Your plan in four answers
7 Bridges Marathon has not announced its next date, so we have estimated October. Change the date below once you know it.
- Distances
- 5K, Half marathon, Marathon
- Terrain
- Rolling
Course
The 7 Bridges Marathon course
Named for the Tennessee River crossings it strings together, and starting at Coolidge Park in Chattanooga. The marathon crosses all seven bridges, four of them downtown and three on the North Chick Greenway; the half takes in the four downtown crossings.
Read the full course notes
The surface is largely greenway, the scenery is the best argument for the race, and the profile is gently rolling with the bridge approaches supplying most of the climbing.
- Terrain
- Rolling
- Distances
- 5K, Half marathon, Marathon
- Weather on race day
- Late October in Chattanooga usually means a cool start in the 40s and a comfortable high in the 60s. It is one of the more reliably pleasant race mornings on the Southeast calendar.
What to train for
Steady aerobic volume and comfort on greenway surfaces.
With no serious climbs to break up the effort, the trap here is going out at a pace the flat opening miles make feel free.
Practise goal-pace long runs with the last third run honestly, and rehearse your own fuelling: aid on smaller courses is thinner than at a major.
Sample week
A sample 7 Bridges 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 7 Bridges 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.
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Build me a training plan for the 7 Bridges Marathon in October. I run [distance] a week, [days] days a week, easy pace [pace].
7 Bridges Marathon training questions
How long should I train for the 7 Bridges 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 7 Bridges Marathon course hilly?
Rolling. Named for the Tennessee River crossings it strings together, and starting at Coolidge Park in Chattanooga.
What is the weather usually like at the 7 Bridges Marathon?
Late October in Chattanooga usually means a cool start in the 40s and a comfortable high in the 60s. It is one of the more reliably pleasant race mornings on the Southeast calendar.
When should I start tapering for the 7 Bridges 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 7 Bridges 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.