Your plan in four answers
Maratón Medellín has not announced its next date, so we have estimated September. Change the date below once you know it.
- Distances
- Marathon, Half marathon, 10K, 5K
- Terrain
- Rolling
- Field
- More than 24,000 runners from over 40 countries in 2024
Course
The Maratón Medellín course
The race weekend opens with the 5K on Saturday from the Parque de los Pies Descalzos, and on Sunday the marathon starts at 5:00 a.m. from the Parque de las Luces on Av. San Juan, the half at 5:30 a.m. from Av.
Read the full course notes
Carabobo and the 10K at 8:30 a.m. from Parques del Río. Every distance finishes at the EPM building by the Parque de los Pies Descalzos. The marathon runs south through Medellín into Envigado and Sabaneta, turning in Sabaneta at km 28.5, then heads back north past La Aguacatala around km 35.7 to the finish. On the official route file the course sits between about 1,465 and 1,595 m: an early rise of about 50 m by km 4, rolling ground to km 20, then a steady climb of about 100 m to the Sabaneta turnaround and a long, gentle descent over the final 13 km. The marathon and half are certified by World Athletics and the marathon is a Boston qualifier; the time limits are 6 hours for the marathon, with cutoffs at Sabaneta (9:00 a.m.) and Aguacatala (10:00 a.m.), 3 hours for the half, 2 hours for the 10K and 1 hour 30 minutes for the 5K.
- Terrain
- Rolling
- Distances
- Marathon, Half marathon, 10K, 5K
- Field
- More than 24,000 runners from over 40 countries in 2024
- Weather on race day
- Medellín sits at about 1,500 m in an Andean valley, and early September mornings are usually mild at the 5:00 a.m. start, around 17–19 °C, warming to the high 20s by midday. Rain is common that month (around 16 rainy days) and humidity is moderate, so the first hours are pleasant, but slower marathoners should drink early because it heats up fast after 9:00 a.m.
What to train for
Altitude is the hidden challenge: at about 1,500 m, expect your usual sea-level pace to cost more effort, so set your goal by effort and plan to start a little more conservatively if you live near sea level.
The decisive section is the 8 km climb from about km 20 to the Sabaneta turnaround, so do long runs of 30–32 km that include a sustained gentle climb of 30–40 minutes in their second half, followed by downhill running at goal pace to rehearse the descent home.
Add a weekly session of 3 × 10 minutes at threshold on a slight incline. The 5:00 a.m. start means breakfast around 3:00 a.m., so practise that routine on a few long runs.
Sample week
A sample Maratón Medellín 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 Maratón Medellín
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 Maratón Medellín Sistecrédito (Marathon) in September. I run [distance] a week, [days] days a week, easy pace [pace].
Maratón Medellín training questions
How long should I train for the Maratón Medellín?
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 Maratón Medellín course hilly?
Rolling. The race weekend opens with the 5K on Saturday from the Parque de los Pies Descalzos, and on Sunday the marathon starts at 5:00 a.m. from the Parque de las Luces on Av.
What is the weather usually like at the Maratón Medellín?
Medellín sits at about 1,500 m in an Andean valley, and early September mornings are usually mild at the 5:00 a.m. start, around 17–19 °C, warming to the high 20s by midday. Rain is common that month (around 16 rainy days) and humidity is moderate, so the first hours are pleasant, but slower marathoners should drink early because it heats up fast after 9:00 a.m.
When should I start tapering for the Maratón Medellín?
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 Maratón Medellín 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.