Your plan in four answers
Gran Maratón Costa Rica is on November 22, 2026, under four weeks away, so we have set next year's race in November. Change the date below if you are running this one.
- Distances
- Marathon, 22K, 10K, 5K
- Sport
- Running
Course
The Gran Maratón Costa Rica course
All distances start and finish in La Sabana park, and the marathon starts from the Estadio Nacional on the internal road by the stables, finishing back inside the same gate, with the finish festival on the plaza in front of the Hilton. The marathon heads out along Avenida Las Américas and the Pavas boulevard onto the inner lanes of Circunvalación (Ruta 39), returns via the main road of Pavas and Avenida Las Américas to the León Cortés Castro monument, then runs the full length of Paseo Colón and Avenida 2 to a turnaround at San Pedro.
Read the full course notes
From there runners come back along Avenida 2, Paseo Colón and Las Américas to a turn at the stadium stables and repeat the Paseo Colón and Avenida 2 circuit to San Pedro a second time before the final run back to the stadium. The route is fully closed to traffic and passes some of San José's best-known streets. The other distances are 22 km, 10 km and 5 km, the organisers have not published an elevation profile, and every runner must wear white, a dress code tied to the road-closure permits.
- Distances
- Marathon, 22K, 10K, 5K
- Weather on race day
- San José sits at about 1,000 m, so a November morning is usually mild, around 18–22 °C, with highs near 27 °C later and humidity close to 80%. November is still part of the wet season, with rain on about half the days, so expect damp roads, drink early and often, and keep your effort honest once the sun climbs.
What to train for
The marathon repeats the Paseo Colón and Avenida 2 circuit, so train your focus for repetition: long runs on a familiar loop with the second lap at goal pace teach you to stay patient on the return to San Pedro.
Build to 32–35 km long runs and practise drinking in warm, humid air every 20–30 minutes.
Because the organisers publish no elevation profile, include some rolling routes and 6–8 × 90 seconds uphill once a week so any rises on the city streets feel routine.
Sample week
A sample Gran Maratón Costa Rica 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 × 1.5 km at 5K to 10K effort, easy jog between
- Wednesday
- Easy run, 10–11 km
- Thursday Key session
- Goal-pace run, 16 km with 10 km at race pace
- Friday
- Recovery run, 6 km, or cross-train
- Saturday Key session
- Long run, 26–29 km, the last 6 km at race pace
- Sunday
- Easy run, 6 km, then 6 relaxed strides
Taper
Tapering for the Gran Maratón Costa Rica
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.
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 Gran Maratón Costa Rica (Marathon) in November. I run [distance] a week, [days] days a week, easy pace [pace].
Gran Maratón Costa Rica training questions
How long should I train for the Gran Maratón Costa Rica?
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 Gran Maratón Costa Rica course hilly?
All distances start and finish in La Sabana park, and the marathon starts from the Estadio Nacional on the internal road by the stables, finishing back inside the same gate, with the finish festival on the plaza in front of the Hilton.
What is the weather usually like at the Gran Maratón Costa Rica?
San José sits at about 1,000 m, so a November morning is usually mild, around 18–22 °C, with highs near 27 °C later and humidity close to 80%. November is still part of the wet season, with rain on about half the days, so expect damp roads, drink early and often, and keep your effort honest once the sun climbs.
When should I start tapering for the Gran Maratón Costa Rica?
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.
Do I need an account to get a Gran Maratón Costa Rica 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.