Your plan in four answers
Set for June 13, 2027, about 33 weeks out.
- Distances
- Marathon, Half marathon, 10K
- Terrain
- Flat
- Taper starts
- May 26, 2027
Course
The Marathon de la Liberté course
The Marathon de la Liberté celebrates its 40th edition from 10 to 13 June 2027, with the marathon on Sunday 13 June. It starts at 9:10 in Courseulles-sur-Mer and finishes in central Caen, passing 17 historic towns, the Juno and Sword beaches, the Ouistreham casino and Pegasus Bridge, in homage to the D-Day landing sites.
Read the full course notes
The 42.195 km route has only 110 m of climbing. The Pegasus half marathon starts at 8:55 on Pegasus Bridge in Bénouville, the first bridge freed by British paratroopers in 1944, with 104 m of climbing through eight historic towns. The 10 km starts in Caen at 8:30 on a fully urban route with 26 m of climbing, and the finish area in Caen moves to a new site in 2027.
- Terrain
- Flat
- Distances
- Marathon, Half marathon, 10K
- Weather on race day
- June in Caen is mild: average highs are about 22 °C and lows about 12 °C. The month brings around 12 rainy days and roughly 70 mm of rain, so pack a light shell just in case. Sunshine totals about 215 hours in June, and a morning start on the coast is usually cool and comfortable. Drink at every station in the second half, when the day warms up.
What to train for
This is a flat point-to-point course, so the marathon rewards even pacing: build long runs to 30 to 32 km and practise holding goal pace through the final third.
The time limit is 5 hours 30 minutes, with checkpoints such as 10 km in under 1:20 and 30 km in under 3:56, which suits steady first-time marathoners.
Aid stations come every 5 km with water, bananas, oranges and sugar, plus dried apricots and salted crackers from km 21, so test similar foods on your long runs. The half has a 2:45 limit and the 10 km a 1:30 limit, which leaves a comfortable margin for every level.
Sample week
A sample Marathon de la Liberté 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 Marathon de la Liberté
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. With the race on June 13, 2027, your taper starts around May 26, 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 Marathon de la Liberté on June 13, 2027. I run [distance] a week, [days] days a week, easy pace [pace].
Marathon de la Liberté training questions
How long should I train for the Marathon de la Liberté?
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 Marathon de la Liberté course hilly?
Flat. The Marathon de la Liberté celebrates its 40th edition from 10 to 13 June 2027, with the marathon on Sunday 13 June.
What is the weather usually like at the Marathon de la Liberté?
June in Caen is mild: average highs are about 22 °C and lows about 12 °C. The month brings around 12 rainy days and roughly 70 mm of rain, so pack a light shell just in case. Sunshine totals about 215 hours in June, and a morning start on the coast is usually cool and comfortable. Drink at every station in the second half, when the day warms up.
When should I start tapering for the Marathon de la Liberté?
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. With the race on June 13, 2027, your taper starts around May 26, 2027.
Do I need an account to get a Marathon de la Liberté 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.