Your plan in four answers
Set for February 14, 2027, about 16 weeks out.
- Distances
- Marathon, Half marathon, 6K, 5K
- Terrain
- Flat
- Taper starts
- January 27, 2027
Course
The A1A Marathon course
The marathon and half start downtown at 401 SW 2nd Street at 5:50 a.m., in the dark, and finish on the beach at 1100 Seabreeze Boulevard, with free shuttles between the two. The first miles head east along Las Olas Boulevard, where the bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway is the only real rise of the day, and then turn north onto State Road A1A beside the ocean.
Read the full course notes
Miles 5 to 7 loop through the shade of Hugh Taylor Birch State Park, and the rest of the race stays on A1A with open Atlantic views. The marathon runs two out-and-back laps to a northern turnaround and then heads straight south to the finish, while the half covers one. It is a flat, fast road course, with aid stations every 1 to 1.5 miles.
- Terrain
- Flat
- Distances
- Marathon, Half marathon, 6K, 5K
- Weather on race day
- Mid-February in Fort Lauderdale is usually mild and humid at the pre-dawn start, in the low to high 60s °F, warming toward the mid-70s °F later in the morning. The sun comes up over the ocean during the race and there is little shade on A1A, so start conservatively, drink at every station and wear sunscreen. An onshore breeze is common and can be a headwind on one direction of the A1A laps.
What to train for
A flat sea-level course in mild weather is a real chance to run fast, but humidity punishes an early surge: rehearse goal pace in your long runs and make the first 10 miles feel easy.
Build to two or three 18 to 20 mile long runs with 8 to 10 miles at goal pace, and run some of them early in the morning to practise the 5:50 a.m. start and pre-race fuelling.
Practise drinking every mile or so, because heat and humidity raise your fluid needs even at 65 °F. Most of your training falls in winter, so take tempo runs indoors if needed but get some warm-weather or overdressed runs in to adapt.
Sample week
A sample A1A 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 mile at 5K to 10K effort, easy jog between
- Wednesday
- Easy run, 6–7 mi
- Thursday Key session
- Goal-pace run, 10 mi with 6 mi at race pace
- Friday
- Recovery run, 4 mi, or cross-train
- Saturday Key session
- Long run, 16–18 mi, the last 4 mi at race pace
- Sunday
- Easy run, 4 mi, then 6 relaxed strides
Your build to race day
Taper
Tapering for the A1A 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 is flat, so pacing decides the day: rehearse your goal pace in short segments during race week. With the race on February 14, 2027, your taper starts around January 27, 2027.
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 Publix Fort Lauderdale A1A Marathon on February 14, 2027. I run [distance] a week, [days] days a week, easy pace [pace].
A1A Marathon training questions
How long should I train for the A1A 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 A1A Marathon course hilly?
Flat. The marathon and half start downtown at 401 SW 2nd Street at 5:50 a.m., in the dark, and finish on the beach at 1100 Seabreeze Boulevard, with free shuttles between the two.
What is the weather usually like at the A1A Marathon?
Mid-February in Fort Lauderdale is usually mild and humid at the pre-dawn start, in the low to high 60s °F, warming toward the mid-70s °F later in the morning. The sun comes up over the ocean during the race and there is little shade on A1A, so start conservatively, drink at every station and wear sunscreen. An onshore breeze is common and can be a headwind on one direction of the A1A laps.
When should I start tapering for the A1A 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 is flat, so pacing decides the day: rehearse your goal pace in short segments during race week. With the race on February 14, 2027, your taper starts around January 27, 2027.
Do I need an account to get a A1A 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.