Your plan in four answers
Set for December 20, 2026, about 8 weeks out.
- Distances
- Half marathon, Marathon
- Terrain
- Flat
- Field
- Capped at 4,500 runners: 2,200 in the marathon and 2,300 in the half
- Taper starts
- December 2, 2026
Course
The Pisa Marathon course
The 27th edition starts opposite Piazza Daniele Manin, steps from Piazza dei Miracoli, and finishes beneath the Leaning Tower. After the opening city kilometres the marathon crosses the San Rossore natural park and reaches the sea, then comes back along the Arno and its lungarni into the old town.
Read the full course notes
The route is measured to AIMS-World Athletics and FIDAL standards and is fast and flat, with nothing more than bridge approaches to break the rhythm. The half marathon, La Pisanina, follows the same course with a turnaround at the 13th kilometre. The time limit is 6 hours 30 minutes, with a cut-off of 4:35 at 30 km.
- Terrain
- Flat
- Distances
- Half marathon, Marathon
- Field
- Capped at 4,500 runners: 2,200 in the marathon and 2,300 in the half
- Weather on race day
- Pisa in late December is usually cool and damp: expect about 5–10 °C at the 9:00 start, rising toward 12 °C, with humidity near 80%. The stretch out to the coast can be breezy and rain is possible, so bring a throwaway layer and gloves you can tuck away once you warm up.
What to train for
A flat course in cool air is made for an even, relaxed pace from the first kilometre.
Build long runs to 32–35 km including 12–16 km at goal pace, and add progression runs that finish faster than they start, which is exactly what the run home along the Arno asks of you.
If there is a sea breeze, the park and coast section rewards running in a group, so practise tucking in behind training partners on your long runs. With a 20 December race date, schedule your last long run about three weeks out, before the holiday weeks get busy.
Sample week
A sample Pisa 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 Pisa 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. With the race on December 20, 2026, your taper starts around December 2, 2026.
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 di Pisa (Marathon) on December 20, 2026. I run [distance] a week, [days] days a week, easy pace [pace].
Pisa Marathon training questions
How long should I train for the Pisa 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 Pisa Marathon course hilly?
Flat. The 27th edition starts opposite Piazza Daniele Manin, steps from Piazza dei Miracoli, and finishes beneath the Leaning Tower.
What is the weather usually like at the Pisa Marathon?
Pisa in late December is usually cool and damp: expect about 5–10 °C at the 9:00 start, rising toward 12 °C, with humidity near 80%. The stretch out to the coast can be breezy and rain is possible, so bring a throwaway layer and gloves you can tuck away once you warm up.
When should I start tapering for the Pisa 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. With the race on December 20, 2026, your taper starts around December 2, 2026.
Do I need an account to get a Pisa 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.