, finishes in the 50s. It is one of the more dependable weather dates in the Southeast.

Do I need an account to get a Charlotte 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.

Other races

All race training plans · Plan for a different race