Your plan in four answers
Jeepers Creepers Marathon 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
- Rolling
Course
The Jeepers Creepers Marathon course
All four races start and finish at Heritage Park on Newhall Ranch Road in Valencia, and the course runs on Santa Clarita's paved bike path network, so there is no car traffic to dodge. The half marathon is one 13.1-mile loop and the marathon runs it twice, while the 10K and 5K have their own routes.
Read the full course notes
The race's map shows a gentle, steady profile: the loop dips to its low point of about 1,070 feet around mile 3, then climbs gradually east to about 1,240 feet near mile 8.5 before easing back down to the park, roughly 280 feet of climbing per loop. The course is USATF certified and Boston qualifying, and the 7-hour marathon limit (plus a 6 a.m. early start you can request ahead of time) makes it walker friendly. Water stations are cupless with hands-free dispensers, so carry your own cup or bottle or buy a reusable one at check-in.
- Terrain
- Rolling
- Distances
- Marathon, Half marathon, 10K, 5K
- Weather on race day
- Mid-October in Santa Clarita is usually dry and sunny, with the 7 a.m. start around 50–60 °F and afternoon highs in the mid 70s. Marathoners on their second loop will feel it warming into the upper 60s and 70s, so drink early, wear sunscreen and be ready to ease off pace if a warm, windy day pushes temperatures higher.
What to train for
The defining stretch is miles 3 to 8.5 of each loop, a long, barely noticeable uphill of about 160 feet that rewards even effort over even pace.
Practice it with tempo runs on a slight incline, holding effort steady and accepting a pace 5 to 10 seconds per mile slower, then letting it come back on the gradual descent to the park.
Marathoners should rehearse the second loop: build long runs to 18 to 20 miles with the final 4 to 6 at goal pace, ideally on a route you repeat so familiar landmarks feel like progress. Train with the cup or handheld bottle you will race with, since the aid stations do not hand out cups.
Sample week
A sample Jeepers Creepers 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
Taper
Tapering for the Jeepers Creepers 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.
Also in Claude
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Build me a training plan for the Jeepers Creepers Marathon in October. I run [distance] a week, [days] days a week, easy pace [pace].
Jeepers Creepers Marathon training questions
How long should I train for the Jeepers Creepers 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 Jeepers Creepers Marathon course hilly?
Rolling. All four races start and finish at Heritage Park on Newhall Ranch Road in Valencia, and the course runs on Santa Clarita's paved bike path network, so there is no car traffic to dodge.
What is the weather usually like at the Jeepers Creepers Marathon?
Mid-October in Santa Clarita is usually dry and sunny, with the 7 a.m. start around 50–60 °F and afternoon highs in the mid 70s. Marathoners on their second loop will feel it warming into the upper 60s and 70s, so drink early, wear sunscreen and be ready to ease off pace if a warm, windy day pushes temperatures higher.
When should I start tapering for the Jeepers Creepers 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.
Do I need an account to get a Jeepers Creepers 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.