Your plan in four answers
Peace Race has not announced its next date, so we have estimated October. Change the date below once you know it.
- Distances
- 25K, 10K
- Sport
- Running
Course
The Peace Race course
Jack Cessna founded the race in 1975 as the International Peace Race to promote peace, unity and understanding through running, and it now offers a 25K, a 10K (run as an 11K in 2026 because of park construction), a 2-mile run/walk and a kids run. The 25K starts at 8:30 a.m. near the square in downtown Youngstown, loops downtown, runs through Mill Creek Park (the city's "Green Cathedral") with a loop around Lake Newport, and returns downtown.
Read the full course notes
The shorter race is a fast point-to-point from Wick Recreation Area through Mill Creek Park to Federal Plaza, with shuttles from the downtown YMCA between 7:30 and 9:00 a.m. Every race finishes at the monument at Federal Plaza and Wick Avenue, coming down West Federal Street, and the courses are USATF certified.
- Distances
- 25K, 10K
- Weather on race day
- Mid-October in Youngstown typically brings highs around 62 °F and lows near 44 °F, so the 8:30 a.m. start is usually cool and comfortable for running. There is roughly a 27% chance of rain on any given day, and skies are mostly cloudy a little under half the time. Winds are usually light, averaging under 5 mph, mostly from the west. Bring a throwaway layer for the start and you will warm up nicely through Mill Creek Park.
What to train for
The 25K is 15.5 miles, a distance that rewards patience, so build your long run to 14 to 16 miles and practice settling into a steady rhythm in the first half.
Add a weekly tempo of 4 to 6 miles at about half marathon effort so the final miles back downtown feel strong.
For the point-to-point race, practice running fast from the first mile, since there is no loop to ease into it. Because the race is in mid-October, a few runs on cool mornings will help you dial in what to wear at the start.
Sample week
A sample Peace Race 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
Taper
Tapering for the Peace Race
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.
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 Youngstown Peace Race (25K) in October. I run [distance] a week, [days] days a week, easy pace [pace].
Peace Race training questions
How long should I train for the Peace Race?
Most runners give a 25k 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 Peace Race course hilly?
Jack Cessna founded the race in 1975 as the International Peace Race to promote peace, unity and understanding through running, and it now offers a 25K, a 10K (run as an 11K in 2026 because of park construction), a 2-mile run/walk and a kids run.
What is the weather usually like at the Peace Race?
Mid-October in Youngstown typically brings highs around 62 °F and lows near 44 °F, so the 8:30 a.m. start is usually cool and comfortable for running. There is roughly a 27% chance of rain on any given day, and skies are mostly cloudy a little under half the time. Winds are usually light, averaging under 5 mph, mostly from the west. Bring a throwaway layer for the start and you will warm up nicely through Mill Creek Park.
When should I start tapering for the Peace Race?
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.
Do I need an account to get a Peace Race 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.