16-Week Los Angeles Marathon Training Plan

Los Angeles, CAMarch 7, 2027

Start around November 15, 2026. The calendar below gives each phase a real date, then the course guidance shows where to make the build specific to Los Angeles Marathon.

LA runs its marathon like a studio tour with a start cannon: the Stadium to the Stars course leaves Dodger Stadium and rolls point-to-point through downtown, Echo Park, Hollywood, the Sunset Strip, and Beverly Hills before finishing among the towers of Century City.

Race day
March 7, 2027
Start window
November 15, 2026
Runway
16 weeks
Course
Dodger Stadium to Century City
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 Los Angeles 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.

Foundation

Weeks 1–4

Nov 16, 2026–Dec 13, 2026

Establish repeatable weeks, keep most running easy, and begin extending the long run without forcing the pace.

Build

Weeks 5–10

Dec 14, 2026–Jan 24, 2027

Increase the weekly load, preserve step-back weeks, and introduce the terrain and effort the race will require.

Peak

Weeks 11–13

Jan 25, 2027–Feb 14, 2027

Complete the biggest race-specific weeks and use long runs to lock in fueling, pacing, and equipment.

Taper

Weeks 14–16

Feb 15, 2027–Mar 7, 2027

Bring volume down while keeping the weekly rhythm familiar. Training is finished before race week begins.

Make the window specific to Los Angeles 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 guide

How to train for LA

Two priorities: rollers and warmth. Put rolling terrain in your long runs so repeated short climbs at fatigue are familiar, and get some warm-weather running in late in your buildup; a March race in LA can be cool and gray or genuinely hot, and heat on race day punishes anyone who never practiced in it.

A March marathon means a winter buildup, and for most of the country that's the reverse of the usual problem: you train in cold and race in warmth. Run some long runs overdressed, practice drinking more than winter makes you want to, and plan race pacing by effort in case the sun shows up.

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 March 7, 2027.

Build My Plan

16-week Los Angeles Marathon plan questions, answered.

When should I start a 16-week Los Angeles Marathon plan?

The 2027 Los Angeles Marathon is scheduled for March 7, 2027, so the 16-week window opens around November 15, 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 Los Angeles 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 Los Angeles 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. Two priorities: rollers and warmth. Put rolling terrain in your long runs so repeated short climbs at fatigue are familiar, and get some warm-weather running in late in your buildup; a March race in LA can be cool and gray or genuinely hot, and heat on race day punishes anyone who never practiced in it.

What if the 16-week Los Angeles 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.

How long do I need to train for the LA Marathon?

Most Stride marathon plans run 12 to 20 weeks, which for a March race means a winter buildup. Get matched in the app and Stride maps every week from today to Dodger Stadium.

Is the LA Marathon course hilly?

Rolling more than hilly: a net downhill from Dodger Stadium to Century City, delivered in waves of short climbs and descents through the first half especially. Train rolling terrain and the profile works in your favor.

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.