Foundation
Weeks 1–4
Nov 9, 2026–Dec 6, 2026
Establish repeatable weeks, keep most running easy, and begin extending the long run without forcing the pace.
16-Week Cowtown Marathon Training Plan
Fort Worth, TXFebruary 28, 2027
Start around November 8, 2026. The calendar below gives each phase a real date, then the course guidance shows where to make the build specific to Cowtown Marathon.
The Cowtown Marathon puts you on the brick streets of the Historic Fort Worth Stockyards at mile 6 and into a mile run in silence at mile 8. It's a single city loop out of the Will Rogers Memorial Center with 736 feet of climbing in it, which is more than most people expect from Fort Worth.
- Race day
- February 28, 2027
- Start window
- November 8, 2026
- Runway
- 16 weeks
- Course
- Rolling Hills · Loop
- Plan choice
- Current training
Does this window fit your starting point?
Use this window when you have a running base and want several weeks before the hardest marathon-specific work begins. The extra month over a 12-week plan creates more room for gradual long-run growth and recovery.
- You run consistently enough that week one is a continuation, not a restart.
- You want a distinct foundation phase before the biggest long runs.
- You can protect your planned run days for roughly four months.
- Your race date leaves the full window without forcing skipped weeks.
The 16-week Cowtown 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 5–10
Dec 7, 2026–Jan 17, 2027
Increase the weekly load, preserve step-back weeks, and introduce the terrain and effort the race will require.
Peak
Weeks 11–13
Jan 18, 2027–Feb 7, 2027
Complete the biggest race-specific weeks and use long runs to lock in fueling, pacing, and equipment.
Taper
Weeks 14–16
Feb 8, 2027–Feb 28, 2027
Bring volume down while keeping the weekly rhythm familiar. Training is finished before race week begins.
Make the window specific to Cowtown Marathon.
Use the first month to establish consistency, then make long runs progressively more specific to the race's terrain and conditions. The course rehearsal should grow with the plan, not appear all at once in peak week.
Read the full race guideHow to train for the Cowtown Marathon
Train for the Cowtown Marathon on rolling terrain, not flat roads. 736 feet of climbing spread around a city loop arrives in small repeated doses rather than as one named hill, and that's the pattern that quietly drains runners who did every long run on level ground. Practice holding effort steady while your pace swings 20 seconds either way.
Two specifics deserve their own sessions. First, the Stockyards bricks at mile 6: put some easy miles on uneven surfaces so your feet and ankles aren't meeting cobbled brick for the first time on race day. Second, the late rollers. Put your hilliest 4 miles at the end of a long run rather than the start, because Overton Park at mile 20 is where the whole day collects.
Then train the temperature swing. A late February race in Fort Worth starts around 47F and warms toward an average high near 64F, so what feels right in the corral will be wrong by the Blue Mile. Rehearse shedding layers mid run, and drink on a schedule rather than by thirst, since a cool 7:00 a.m. start hides how much you're actually losing.
Cowtown Marathon course facts
- Course
- Loop · Rolling Hills · Road/Pavement
- Elevation gain / loss
- 736 ft gain, 734 ft loss
- Highest / lowest point
- 691 ft / 534 ft
- Marathon finishers
- 2,134 in 2026 (mid-size field)
- Boston qualifier
- Certified Boston qualifying course
- Finishers running a qualifying time
- 2.5% in 2026
- Typical race morning
- 47°F at the start, 77% humidity, clear
- Race day high / low
- 64°F / 40°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 February 28, 2027.
16-week Cowtown Marathon plan questions, answered.
When should I start a 16-week Cowtown Marathon plan?
The 2027 Cowtown Marathon is scheduled for February 28, 2027, so the 16-week window opens around November 8, 2026. Treat that as the outside edge of the window, then line week one up with the plan's normal weekly rhythm.
Is a 16-week plan long enough for the Cowtown Marathon?
Use this window when you have a running base and want several weeks before the hardest marathon-specific work begins. The extra month over a 12-week plan creates more room for gradual long-run growth and recovery. 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 Cowtown Marathon course in 16 weeks?
Use the first month to establish consistency, then make long runs progressively more specific to the race's terrain and conditions. The course rehearsal should grow with the plan, not appear all at once in peak week. Train for the Cowtown Marathon on rolling terrain, not flat roads. 736 feet of climbing spread around a city loop arrives in small repeated doses rather than as one named hill, and that's the pattern that quietly drains runners who did every long run on level ground. Practice holding effort steady while your pace swings 20 seconds either way.
What if the 16-week Cowtown 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 Cowtown Marathon hilly?
It rolls. The Cowtown Marathon has about 736 feet of climbing and 734 feet of descent across its Fort Worth loop, running between roughly 534 and 691 feet of elevation with essentially no net change. There's no single famous hill, just constant small ones, which is why runners who train flat tend to fade after mile 20.
What is the Blue Mile at the Cowtown Marathon?
The Blue Mile falls at mile 8, crossing the Main Street bridge into downtown Fort Worth. It honors fallen military members and first responders and is run in silence, without music or crowd noise. It arrives early, while you're still comfortable, which is worth knowing so it doesn't catch you off guard mid race.
Put the 16-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.