Your plan in four answers
Freedom's Run has not announced its next date, so we have estimated October. Change the date below once you know it.
- Distances
- Marathon, Half marathon, 10K, 5K
- Terrain
- Hilly
Course
The Freedom's Run course
Every race finishes at Shepherd University's Ram Stadium in historic Shepherdstown, and the marathon starts on the Shepherd University campus. All courses cross the Potomac on the James Rumsey Bridge onto the C&O Canal towpath on the Maryland side.
Read the full course notes
The 5K (downriver) and 10K (upriver) are out-and-backs on the towpath with only about 125 feet of climbing. The half runs about 3 miles on the canal, climbs Millers Sawmill Road to Antietam National Battlefield and returns, with 915 feet of gain on a mix of road (6.7 miles), crushed gravel (4 miles) and grass (2.4 miles). The marathon follows the canal before a steady climb to Antietam, where it uses Branch Avenue, Rodman Avenue, Old Burnside Bridge Road and the Final Attack and Snavely Connector trails for more than 1,000 feet of gain; the hill off the canal is steep going up and coming back down.
- Terrain
- Hilly
- Distances
- Marathon, Half marathon, 10K, 5K
- Weather on race day
- October normals from NOAA (1991–2020) for nearby Martinsburg usually run from lows around 49 °F and highs around 72 °F early in the month to about 39 °F and 61 °F by the end, so dress for a cool towpath start. The grassy battlefield stretches can be slick after rain, so shoes with some grip are a smart choice.
What to train for
The climb from the canal up to Antietam decides this race, so do weekly hill work: 6 to 10 x 2 minutes uphill at half marathon effort, plus sustained 10 to 15 minute climbs inside your long runs.
Practice the steep descent too, with short, quick steps on downhill repeats, because your quads carry you back down to the towpath.
Run some long runs on gravel paths and grass to get used to the mixed surfaces, and settle into a steady effort on the flat canal rather than banking time. Marathoners should build to 18 to 20 mile long runs on hilly ground with the last few miles at goal effort.
Sample week
A sample Freedom's Run 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
- Hill repeats: 10 × 90 s up a steady grade, jog back down
- 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 on hilly ground, steady effort on the climbs
- Sunday
- Easy run, 4 mi, then 6 relaxed strides
Taper
Tapering for the Freedom's Run
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 hilly, so keep one short hill session in the first taper week to keep the climbs familiar.
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 Freedom's Run (Marathon) in October. I run [distance] a week, [days] days a week, easy pace [pace].
Freedom's Run training questions
How long should I train for the Freedom's Run?
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 Freedom's Run course hilly?
Hilly. Every race finishes at Shepherd University's Ram Stadium in historic Shepherdstown, and the marathon starts on the Shepherd University campus.
What is the weather usually like at the Freedom's Run?
October normals from NOAA (1991–2020) for nearby Martinsburg usually run from lows around 49 °F and highs around 72 °F early in the month to about 39 °F and 61 °F by the end, so dress for a cool towpath start. The grassy battlefield stretches can be slick after rain, so shoes with some grip are a smart choice.
When should I start tapering for the Freedom's Run?
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 hilly, so keep one short hill session in the first taper week to keep the climbs familiar.
Do I need an account to get a Freedom's Run 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.