16-Week Salt Lake City Marathon Training Plan

Salt Lake City, UTApril 24, 2027

Start around January 2, 2027. The calendar below gives each phase a real date, then the course guidance shows where to make the build specific to Salt Lake City Marathon.

The Salt Lake City Marathon is filed as a downhill course and it does drop about 584 feet net, but you climb more than 900 feet along the way. That is the number that catches people out. It starts on the Olympic Legacy Bridge, built for the 2002 Winter Games, finishes downtown, and in between it is a good deal lumpier than 'net downhill' suggests.

Race day
April 24, 2027
Start window
January 2, 2027
Runway
16 weeks
Course
Downhill · Point to Point
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 Salt Lake City 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

Jan 3, 2027–Jan 30, 2027

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

Build

Weeks 5–10

Jan 31, 2027–Mar 13, 2027

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

Peak

Weeks 11–13

Mar 14, 2027–Apr 3, 2027

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

Taper

Weeks 14–16

Apr 4, 2027–Apr 24, 2027

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

Make the window specific to Salt Lake City 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 Salt Lake City

Train for Salt Lake City as a rolling course, not a downhill one. The mistake is reading 'net 584-foot drop' and preparing only for eccentric quad loading, then meeting 911 feet of climbing with legs trained exclusively to brake. You need both: hill strength for the climbs and downhill durability for the longer descents that follow them.

Altitude is the second half of the problem and the quieter one. The entire course sits above 4,240 feet, which is high enough to cost a sea-level runner meaningful aerobic capacity and low enough that you will not notice until mile 20. If you live near sea level, either arrive within about a day of the start or come out two weeks ahead, and set an honest goal pace rather than the one your flat-course fitness promises.

The specific session for this race is a rolling long run with a downhill finish: 14 to 18 miles over undulating ground, ending with three or four miles of steady descent at goal effort. That sequence teaches your legs to descend well when they are already tired, which is exactly what a net-downhill course with real climbing in it asks of you.

Stride matches you to one of 14 marathon plans built on the most proven training methodologies in the sport, maps every week between today and race day, and reshuffles when a week falls apart. It is on the App Store.

Salt Lake City Marathon course facts

Course
Point to Point · Downhill · Road/Pavement
Elevation gain / loss
911 ft gain, 1,495 ft loss
Net elevation drop
About 584 ft lower at the finish than the start
Highest / lowest point
4,872 ft / 4,243 ft
Marathon finishers
1,931 in 2026 (mid-size field)
Boston qualifier
Certified Boston qualifying course
Finishers running a qualifying time
3.3% in 2026
Typical race morning
44°F at the start, 63% humidity, partially cloudy
Race day high / low
61°F / 39°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 April 24, 2027.

Build My Plan

16-week Salt Lake City Marathon plan questions, answered.

When should I start a 16-week Salt Lake City Marathon plan?

The 2027 Salt Lake City Marathon is scheduled for April 24, 2027, so the 16-week window opens around January 2, 2027. 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 Salt Lake City 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 Salt Lake City 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 Salt Lake City as a rolling course, not a downhill one. The mistake is reading 'net 584-foot drop' and preparing only for eccentric quad loading, then meeting 911 feet of climbing with legs trained exclusively to brake. You need both: hill strength for the climbs and downhill durability for the longer descents that follow them.

What if the 16-week Salt Lake City 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 Salt Lake City Marathon downhill?

Net downhill, but not simply downhill. The Salt Lake City Marathon drops about 584 feet net across 26.2 miles, and that figure hides roughly 911 feet of climbing against 1,495 feet of descent. Treat it as a rolling course with a downhill bias and train for both directions rather than only for braking.

How does altitude affect the Salt Lake City Marathon?

The whole course sits above 4,240 feet, which costs a sea-level runner real aerobic capacity without ever feeling dramatic. Most people notice it after mile 18 rather than at the start. Either arrive within about a day of the race or two weeks ahead, and set a goal pace slower than your flat sea-level fitness suggests.

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.