Your plan in four answers
Towpath Marathon has not announced its next date, so we have estimated October. Change the date below once you know it.
- Distances
- Marathon, Half marathon, 10K
- Terrain
- Rolling
Course
The Towpath Marathon course
The Towpath Marathon starts at Canal Basin Park, 989 West Street, on the east bank of the Flats in downtown Cleveland, and follows the Towpath Trail past Camp Cleveland and the Towpath Mounds with views of the Cuyahoga River Valley and the city skyline. The marathon, half marathon and 10K are paved, and only the marathon continues into Cuyahoga Valley National Park, where the surface changes to crushed limestone.
Read the full course notes
The organizers describe the first 3 and last 3 miles as hilly, including a very steep incline right at the start, while the rest is relatively flat. The marathon course is USATF certified as a Boston qualifier. Aid stations are staffed from 7:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., and full marathon walkers use an early start one hour before the official start.
- Terrain
- Rolling
- Distances
- Marathon, Half marathon, 10K
- Weather on race day
- Early October in Cleveland averages a high near 68 °F and a low near 54 °F, which is comfortable marathon weather for the 7:30 a.m. start. There is roughly a 30% chance of a wet day, and skies around the start of the month are clear or partly cloudy about 63% of the time. Winds average close to 10 mph, mostly from the south in the first days of October. Dress for the low 50s at the start, and keep a light layer handy in case rain arrives.
What to train for
Treat this as a flat marathon framed by hills: include rolling long runs so the climbs in the first and last 3 miles feel familiar, and practice running relaxed up a short, steep grade.
Hold back early, because the steep incline at the start can tempt you into spending energy you will want on the flat middle miles.
Do some long runs on crushed gravel or limestone paths so the national park section feels natural underfoot. Finish a few long runs with 2 to 3 miles at goal pace over gentle hills to rehearse the closing stretch back into the Flats.
Sample week
A sample Towpath 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 Towpath 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
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Add AthleteSpace to Claude once, then paste this prompt and put in your own numbers.
Build me a training plan for the The Towpath Marathon in October. I run [distance] a week, [days] days a week, easy pace [pace].
Towpath Marathon training questions
How long should I train for the Towpath 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 Towpath Marathon course hilly?
Rolling. The Towpath Marathon starts at Canal Basin Park, 989 West Street, on the east bank of the Flats in downtown Cleveland, and follows the Towpath Trail past Camp Cleveland and the Towpath Mounds with views of the Cuyahoga River Valley and the city skyline.
What is the weather usually like at the Towpath Marathon?
Early October in Cleveland averages a high near 68 °F and a low near 54 °F, which is comfortable marathon weather for the 7:30 a.m. start. There is roughly a 30% chance of a wet day, and skies around the start of the month are clear or partly cloudy about 63% of the time. Winds average close to 10 mph, mostly from the south in the first days of October. Dress for the low 50s at the start, and keep a light layer handy in case rain arrives.
When should I start tapering for the Towpath 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 Towpath 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.