Your plan in four answers
21K Tarahumara has not announced its next date, so we have estimated February. Change the date below once you know it.
- Distances
- Half marathon, 5K
- Sport
- Running
Course
The 21K Tarahumara course
The 21K Tarahumara in Monterrey is a charity race for the Fundación Tarahumara José A. Llaguno, which has worked for 33 years with young Indigenous people of the Sierra Tarahumara, and runners race for the education of Rarámuri children and teenagers.
Read the full course notes
The race offers 21 km and 5 km, based at Parque Fundidora. The half starts in the park and follows Monterrey's Vía Deportiva, a route the organizers call demanding and scenic. In 2026 the race was on February 22, with the 21 km at 7:00 am and the 5 km at 8:30 am. The 2027 date has not been announced yet.
- Distances
- Half marathon, 5K
- Weather on race day
- Ten years of late February weather data for Monterrey show average highs near 24 °C and lows near 11 °C, with about 13 °C at 8 am. Rain is uncommon in this window (about one day in eleven), so expect a cool start that warms up quickly under the sun. Dress for 15 to 18 °C running, carry a cap and drink at the aid stations in the second half.
What to train for
Treat this as a half that rewards strength as well as speed, since the organizers describe the course as demanding: add a weekly session of hill repeats (6 to 10 x 60 to 90 seconds uphill) alongside your tempo run.
Build to a long run of 18 to 20 km, with the last few kilometres at goal pace.
With a February race, your build starts in late autumn, a good time for consistent mileage in Monterrey's mild winter. Practise your 7:00 am race routine a few times, including breakfast two to three hours before.
Sample week
A sample 21K Tarahumara 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 km at 5K to 10K effort, easy jog between
- Wednesday
- Easy run, 8–10 km
- Thursday Key session
- Goal-pace run, 11 km with 6 km at race pace
- Friday
- Recovery run, 6 km, or cross-train
- Saturday Key session
- Long run, 16–19 km easy
- Sunday
- Easy run, 6 km, then 6 relaxed strides
Taper
Tapering for the 21K Tarahumara
Start the taper ten to fourteen days 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.
Also in Claude
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Build me a training plan for the 21K Tarahumara Monterrey (Half marathon) in February. I run [distance] a week, [days] days a week, easy pace [pace].
21K Tarahumara training questions
How long should I train for the 21K Tarahumara?
Most runners give a half marathon twelve to sixteen 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 21K Tarahumara course hilly?
The 21K Tarahumara in Monterrey is a charity race for the Fundación Tarahumara José A.
What is the weather usually like at the 21K Tarahumara?
Ten years of late February weather data for Monterrey show average highs near 24 °C and lows near 11 °C, with about 13 °C at 8 am. Rain is uncommon in this window (about one day in eleven), so expect a cool start that warms up quickly under the sun. Dress for 15 to 18 °C running, carry a cap and drink at the aid stations in the second half.
When should I start tapering for the 21K Tarahumara?
Start the taper ten to fourteen days 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.
Do I need an account to get a 21K Tarahumara 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.