Settle
Weeks 1–2
Feb 22, 2027–Mar 7, 2027
Hold close to your current volume, establish the weekly rhythm, and make sure the opening load is honest.
12-Week Windermere Marathon Training Plan
Spokane, WAMay 16, 2027
Start around February 21, 2027. The calendar below gives each phase a real date, then the course guidance shows where to make the build specific to Windermere Marathon.
The Windermere Marathon finishes in downtown Spokane beneath the Clocktower, at the end of a point to point course that drops about 250 feet net along the Spokane River. In 2026, 223 runners finished it and 9% of them ran a Boston qualifying time. This is a small, quiet race that happens to be quick.
- Race day
- May 16, 2027
- Start window
- February 21, 2027
- Runway
- 12 weeks
- Course
- Mostly Flat · Point to Point
- Plan choice
- Current training
Does this window fit your starting point?
Use this window when your recent training is steady and the opening week will not be a mileage jump. If you are returning after a long break, twelve weeks is too little room to rebuild and peak at the same time.
- Your weekly mileage has been consistent for the last six to eight weeks.
- You have completed recent long runs and do not need to rebuild from three easy miles.
- You can protect the same number of run days from week one through race week.
- You are prepared to begin race-specific work early instead of using a long base phase.
The 12-week Windermere Marathon calendar
These dates define the job of each phase. Your current mileage, recent longest run, experience, goal, and available days still decide the actual workouts inside them.
Build
Weeks 3–7
Mar 8, 2027–Apr 11, 2027
Grow the long run and weekly work with step-back weeks intact. There is no room to repay missed mileage.
Peak
Weeks 8–10
Apr 12, 2027–May 2, 2027
Complete the most race-specific long runs, rehearse fueling, and practice the terrain that will decide the final 10K.
Taper
Weeks 11–12
May 3, 2027–May 16, 2027
Reduce volume, keep the routine familiar, and arrive on race day without trying to squeeze in one more big week.
Make the window specific to Windermere Marathon.
Course-specific work starts early in a 12-week build. Put the race's terrain and expected conditions into long runs once the opening weeks feel controlled, without adding extra hard days.
Read the full race guideHow to train for the Windermere Marathon
Train for the Windermere Marathon by preparing to run alone at goal pace. With 223 finishers in 2026 and 172 in 2025, spread out along a point to point course, there is no pack. Most runners here lose more time drifting off pace with nobody nearby than they'd ever lose to the terrain.
So do three or four long runs entirely solo at goal effort, ideally without music, and practice checking in with your effort every mile or two. Generating your own pace is a skill and it fades fast if you always train with company.
The gentle downhill deserves some specific work too. A 250 foot net drop across 26 miles is subtle, but it arrives as short descents you can either use or waste. Run long runs on very gently rolling ground and practice keeping your stride short and your cadence up on the downs instead of lengthening out and braking, which is what costs people their quads late.
If you take the 5:30 a.m. early start, train at that hour. Two or three long runs starting in the dark will teach you more about your race day breakfast than any amount of reading will.
Windermere Marathon course facts
- Course
- Point to Point · Mostly Flat · Road/Pavement
- Elevation gain / loss
- 456 ft gain, 712 ft loss
- Highest / lowest point
- 2,151 ft / 1,872 ft
- Marathon finishers
- 223 in 2026 (very small field)
- Boston qualifier
- Certified Boston qualifying course
- Finishers running a qualifying time
- 9% in 2026
- Typical race morning
- 54°F at the start, 71% humidity, partially cloudy
- Race day high / low
- 69°F / 44°F on average
Let your current training decide the actual plan.
Current mileage, recent longest run, marathon experience, goal, and available days determine which plans rank first. After you choose and subscribe, Stride dates every workout through May 16, 2027.
12-week Windermere Marathon plan questions, answered.
When should I start a 12-week Windermere Marathon plan?
The 2027 Windermere Marathon is scheduled for May 16, 2027, so the 12-week window opens around February 21, 2027. Treat that as the outside edge of the window, then line week one up with the plan's normal weekly rhythm.
Is a 12-week plan long enough for the Windermere Marathon?
Use this window when your recent training is steady and the opening week will not be a mileage jump. If you are returning after a long break, twelve weeks is too little room to rebuild and peak at the same time. The course does not change the opening load you can handle, so choose from your current mileage and recent longest run before adding race-specific terrain.
How should I prepare for the Windermere Marathon course in 12 weeks?
Course-specific work starts early in a 12-week build. Put the race's terrain and expected conditions into long runs once the opening weeks feel controlled, without adding extra hard days. Train for the Windermere Marathon by preparing to run alone at goal pace. With 223 finishers in 2026 and 172 in 2025, spread out along a point to point course, there is no pack. Most runners here lose more time drifting off pace with nobody nearby than they'd ever lose to the terrain.
What if the 12-week Windermere Marathon window has already started?
Do not double weeks or cram missed mileage into the remaining calendar. Use your current mileage, recent longest run, experience, goal, and available days to choose a plan that can enter at an appropriate point while preserving the taper.
Is the Windermere Marathon a fast course?
Yes, gently so. The Windermere Marathon is a point to point course in Spokane with about 456 feet of climb against 712 feet of descent, a net drop near 250 feet, and no significant hills. The organizers call it one of the Northwest's fastest. About 9% of finishers ran a Boston qualifying time in 2026.
How big is the Windermere Marathon?
Small. 223 runners finished the marathon in 2026, 172 in 2025 and 142 in 2024. That means no crowds, easy logistics and long stretches of running alone. If you rely on a pack to hold your pace, practice solo long runs at goal effort well before race day.
Put the 12-week window against your actual race.
Each page counts back from race day, maps the 4 phases to real dates, and applies the window to that course and its typical conditions.