Your plan in four answers
Madison Marathon is on November 15, 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, Half marathon, 10K
- Terrain
- Rolling
Course
The Madison Marathon course
All three races start and finish on Capitol Square, starting at Mifflin Street and Wisconsin Avenue and finishing at Main Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
Read the full course notes
The official 2026 marathon route drops off the Square toward the lakes, loops south and west through the UW Arboretum and the near west side, then swings east along the Lake Monona shoreline and out to the east side before heading back downtown. The official Ride with GPS route shows about 740 feet of climbing: most of the race is lake-level running near 850 feet, broken by a few real climbs. The biggest is the long rise from about mile 7 to mile 9.5, topping out near 990 feet, with shorter pulls near miles 18.5 and 23 and a climb of about 55 feet up to the Square in the final half mile. The course is USATF certified and a Boston qualifier, and the finish stays open until 1:00 p.m. (about 13:44 per mile).
- Terrain
- Rolling
- Distances
- Marathon, Half marathon, 10K
- Weather on race day
- The organizers list average race-day conditions of about a 30 °F low and a 50 °F high under overcast skies, so the 7:00 a.m. start is often near freezing. Wind off the lakes can make it feel colder, so dress in layers you can shed (discarded clothing is donated to charity). Cold air keeps overheating away, but stick to a drinking schedule because thirst is easy to miss.
What to train for
Plan for the climb from about mile 7 to 9.5: put a sustained 2 to 3 mile uphill section into the middle of your long runs and hold steady effort on it, then practice relaxing back into pace on the flat.
Add 6 to 8 x 90 seconds uphill at 10K effort each week, and finish some long runs with a short, hard hill to rehearse the climb to the Square.
Build to 18 to 20 miles with the last 5 at goal pace, and do some long runs on cold mornings to dial in gloves, layers and how your gels handle the cold.
Sample week
A sample Madison 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 Madison 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
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 Madison Marathon in November. I run [distance] a week, [days] days a week, easy pace [pace].
Madison Marathon training questions
How long should I train for the Madison 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 Madison Marathon course hilly?
Rolling. All three races start and finish on Capitol Square, starting at Mifflin Street and Wisconsin Avenue and finishing at Main Street and Martin Luther King Jr.
What is the weather usually like at the Madison Marathon?
The organizers list average race-day conditions of about a 30 °F low and a 50 °F high under overcast skies, so the 7:00 a.m. start is often near freezing. Wind off the lakes can make it feel colder, so dress in layers you can shed (discarded clothing is donated to charity). Cold air keeps overheating away, but stick to a drinking schedule because thirst is easy to miss.
When should I start tapering for the Madison 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 Madison 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.