Your plan in four answers
Richmond Marathon is on November 14, 2026, under four weeks away, so we have set next year's race in November. Change the date below if you are running this one.
- Distances
- 5 miles, Half marathon, Marathon
- Terrain
- Rolling
- Field
- Marathon capped at 7,200 runners; the marathon, half and 8K all sold out in 2025
Course
The Richmond Marathon course
The marathon starts at 7:00 AM at Broad and 1st Streets downtown and finishes on 5th Street just north of Tredegar Street, about three quarters of a mile away, with the party on Brown's Island. The route runs west through the VCU campus, down Monument Avenue and through the Fan, then drops to the James River and follows Riverside Drive along the water before heading east through Forest Hill.
Read the full course notes
It crosses the James back into the city, loops through VCU and the Fan again and passes Sports Backers Stadium with about two miles to go. Expect rolling roads with a handful of short, honest climbs, a big crowd of bands and party zones, and the famous downhill finish to the river. The course is USATF certified, a popular Boston qualifier, and stays open for 7 hours.
- Terrain
- Rolling
- Distances
- 5 miles, Half marathon, Marathon
- Field
- Marathon capped at 7,200 runners; the marathon, half and 8K all sold out in 2025
- Weather on race day
- Mid-November in Richmond usually means a start in the upper 30s to mid 40s °F, warming to the 50s by the finish, with low humidity. Those are excellent marathon conditions: dress for 15 to 20 degrees warmer than the start temperature and use a throwaway layer in the corral. Rain is possible on any given morning, and the race uses a colour-coded flag system at the start and every aid station to flag conditions.
What to train for
Richmond is a rolling course that rewards steady effort rather than steady pace, so practise running hills by feel in your long runs and letting the watch drift a few seconds per mile.
Include a weekly session of 6 to 8 x 2 minutes uphill at strong effort, plus a few miles at marathon pace on rolling roads late in your longest runs.
The downhill finish is a gift if your quads are ready: finish a couple of long runs with a relaxed half-mile descent. November racing means your peak weeks fall in late summer heat, so judge those sessions by effort.
Sample week
A sample Richmond 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 mile at 5K to 10K effort, easy jog between
- Wednesday
- Easy run, 6–7 mi
- Thursday Key session
- Goal-pace run, 10 mi with 6 mi at race pace
- Friday
- Recovery run, 4 mi, or cross-train
- Saturday Key session
- Long run, 16–18 mi, the last 4 mi at race pace
- Sunday
- Easy run, 4 mi, then 6 relaxed strides
Taper
Tapering for the Richmond 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.
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 Allianz Richmond Marathon in November. I run [distance] a week, [days] days a week, easy pace [pace].
Richmond Marathon training questions
How long should I train for the Richmond 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 Richmond Marathon course hilly?
Rolling. The marathon starts at 7:00 AM at Broad and 1st Streets downtown and finishes on 5th Street just north of Tredegar Street, about three quarters of a mile away, with the party on Brown's Island.
What is the weather usually like at the Richmond Marathon?
Mid-November in Richmond usually means a start in the upper 30s to mid 40s °F, warming to the 50s by the finish, with low humidity. Those are excellent marathon conditions: dress for 15 to 20 degrees warmer than the start temperature and use a throwaway layer in the corral. Rain is possible on any given morning, and the race uses a colour-coded flag system at the start and every aid station to flag conditions.
When should I start tapering for the Richmond 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.
Do I need an account to get a Richmond 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.