20-Week Deseret News Marathon Training Plan

Salt Lake City, UTJuly 24, 2027

Start around March 6, 2027. The calendar below gives each phase a real date, then the course guidance shows where to make the build specific to Deseret News Marathon.

The Deseret News Marathon starts at 5:30 in the morning at Mountain Dell Golf Course, just below Little Dell Reservoir. The first five miles head toward Big Mountain before turning around, so the race climbs before it ever descends. Only then does it drop Emigration Canyon, the pioneer route, down into Salt Lake City.

Race day
July 24, 2027
Start window
March 6, 2027
Runway
20 weeks
Course
Downhill · Point to Point
Plan choice
Current training

Does this window fit your starting point?

Use the longer window to make the early build calmer, not to add five months of hard training. The plan should begin close to your current load, hold most running easy, and delay the biggest race-specific work until the middle of the cycle.

  • You want a longer foundation phase before marathon-specific training.
  • Your current mileage is steady but below the load you expect to carry later.
  • You prefer gradual long-run growth with regular step-back weeks.
  • You can sustain a five-month routine without turning every week into a peak week.

The 20-week Deseret News 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 1–6

Mar 7, 2027–Apr 17, 2027

Set the routine, grow easy volume gradually, and finish each week with enough control to repeat it.

Build

Weeks 7–13

Apr 18, 2027–Jun 5, 2027

Extend the long run, introduce race-specific terrain, and keep recovery weeks on the calendar.

Peak

Weeks 14–17

Jun 6, 2027–Jul 3, 2027

Complete the most demanding race rehearsals and settle fueling, pacing, shoes, and clothing before taper begins.

Taper

Weeks 18–20

Jul 4, 2027–Jul 24, 2027

Reduce the load, keep familiar running in the week, and let the work from the previous four months show up on race day.

Make the window specific to Deseret News Marathon.

Build general durability first. Add the race's hills, flat sustained running, downhill exposure, heat, or humidity in layers after the weekly rhythm is stable, then make the final long runs the most course-specific.

Read the full race guide

How to train for Deseret News

Train for Deseret News on three fronts: climbing early, long steady descending, and heat. The mistake that ruins people here is racing the first five miles uphill at altitude, reaching the Big Mountain turnaround already in debt, then pounding out 2,700 feet of descent with nothing left for the flat finish downtown.

Downhill work is the piece most runners skip. Eccentric loading over that much drop causes muscle damage that fitness cannot compensate for, so build downhill repeats into your long runs for at least two months before race day, starting easy and adding volume before you add steepness. Your legs will complain the first few times, and that complaint is the adaptation.

Heat matters more than the 5:30 a.m. gun makes it look. Salt Lake City averages a 92F high in late July, and even a quick runner is still out there as the day warms up. If you train somewhere cool, put some runs in the warmest part of the day during the final few weeks so your sweat rate and your stomach have both seen it.

Altitude is the last piece. The whole course sits above 4,200 feet and the start is considerably higher, so if you live near sea level, either arrive within about a day of the race or come out two weeks ahead rather than landing somewhere in the middle. Stride matches you to one of 14 marathon plans built on the most proven training methodologies in the sport and maps every week from today to race day, adapting when a week goes sideways.

Deseret News Marathon course facts

Course
Point to Point · Downhill · Road/Pavement
Elevation gain / loss
1,232 ft gain, 2,708 ft loss
Net elevation drop
About 1,476 ft lower at the finish than the start
Highest / lowest point
6,239 ft / 4,242 ft
Marathon finishers
401 in 2026 (small field)
Boston qualifier
Certified Boston qualifying course
Finishers running a qualifying time
6.5% in 2026
Race day high / low
92°F / 65°F on average

Boston qualifying note. This course sits close to a threshold in the Boston Marathon's net-downhill index, so check the BAA's current ruling before counting on a qualifying time from it.

Start-line temperature is not listed for this race. The course finishes thousands of feet below where it starts, so the weather recorded in the finish city does not describe the start line.

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 July 24, 2027.

Build My Plan

20-week Deseret News Marathon plan questions, answered.

When should I start a 20-week Deseret News Marathon plan?

The 2027 Deseret News Marathon is scheduled for July 24, 2027, so the 20-week window opens around March 6, 2027. Treat that as the outside edge of the window, then line week one up with the plan's normal weekly rhythm.

Is a 20-week plan long enough for the Deseret News Marathon?

Use the longer window to make the early build calmer, not to add five months of hard training. The plan should begin close to your current load, hold most running easy, and delay the biggest race-specific work until the middle of the cycle. 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 Deseret News Marathon course in 20 weeks?

Build general durability first. Add the race's hills, flat sustained running, downhill exposure, heat, or humidity in layers after the weekly rhythm is stable, then make the final long runs the most course-specific. Train for Deseret News on three fronts: climbing early, long steady descending, and heat. The mistake that ruins people here is racing the first five miles uphill at altitude, reaching the Big Mountain turnaround already in debt, then pounding out 2,700 feet of descent with nothing left for the flat finish downtown.

What if the 20-week Deseret News 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 Deseret News Marathon all downhill?

No. The Deseret News Marathon climbs for its first five miles toward Big Mountain before turning around, roughly 1,232 feet of gain, and only then drops about 2,708 feet down Emigration Canyon. The net works out to about a 1,476-foot drop, but you earn the descent first and the closing miles into downtown are flat.

How hot does the Deseret News Marathon get?

Hot enough that the race starts at 5:30 a.m. Salt Lake City averages a 92F daytime high in late July, and the final flat miles run exposed through downtown as the sun climbs. The start at Mountain Dell is much cooler because it sits high in the canyon. Heat acclimation matters more here than hill work does.

Put the 20-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.