Your plan in four answers
City of Colleges Half has not announced its next date, so we have estimated October. Change the date below once you know it.
- Distances
- Half marathon, 10K, 5K
- Terrain
- Rolling
Course
The City of Colleges Half course
New for 2026, every race starts on L.A. Niven Drive by Wingo Hall on the University of Central Arkansas campus and finishes in the faculty parking lot nearby, in a city known for its three colleges.
Read the full course notes
The half starts at 7:00 a.m., the 10K at 7:15 and the 5K at 7:20, and the half winds through Conway's neighborhoods and out onto quieter backroads before returning to campus. The organizers put the climbing at under 465 feet for the half, under 115 feet for the 10K and under 70 feet for the 5K. On the half route file the main rise comes between miles 4 and 5, about 90 feet up to the high point of the course, which you hold until a descent around mile 8, with gentle rolling the rest of the way. Aid stations carry water and electrolyte drink, with gels at selected stops, and the half has a 4-hour limit (18:19 per mile).
- Terrain
- Rolling
- Distances
- Half marathon, 10K, 5K
- Weather on race day
- Late October in central Arkansas usually means a cool 7:00 a.m. start in the high 40s to mid 50s °F, warming toward the low 70s by midday. Fall mornings are often dry and pleasant, but it can turn warm and humid, so drink at every station if the sun comes out after mile 8.
What to train for
The key test is the climb between miles 4 and 5 and the higher ground that follows, so add a weekly hill session of 6 to 8 x 90 seconds uphill at 10K effort and long runs with a sustained climb a third of the way in.
Practice settling back to goal pace on the plateau rather than surging, then use the descent near mile 8 to roll into the final miles.
Build to 10 to 12 mile long runs on rolling roads with the last 2 to 3 miles at goal pace. For 10K runners, tempo runs of 3 to 4 miles at threshold on mostly flat streets match their gentler course.
Sample week
A sample City of Colleges 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
Taper
Tapering for the City of Colleges 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 rolls, so keep one short session on undulating ground in the first taper week.
Also in Claude
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Add AthleteSpace to Claude once, then paste this prompt and put in your own numbers.
Build me a training plan for the City of Colleges Half Marathon in October. I run [distance] a week, [days] days a week, easy pace [pace].
City of Colleges Half training questions
How long should I train for the City of Colleges 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 City of Colleges Half course hilly?
Rolling. New for 2026, every race starts on L.A.
What is the weather usually like at the City of Colleges Half?
Late October in central Arkansas usually means a cool 7:00 a.m. start in the high 40s to mid 50s °F, warming toward the low 70s by midday. Fall mornings are often dry and pleasant, but it can turn warm and humid, so drink at every station if the sun comes out after mile 8.
When should I start tapering for the City of Colleges 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 rolls, so keep one short session on undulating ground in the first taper week.
Do I need an account to get a City of Colleges 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.