Foundation
Weeks 1–4
Jun 14, 2027–Jul 11, 2027
Establish repeatable weeks, keep most running easy, and begin extending the long run without forcing the pace.
16-Week Wineglass Marathon Training Plan
Corning, NYOctober 3, 2027
Start around June 13, 2027. The calendar below gives each phase a real date, then the course guidance shows where to make the build specific to Wineglass Marathon.
The Wineglass Marathon trends downhill the whole way and still doesn't trigger Boston's downhill penalty, which is a narrow and very useful place for a course to sit. It's a point-to-point from Bath, New York down the valley to a finish on Market Street in Corning, with a net drop of 202 feet across 392 feet of climbing and 594 feet of descent. 1,971 people finished in 2025.
- Race day
- October 3, 2027
- Start window
- June 13, 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 Wineglass 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
Jul 12, 2027–Aug 22, 2027
Increase the weekly load, preserve step-back weeks, and introduce the terrain and effort the race will require.
Peak
Weeks 11–13
Aug 23, 2027–Sep 12, 2027
Complete the biggest race-specific weeks and use long runs to lock in fueling, pacing, and equipment.
Taper
Weeks 14–16
Sep 13, 2027–Oct 3, 2027
Bring volume down while keeping the weekly rhythm familiar. Training is finished before race week begins.
Make the window specific to Wineglass 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 Wineglass
Train for Wineglass by practicing restraint on a gentle downhill, because that's the specific mechanism that takes time off people here. A 202-foot net drop over 26.2 miles is barely 8 feet a mile. It feels like nothing, so runners bank 30 seconds a mile through the first half and give back three minutes over the last 10K.
Do this instead: find a road that trends down by a few feet per mile and run marathon-pace segments on it holding the pace you actually plan to race, not the pace the road offers. Judge by effort, not by splits. Add some modest downhill volume to long runs so your quads get used to the sustained braking, and put a few climbing miles into the middle of long runs, because there are 392 feet of climb out there to absorb.
The bus start deserves rehearsal too. Everyone rides to the start from Bath or Corning, there's no race-day bib pickup, and you have to show your bib to board, so you'll be up very early and standing around before an 8:15 a.m. gun. Practice that timeline at least twice, breakfast included.
Wineglass Marathon course facts
- Course
- Point to Point · Downhill · Road/Pavement
- Elevation gain / loss
- 392 ft gain, 594 ft loss
- Highest / lowest point
- 1,156 ft / 917 ft
- Marathon finishers
- 1,971 in 2025 (mid-size field)
- Boston qualifier
- Certified Boston qualifying course
- Finishers running a qualifying time
- 12.6% in 2025
- Typical race morning
- 51°F at the start, 100% humidity, overcast
- Race day high / low
- 64°F / 43°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 October 3, 2027.
16-week Wineglass Marathon plan questions, answered.
When should I start a 16-week Wineglass Marathon plan?
The 2027 Wineglass Marathon is scheduled for October 3, 2027, so the 16-week window opens around June 13, 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 Wineglass 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 Wineglass 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 Wineglass by practicing restraint on a gentle downhill, because that's the specific mechanism that takes time off people here. A 202-foot net drop over 26.2 miles is barely 8 feet a mile. It feels like nothing, so runners bank 30 seconds a mile through the first half and give back three minutes over the last 10K.
What if the 16-week Wineglass 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 Wineglass Marathon downhill?
Yes, gently. The course drops a net 202 feet from Bath to Corning, with 594 feet of descent against 392 feet of climbing. That's roughly 8 feet a mile, enough to help your time and not enough to shred your quads. The organizers call it "fast. Very fast. Personal records tend to fall here."
Is Wineglass a good marathon to qualify for Boston?
It's one of the better ones. 12.6% of 2025 finishers ran qualifying times, and the organizers confirm the course sits within Boston's 1,500 foot elevation drop standard and requires no adjustment. A gentle net drop plus reliably cool early-October weather is a genuinely helpful combination for a qualifier.
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.