16-Week Steamtown Marathon Training Plan

Scranton, PAOctober 10, 2027

Start around June 20, 2027. The calendar below gives each phase a real date, then the course guidance shows where to make the build specific to Steamtown Marathon.

The Steamtown Marathon saves a hill for your last mile. Cooper's Hill begins at 25.41 and it is the final obstacle before the courthouse in Scranton, on a course that has dropped 953 feet from Forest City and opened with what the organizers themselves write in capitals as a VERY STEEP DOWNHILL, less than a mile in.

Race day
October 10, 2027
Start window
June 20, 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 Steamtown 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

Jun 21, 2027–Jul 18, 2027

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

Build

Weeks 5–10

Jul 19, 2027–Aug 29, 2027

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

Peak

Weeks 11–13

Aug 30, 2027–Sep 19, 2027

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

Taper

Weeks 14–16

Sep 20, 2027–Oct 10, 2027

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

Make the window specific to Steamtown 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 Steamtown Marathon

Train for the Steamtown Marathon in two separate blocks of work: eccentric quad durability for the 953 foot drop, and the ability to climb on emptied legs for Cooper's Hill at mile 25.41. Most downhill-marathon advice covers only the first of those, which is exactly why the last mile catches people out.

For the descent, build downhill running progressively from about twelve weeks out. Two or three miles of moderate grade inside a long run at goal effort, growing toward eight or ten. Quick short steps, no braking and no leaning back. Run something genuinely steep at least twice, because mile one here is steeper than anything else on the course.

For the finish, do the thing almost nobody does: end three or four long runs with a hard climb in the final mile, on legs already emptied by descent. Find a hill near home, run eighteen miles down toward it, and go up it at marathon effort. That single session is worth more here than an extra tempo run.

Train for the surface changes too. The route uses rails-to-trails sections, so your feet move between road and path more than once. Mix a few miles of crushed path into long runs so the transition is not new information at mile 14.

Steamtown Marathon course facts

Course
Point to Point · Downhill · Road/Pavement
Elevation gain / loss
518 ft gain, 1,471 ft loss
Net elevation drop
About 953 ft lower at the finish than the start
Highest / lowest point
1,698 ft / 713 ft
Marathon finishers
892 in 2025 (small field)
Boston qualifier
Certified Boston qualifying course
Finishers running a qualifying time
18.2% in 2025
Typical race morning
42°F at the start, 75% humidity
Race day high / low
64°F / 43°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 October 10, 2027.

Build My Plan

16-week Steamtown Marathon plan questions, answered.

When should I start a 16-week Steamtown Marathon plan?

The 2027 Steamtown Marathon is scheduled for October 10, 2027, so the 16-week window opens around June 20, 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 Steamtown 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 Steamtown 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 Steamtown Marathon in two separate blocks of work: eccentric quad durability for the 953 foot drop, and the ability to climb on emptied legs for Cooper's Hill at mile 25.41. Most downhill-marathon advice covers only the first of those, which is exactly why the last mile catches people out.

What if the 16-week Steamtown 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 steep is the Steamtown Marathon downhill?

The Steamtown Marathon drops 953 feet net, losing 1,471 feet and gaining 518 across 26.2 miles. The steepest part comes almost immediately, at 0.95 miles, where the course turns onto Dundaff Street on a descent the organizers write in capitals as VERY STEEP DOWNHILL. Most of the damage is done early.

What is Cooper's Hill at the Steamtown Marathon?

Cooper's Hill is the climb starting at mile 25.41, the last obstacle before the finish at Courthouse Square in Scranton. After twenty-five miles of descent your quads are trained to brake rather than push, so a short climb there costs far more than its size suggests. Train for it specifically.

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.