Your plan in four answers
Silver Comet Marathon is on October 31, 2026, under four weeks away, so we have set next year's race in October. Change the date below if you are running this one.
- Distances
- Marathon, Half marathon
- Terrain
- Flat
- Field
- Capped at 750 participants
Course
The Silver Comet Marathon course
Both races start and finish at the Silver Comet Trail head on Floyd Road SW in Mableton and run out and back entirely on the Silver Comet Trail, a paved rail-trail built on old railroad lines just outside Atlanta. The half turns between the Old Lost Mountain Road bridge and the Charles Harris overpass; the marathon carries on past Florence Road, crosses the county line into Paulding County and turns just past the Jenny Ewing memorial before retracing the same trail home.
Read the full course notes
The organizer calls it flat and fast, and the old rail grade keeps every rise gentle, so the test is rhythm rather than hills. There are no mile markers, so run by GPS and feel, with water stops about every 1.5 miles at trail crossings. The marathon starts at 7:00 a.m. before sunrise (headlamps are recommended), the half at 7:45, both must finish by 1:00 p.m., and race day falls on Halloween, with costumes encouraged.
- Terrain
- Flat
- Distances
- Marathon, Half marathon
- Field
- Capped at 750 participants
- Weather on race day
- Late October around Atlanta usually means a cool start, roughly 50–60 °F, warming toward an average high in the mid-70s, with rain on about seven days of the month. Marathoners still running after 11:00 a.m. meet the warmest part of the day, so drink early and ease your pace if it climbs past the mid-60s.
What to train for
A flat, uninterrupted trail rewards steady pacing, so make goal pace the core of your plan: 8 to 12 miles at marathon pace inside 18 to 20 mile long runs, or 6 to 9 miles at half marathon pace.
Train on a paved greenway without traffic stops and learn your effort without mile markers, checking your watch only every few miles.
The race asks you to carry your own nutrition, so run every long run with the gels (and bottle, if you like) you will use on the day. Practice the single turnaround and a strong return: finish long runs with the last 3 to 4 miles slightly quicker than goal pace.
Sample week
A sample Silver Comet 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 Silver Comet 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 is flat, so pacing decides the day: rehearse your goal pace in short segments during race 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 Silver Comet Half & Full Marathon in October. I run [distance] a week, [days] days a week, easy pace [pace].
Silver Comet Marathon training questions
How long should I train for the Silver Comet 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 Silver Comet Marathon course hilly?
Flat. Both races start and finish at the Silver Comet Trail head on Floyd Road SW in Mableton and run out and back entirely on the Silver Comet Trail, a paved rail-trail built on old railroad lines just outside Atlanta.
What is the weather usually like at the Silver Comet Marathon?
Late October around Atlanta usually means a cool start, roughly 50–60 °F, warming toward an average high in the mid-70s, with rain on about seven days of the month. Marathoners still running after 11:00 a.m. meet the warmest part of the day, so drink early and ease your pace if it climbs past the mid-60s.
When should I start tapering for the Silver Comet 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 is flat, so pacing decides the day: rehearse your goal pace in short segments during race week.
Do I need an account to get a Silver Comet 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.