Your plan in four answers
Set for October 10, 2027, about 50 weeks out.
- Distances
- Marathon, Half marathon, 11K, 5K
- Sport
- Running
- Taper starts
- September 22, 2027
Course
The Graz Marathon course
All the Sunday races start and finish in front of the Graz Opera, and the AIMS-measured course is a sightseeing tour of the Styrian capital and its old town. The half marathon runs one lap and the marathon two, so marathoners pass Keplerstraße at about km 10 and again at km 31, and Radetzkystraße at about km 22 on the second lap.
Read the full course notes
Marathon, half and the relay marathon set off together from 10:00 in four pace blocks, after the 10.5 km Viertelmarathon at 9:30, which since 2026 runs through the north of Graz to its own finish on Freiheitsplatz. The organisers publish the elevation on Garmin Connect rather than on the page, and it is a fast course: John Maina Ndirangu won 2026 in 2:11:35. Finish closes at 14:00 for the half and 16:00 for the marathon, and the Saturday City Run 5.0 is two 2.5 km laps of the Stadtpark.
- Distances
- Marathon, Half marathon, 11K, 5K
- Weather on race day
- Mid-October in Graz is usually cool and settled: normals run about 7–15 °C, so expect roughly 10–14 °C during the race after a 10:00 start, with around 7 rainy days in the month. The 2026 edition was run in bright sunshine; dress for a cool start and pace by effort if it turns mild.
What to train for
On a two-lap marathon the second visit to the same streets is where pacing slips, so do long runs of 28 to 32 km on a loop you repeat, with the second half at goal marathon pace.
Personal bottles can be placed at km 10, 22 and 31 (marathon only) and gels are handed out only at km 35, so practise carrying or timing your own fuel every 30 to 40 minutes.
Add one weekly session of 3 x 5 km at marathon pace with short recoveries, and include a few city runs with corners and tram tracks to get used to holding rhythm through turns.
Sample week
A sample Graz 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 × 1.5 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
Your build to race day
Taper
Tapering for the Graz 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. With the race on October 10, 2027, your taper starts around September 22, 2027.
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 Kleine Zeitung Graz Marathon on October 10, 2027. I run [distance] a week, [days] days a week, easy pace [pace].
Graz Marathon training questions
How long should I train for the Graz 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 Graz Marathon course hilly?
All the Sunday races start and finish in front of the Graz Opera, and the AIMS-measured course is a sightseeing tour of the Styrian capital and its old town.
What is the weather usually like at the Graz Marathon?
Mid-October in Graz is usually cool and settled: normals run about 7–15 °C, so expect roughly 10–14 °C during the race after a 10:00 start, with around 7 rainy days in the month. The 2026 edition was run in bright sunshine; dress for a cool start and pace by effort if it turns mild.
When should I start tapering for the Graz 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. With the race on October 10, 2027, your taper starts around September 22, 2027.
Do I need an account to get a Graz 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.