Your plan in four answers
Set for August 29, 2027, about 44 weeks out.
- Distances
- Half marathon, 10K, 5K
- Terrain
- Hilly
- Taper starts
- August 17, 2027
Course
The Leeds Running Festival course
The festival is based in Roundhay Park in north Leeds (Mansion Lane, LS8 2HH), one of the largest city parks in Europe, with the half marathon starting at 9:00 and the 10K and 5K together at 10:00. The route follows the park's own footpaths on a mix of tarmac and trail, taking in lakeside paths, woodland and open parkland.
Read the full course notes
Roundhay is a hilly park: the published route files show about 264 m of climbing on the half marathon, 125 m on the 10K and 61 m on the 5K. Every kilometre is marked with a distance flag, and there is water at the 5K point as well as at the finish. The mixed surfaces and the climbing make this a strength course more than a PB course, and a very satisfying one to finish strongly.
- Terrain
- Hilly
- Distances
- Half marathon, 10K, 5K
- Weather on race day
- Late August in Leeds is usually mild: around 13–17 °C at the morning starts, with highs near 19–20 °C on Met Office averages for West Yorkshire. Showers are common at this time of year, which can make the trail sections slippery, while a sunny morning warms up quickly in the sheltered parts of the park. Carry fluid or plan your drinks around the water point, and choose shoes with some grip.
What to train for
With about 12 m of climbing per kilometre on the half, strength on hills matters more than flat speed.
Run a weekly hill session of 8 to 10 x 60 to 90 seconds uphill at 10K effort, and do at least every other long run on hilly, mixed terrain, building to 18 to 20 km.
Practise running short trail descents with quick, light steps so you can relax and recover on the way down. Pace by effort, not by watch: aim to run the second half at the same effort as the first, not the same splits.
Sample week
A sample Leeds Running Festival 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: 8 × 90 s up a steady grade, jog back down
- Wednesday
- Easy run, 8–10 km
- Thursday Key session
- Goal-pace run, 11 km with 6 km at race pace
- Friday
- Recovery run, 6 km, or cross-train
- Saturday Key session
- Long run, 16–19 km on hilly ground, steady effort on the climbs
- Sunday
- Easy run, 6 km, then 6 relaxed strides
Your build to race day
Taper
Tapering for the Leeds Running Festival
Start the taper ten to fourteen days 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. With the race on August 29, 2027, your taper starts around August 17, 2027.
Also in Claude
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Add AthleteSpace to Claude once, then paste this prompt and put in your own numbers.
Build me a training plan for the Leeds Running Festival (Half marathon) on August 29, 2027. I run [distance] a week, [days] days a week, easy pace [pace].
Leeds Running Festival training questions
How long should I train for the Leeds Running Festival?
Most runners give a half marathon twelve to sixteen 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 Leeds Running Festival course hilly?
Hilly. The festival is based in Roundhay Park in north Leeds (Mansion Lane, LS8 2HH), one of the largest city parks in Europe, with the half marathon starting at 9:00 and the 10K and 5K together at 10:00.
What is the weather usually like at the Leeds Running Festival?
Late August in Leeds is usually mild: around 13–17 °C at the morning starts, with highs near 19–20 °C on Met Office averages for West Yorkshire. Showers are common at this time of year, which can make the trail sections slippery, while a sunny morning warms up quickly in the sheltered parts of the park. Carry fluid or plan your drinks around the water point, and choose shoes with some grip.
When should I start tapering for the Leeds Running Festival?
Start the taper ten to fourteen days 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. With the race on August 29, 2027, your taper starts around August 17, 2027.
Do I need an account to get a Leeds Running Festival 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.