Your plan in four answers
Set for April 4, 2027, about 23 weeks out.
- Distances
- 5K, 14K, Half marathon, Marathon
- Terrain
- Rolling
- Taper starts
- March 17, 2027
Course
The São Paulo Marathon course
The 31st edition starts and finishes on Avenida Pedro Álvares Cabral by the Obelisco do Ibirapuera, with the marathon and half going off in waves from 5:45. The marathon heads west along Avenida Juscelino Kubitschek, crosses into Butantã on Rua Alvarenga and later loops through the leafy Cidade Universitária campus of USP around km 30 to 34 before returning to Ibirapuera.
Read the full course notes
São Paulo sits at about 760 m, and the course rolls rather than climbs, with viaducts, underpasses and the campus roads giving most of the gradient. Expect wide asphalt avenues and cutoffs along the way, with the last one at the USP gate at km 33.8. The same Sunday also offers 21K, 14K and 7K races, and the Corrida das Nações 5K runs the day before at Campo de Marte.
- Terrain
- Rolling
- Distances
- 5K, 14K, Half marathon, Marathon
- Weather on race day
- Early April in São Paulo is usually mild at dawn, around 17–21 °C at the 5:45 start, rising into the mid-20s by late morning, with moderate humidity. Autumn has begun, so heavy rain is less likely than in summer, but the sun on the open avenues makes the last hour warmer: front-load your drinking and run the first half by effort, not by your watch.
What to train for
Rolling terrain at moderate altitude asks for strength as well as pace: include a weekly session of 6 to 10 short hills and run your long runs of 28 to 34 km on routes with gentle climbs.
Practise marathon pace on undulating ground by effort, letting the pace drift a few seconds on the rises and recovering on the descents.
Rehearse your 4:30 alarm and early breakfast at least twice, because the 5:45 start comes early.
Sample week
A sample São Paulo 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
Your build to race day
Taper
Tapering for the São Paulo 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. With the race on April 4, 2027, your taper starts around March 17, 2027.
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 Maratona Internacional de São Paulo (Marathon) on April 4, 2027. I run [distance] a week, [days] days a week, easy pace [pace].
São Paulo Marathon training questions
How long should I train for the São Paulo 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 São Paulo Marathon course hilly?
Rolling. The 31st edition starts and finishes on Avenida Pedro Álvares Cabral by the Obelisco do Ibirapuera, with the marathon and half going off in waves from 5:45.
What is the weather usually like at the São Paulo Marathon?
Early April in São Paulo is usually mild at dawn, around 17–21 °C at the 5:45 start, rising into the mid-20s by late morning, with moderate humidity. Autumn has begun, so heavy rain is less likely than in summer, but the sun on the open avenues makes the last hour warmer: front-load your drinking and run the first half by effort, not by your watch.
When should I start tapering for the São Paulo 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. With the race on April 4, 2027, your taper starts around March 17, 2027.
Do I need an account to get a São Paulo 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.