Your plan in four answers
Set for March 21, 2027, about 21 weeks out.
- Distances
- Half marathon
- Terrain
- Rolling
- Field
- More than 2,000 runners (2026)
- Taper starts
- March 9, 2027
Course
The New Bedford Half course
The 50th edition starts and finishes on Pleasant Street in front of City Hall in downtown New Bedford, with an 11 a.m. start. It is a single 13.1-mile loop through the North and South Ends, with views of the harbor, the waterfront and Clarks Cove as it rounds the South End peninsula on Rodney French Boulevard.
Read the full course notes
Runners who know it describe early climbs around miles 2 to 4, a gradual downhill from about mile 4 to mile 7, an exposed waterfront stretch from roughly mile 7 to 11 and a long, gentle climb near mile 12 before a flat to downhill finish. Aid stations sit at miles 1.5, 3.2, 5.0, 8.3, 10.5 and 12.4, and the course closes after 3 hours, with a cutoff of 100 minutes at mile 7.
- Terrain
- Rolling
- Distances
- Half marathon
- Field
- More than 2,000 runners (2026)
- Weather on race day
- Late March on the south coast of Massachusetts is usually cold and raw: temperatures around the 11 a.m. start are typically 35–45 °F, and wind off Buzzards Bay is the race's famous variable, strongest on the waterfront miles. Rain or even snow flurries are possible, so bring layers, gloves and a throwaway top, and be ready to adjust your pace into a headwind.
What to train for
This is a spring half trained through a New England winter, so consistency beats perfect sessions: hold a weekly long run of 10 to 12 miles and move tempo work to a treadmill when the roads are icy.
Practice hills twice a month, including a long, gradual climb late in a run to prepare for mile 12.
Run some long efforts into the wind and learn to share the work in a group along the waterfront rather than chasing pace alone. Rehearse the 11 a.m. start by eating breakfast about 3 hours before a few long runs.
Sample week
A sample New Bedford Half 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, 5–6 mi
- Thursday Key session
- Goal-pace run, 7 mi with 4 mi at race pace
- Friday
- Recovery run, 4 mi, or cross-train
- Saturday Key session
- Long run, 10–12 mi easy
- Sunday
- Easy run, 4 mi, then 6 relaxed strides
Your build to race day
Taper
Tapering for the New Bedford Half
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. The course rolls, so keep one short session on undulating ground in the first taper week. With the race on March 21, 2027, your taper starts around March 9, 2027.
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Build me a training plan for the New Bedford Half Marathon on March 21, 2027. I run [distance] a week, [days] days a week, easy pace [pace].
New Bedford Half training questions
How long should I train for the New Bedford Half?
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 New Bedford Half course hilly?
Rolling. The 50th edition starts and finishes on Pleasant Street in front of City Hall in downtown New Bedford, with an 11 a.m. start.
What is the weather usually like at the New Bedford Half?
Late March on the south coast of Massachusetts is usually cold and raw: temperatures around the 11 a.m. start are typically 35–45 °F, and wind off Buzzards Bay is the race's famous variable, strongest on the waterfront miles. Rain or even snow flurries are possible, so bring layers, gloves and a throwaway top, and be ready to adjust your pace into a headwind.
When should I start tapering for the New Bedford Half?
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. The course rolls, so keep one short session on undulating ground in the first taper week. With the race on March 21, 2027, your taper starts around March 9, 2027.
Do I need an account to get a New Bedford Half 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.