16-Week Myrtle Beach Marathon Training Plan

Myrtle Beach, SCMarch 6, 2027

Start around November 14, 2026. The calendar below gives each phase a real date, then the course guidance shows where to make the build specific to Myrtle Beach Marathon.

The Myrtle Beach Marathon runs its entire 26.2 miles between about 5 and 41 feet above sea level. There is no hill on this course, no bridge worth the name, and no descent. It starts at 6:35 a.m. in the parking lot at the Pelicans ballpark on 21st Avenue North and works its way along Kings Highway and Ocean Boulevard with the Atlantic a block away for long stretches.

Race day
March 6, 2027
Start window
November 14, 2026
Runway
16 weeks
Course
Very Flat · 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 Myrtle Beach 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 15, 2026–Dec 12, 2026

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

Build

Weeks 5–10

Dec 13, 2026–Jan 23, 2027

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

Peak

Weeks 11–13

Jan 24, 2027–Feb 13, 2027

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

Taper

Weeks 14–16

Feb 14, 2027–Mar 6, 2027

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

Make the window specific to Myrtle Beach 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 the Myrtle Beach Marathon

Train for Myrtle Beach the way you would train for a track race that lasts three or four hours. On a course that never rises above 41 feet, your calves, soleus and hip flexors do the same work at the same angle for the entire distance, and that repetitive loading is what fails at mile 21, not your aerobic fitness. Flat courses are gentler on the cardiovascular system and harder on connective tissue.

So build long runs on the flattest ground available and finish them at goal pace. Add calf and soleus strength work twice a week, single leg heel raises and eccentric lowers, from early in the block. Runners who do all their long runs on rolling terrain get micro recovery every time the grade changes, and this race gives none of that.

The other half of the plan is wind. Coastal March mornings bring a breeze off the water, typically around 8 mph from the west southwest, and on open beachfront road that is worth real time and a lot of morale. Deliberately run some long efforts into the wind on the return half so you have felt the difference between a headwind that costs you 10 seconds a mile and one that only feels like it does.

Stride matches you to one of 14 marathon plans built on the most proven training methodologies in the sport, then maps every week from today to a sea level start line.

Myrtle Beach Marathon course facts

Course
Loop · Very Flat · Road/Pavement
Elevation gain / loss
283 ft gain, 280 ft loss
Highest / lowest point
41 ft / 5 ft
Marathon finishers
1,674 in 2026 (mid-size field)
Boston qualifier
Certified Boston qualifying course
Finishers running a qualifying time
6.1% in 2026
Typical race morning
50°F at the start, 71% humidity, clear
Race day high / low
62°F / 42°F on average

Sources

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 6, 2027.

Build My Plan

16-week Myrtle Beach Marathon plan questions, answered.

When should I start a 16-week Myrtle Beach Marathon plan?

The 2027 Myrtle Beach Marathon is scheduled for March 6, 2027, so the 16-week window opens around November 14, 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 Myrtle Beach 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 Myrtle Beach 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 Myrtle Beach the way you would train for a track race that lasts three or four hours. On a course that never rises above 41 feet, your calves, soleus and hip flexors do the same work at the same angle for the entire distance, and that repetitive loading is what fails at mile 21, not your aerobic fitness. Flat courses are gentler on the cardiovascular system and harder on connective tissue.

What if the 16-week Myrtle Beach 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 flat is the Myrtle Beach Marathon?

As flat as marathons get. The course runs between about 5 and 41 feet above sea level with roughly 283 feet of total climbing across 26.2 miles. There is no hill, no bridge climb and no descent. Your pace will be decided by wind, heat and pacing discipline rather than by the profile.

Does wind affect the Myrtle Beach Marathon?

It is the main variable. Race morning typically has a west southwest breeze near 8 mph, and long stretches of exposed oceanfront road offer nothing to hide behind. Train by running into the wind on the second half of long runs so you have rehearsed both the pace cost and the mental cost of it.

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.