Chattanooga, TN · October
7 Bridges Marathon Training Plan
A free 5k, half marathon, and marathon plan for the 7 Bridges 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
- 5K, Half marathon, Marathon
- Course
- Rolling
- Usually held
- Each October
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. 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.
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 failure mode 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.
Registration and official details: 7 Bridges Marathon official site
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. 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. 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.
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.
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.
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