Your plan in four answers
Longford Marathon has not announced its next date, so we have estimated August. Change the date below once you know it.
- Distances
- Marathon, Half marathon, 5K, 63K
- Terrain
- Flat
Course
The Longford Marathon course
Every race starts and finishes on Main Street in Longford town, outside the Longford Arms Hotel. The half marathon is a flat single lap: a mile around the town, a couple of miles out on the N5 Strokestown Road, then quiet rural roads past houses and farmyards before returning via Battery Road.
Read the full course notes
The marathon and the 63.4 km ultra head further into the Longford countryside, and the marathon relay stages pass through Tarmonbarry and Rooskey on the River Shannon and through Newtownforbes before finishing back in Longford. The course is marked at every mile, with drinks roughly every 3 miles and energy drinks in the later stages. The ultra and marathon walkers start at 7:00 am, the marathon and half at 9:00 am, and the Streets of Longford 5K a few minutes later.
- Terrain
- Flat
- Distances
- Marathon, Half marathon, 5K, 63K
- Weather on race day
- Late August in the Irish midlands is usually mild: start temperatures around 12–16 °C, with afternoon highs near 19 °C. Rain is common at this time of year and a breeze across open country roads is likely, so pack a light rain layer for the start and keep drinking at every station even on a cool, damp morning.
What to train for
This is a flat rural road course, so it rewards steady pacing and the ability to run strongly through quiet stretches with few spectators.
Build your long runs on country roads to 32–35 km for the marathon (18–20 km for the half), with the last 8 km at goal pace, and practise taking your own gels between the drink stations every 3 miles.
Add a weekly session of 3 x 3 km between marathon and half-marathon pace. Ultra runners should add back-to-back weekend long runs and practise planned walk breaks, since 63.4 km means several extra hours on your feet.
Sample week
A sample Longford 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
Taper
Tapering for the Longford 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 is flat, so pacing decides the day: rehearse your goal pace in short segments during race week.
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Build me a training plan for the Abbott Longford Marathon in August. I run [distance] a week, [days] days a week, easy pace [pace].
Longford Marathon training questions
How long should I train for the Longford 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 Longford Marathon course hilly?
Flat. Every race starts and finishes on Main Street in Longford town, outside the Longford Arms Hotel.
What is the weather usually like at the Longford Marathon?
Late August in the Irish midlands is usually mild: start temperatures around 12–16 °C, with afternoon highs near 19 °C. Rain is common at this time of year and a breeze across open country roads is likely, so pack a light rain layer for the start and keep drinking at every station even on a cool, damp morning.
When should I start tapering for the Longford 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 is flat, so pacing decides the day: rehearse your goal pace in short segments during race week.
Do I need an account to get a Longford 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.