New York, NY · November

New York City Marathon Training Plan

A free marathon plan for the TCS New York City Marathon, built around the course and your current fitness. Answer four questions and you will see every week of it. No account, no email, no card.

Distances
Marathon
Course
Rolling
Usually held
Each November

The New York City Marathon course

All five boroughs, starting on the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge and finishing in Central Park. The bridges are the hills, and the Queensboro at mile 15 is silent and uphill. Fifth Avenue and the Central Park rollers make the last five miles the hardest part of the course.

Weather on race day

Early November in New York is usually good racing weather, cool and often windy. The bridge start can be genuinely cold during the long wait.

What to train for

Train for a course that keeps taking away recovery. Practice long runs that finish uphill, and hold back through Brooklyn: the race is decided after mile 20, in Manhattan.

Registration and official details: New York City Marathon official site

New York City Marathon training questions

How long should I train for the New York City 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 New York City Marathon course hilly?

Rolling. All five boroughs, starting on the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge and finishing in Central Park. The bridges are the hills, and the Queensboro at mile 15 is silent and uphill. Fifth Avenue and the Central Park rollers make the last five miles the hardest part of the course.

What is the weather usually like at the New York City Marathon?

Early November in New York is usually good racing weather, cool and often windy. The bridge start can be genuinely cold during the long wait.

Do I need an account to get a New York City 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.

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