Your plan in four answers
Set for April 3, 2027, about 23 weeks out.
- Distances
- Marathon, Half marathon, 10K, 5K
- Terrain
- Rolling
- Taper starts
- March 16, 2027
Course
The St. Louis Marathon course
All races start downtown on Market Street by Aloe Plaza and Union Station, and the finish festival is outside CITYPARK, the city's soccer stadium. The early miles head east to the Mississippi riverfront on Leonor K.
Read the full course notes
Sullivan Boulevard, past the Eads Bridge and the Gateway Arch, then turn southwest through Soulard and Lafayette Square; half marathoners turn near 12th Street and head back north to the finish. Marathoners continue west on the Brickline Greenway past Saint Louis University and through The Grove into Forest Park, where miles 18 to 21 loop through the park before the run back east to CITYPARK. The course is rolling rather than flat: the riverfront around miles 3 to 5 is the low point, the climb back up through Soulard to about mile 8 is the longest rise at roughly 130 feet, and the second half of the marathon undulates gently between about 470 and 530 feet. The time limit is 6.5 hours for the marathon and 3 hours 15 minutes for the half.
- Terrain
- Rolling
- Distances
- Marathon, Half marathon, 10K, 5K
- Weather on race day
- Early April in St. Louis is usually cool at the 7:00 a.m. start, around 45–55 °F, with afternoon highs in the upper 60s. Spring showers and gusty winds are common, and both a chilly morning and an unusually warm one are possible, so bring a throwaway layer and ease off your goal pace if it climbs past 60 °F.
What to train for
The key stretch is miles 5 to 8, where the course climbs from the riverfront through Soulard.
Do long runs with a sustained climb in their first third, then settle back to goal pace on rolling ground, and add 6 to 8 x 90 seconds uphill at 10K effort once a week.
Marathoners face a long trip west to Forest Park in the second half, so build to 18 to 20 mile long runs with the last 4 to 6 miles at goal pace. Gel stations are on the half and marathon courses, but practice your own fueling every 30 to 40 minutes.
Sample week
A sample St. Louis 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 St. Louis 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 rolls, so keep one short session on undulating ground in the first taper week. With the race on April 3, 2027, your taper starts around March 16, 2027.
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Build me a training plan for the St. Louis Marathon on April 3, 2027. I run [distance] a week, [days] days a week, easy pace [pace].
St. Louis Marathon training questions
How long should I train for the St. Louis 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 St. Louis Marathon course hilly?
Rolling. All races start downtown on Market Street by Aloe Plaza and Union Station, and the finish festival is outside CITYPARK, the city's soccer stadium.
What is the weather usually like at the St. Louis Marathon?
Early April in St. Louis is usually cool at the 7:00 a.m. start, around 45–55 °F, with afternoon highs in the upper 60s. Spring showers and gusty winds are common, and both a chilly morning and an unusually warm one are possible, so bring a throwaway layer and ease off your goal pace if it climbs past 60 °F.
When should I start tapering for the St. Louis 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 rolls, so keep one short session on undulating ground in the first taper week. With the race on April 3, 2027, your taper starts around March 16, 2027.
Do I need an account to get a St. Louis 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.