Your plan in four answers
Set for January 17, 2027, about 12 weeks out.
- Distances
- Half marathon, 5K
- Terrain
- Rolling
- Field
- Sells out every year (all distances sold out by early December in 2023, 2024 and 2025)
- Taper starts
- January 5, 2027
Course
The Rose Bowl Half course
Both races start at 7 a.m. just outside the Rose Bowl and finish on the 50-yard line inside the stadium. The half marathon climbs out of the Arroyo Seco into Pasadena's historic residential neighborhoods, tours Old Town Pasadena and passes Caltech before heading back.
Read the full course notes
You recross the arroyo on the Colorado Street Bridge, with a clear view of the stadium, then descend for a final 5K loop through Brookside Golf Course. Runners' GPS data usually shows about 600 feet of total climbing, front-loaded, so the last miles are the kindest part of the course. The 5K stays on the flat loop around Brookside Golf Course.
- Terrain
- Rolling
- Distances
- Half marathon, 5K
- Field
- Sells out every year (all distances sold out by early December in 2023, 2024 and 2025)
- Weather on race day
- January mornings in Pasadena usually start around 45–52 °F under clear skies, warming toward the 60s by the time slower half marathoners finish. Dry air means you lose fluid without noticing, so use the aid stations at miles 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9 and 11. Rain is uncommon but possible in a wet winter.
What to train for
The climbing comes early, so practice running the first 4 miles on effort, not pace, and banking nothing on the uphill.
Put hill repeats of 60 to 90 seconds into your week and finish long runs with 2 to 3 miles of steady downhill or flat at goal pace to mirror the descent and Brookside loop.
A 1:30 to 3:00 pace team runs on race day, so rehearse goal pace on rolling routes rather than the track.
Sample week
A sample Rose Bowl 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 Rose Bowl 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 January 17, 2027, your taper starts around January 5, 2027.
Also in Claude
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Build me a training plan for the Rose Bowl Half Marathon & 5K on January 17, 2027. I run [distance] a week, [days] days a week, easy pace [pace].
Rose Bowl Half training questions
How long should I train for the Rose Bowl 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 Rose Bowl Half course hilly?
Rolling. Both races start at 7 a.m. just outside the Rose Bowl and finish on the 50-yard line inside the stadium.
What is the weather usually like at the Rose Bowl Half?
January mornings in Pasadena usually start around 45–52 °F under clear skies, warming toward the 60s by the time slower half marathoners finish. Dry air means you lose fluid without noticing, so use the aid stations at miles 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9 and 11. Rain is uncommon but possible in a wet winter.
When should I start tapering for the Rose Bowl 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 January 17, 2027, your taper starts around January 5, 2027.
Do I need an account to get a Rose Bowl 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.