20-Week Santa Rosa Marathon Training Plan

Santa Rosa, CAAugust 22, 2027

Start around April 4, 2027. The calendar below gives each phase a real date, then the course guidance shows where to make the build specific to Santa Rosa Marathon.

The Santa Rosa Marathon starts at 6:30 a.m. on 4th Street beside Old Courthouse Square, follows the Santa Rosa Creek Trail and the Prince Memorial Greenway out of downtown, swings into wine country, and at one point runs you straight through the barrel room at DeLoach Vineyards before bringing you back to finish where you started. 1,349 people finished the marathon in 2025, and it has been selling out.

Race day
August 22, 2027
Start window
April 4, 2027
Runway
20 weeks
Course
Mostly Flat · Mostly Out and Back
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 Santa Rosa 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

Apr 5, 2027–May 16, 2027

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

Build

Weeks 7–13

May 17, 2027–Jul 4, 2027

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

Peak

Weeks 14–17

Jul 5, 2027–Aug 1, 2027

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

Taper

Weeks 18–20

Aug 2, 2027–Aug 22, 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 Santa Rosa 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 the Santa Rosa Marathon

Train for the Santa Rosa Marathon as a heat race with a flat profile, because that is what it is. With a 6:30 a.m. start and an average high near 82F, anyone slower than about 3:30 finishes in noticeably warmer air than they started in. The race falls in late August, so your peak training weeks land in exactly those conditions. Use them rather than hiding from them.

Specifically, run your last long run and at least two marathon-pace efforts starting at 9 or 10 a.m. rather than at dawn, so you know how your pace behaves as the temperature climbs. Then build a fluid and electrolyte plan around the aid spacing of 1.5 to 2 miles and rehearse it exactly. Heat plans fail on execution, not on knowledge.

For the terrain, the 416 feet of climb comes as small rolls through vineyard roads rather than as any hill worth naming. Practice holding steady effort while your pace drifts on gentle grades, and get comfortable with an effort-based race plan you can adjust downward if the morning is warm.

Last, rehearse a congested start. Do a couple of long runs on a busy multi-use path at goal effort and accept that the first mile or two will be slow. Runners who surge to get clear of traffic on the creek trail spend that money twice.

Santa Rosa Marathon course facts

Course
Mostly Out and Back · Mostly Flat · Road/Pavement
Elevation gain / loss
416 ft gain, 417 ft loss
Highest / lowest point
174 ft / 69 ft
Marathon finishers
1,349 in 2025 (mid-size field)
Boston qualifier
Certified Boston qualifying course
Finishers running a qualifying time
15.6% in 2025
Typical race morning
56°F at the start, partly cloudy
Race day high / low
82°F / 53°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 August 22, 2027.

Build My Plan

20-week Santa Rosa Marathon plan questions, answered.

When should I start a 20-week Santa Rosa Marathon plan?

The 2027 Santa Rosa Marathon is scheduled for August 22, 2027, so the 20-week window opens around April 4, 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 Santa Rosa 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 Santa Rosa 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 the Santa Rosa Marathon as a heat race with a flat profile, because that is what it is. With a 6:30 a.m. start and an average high near 82F, anyone slower than about 3:30 finishes in noticeably warmer air than they started in. The race falls in late August, so your peak training weeks land in exactly those conditions. Use them rather than hiding from them.

What if the 20-week Santa Rosa 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 Santa Rosa Marathon hot?

It can be by the finish. The 6:30 a.m. start is usually near 56F, but the day climbs toward an average high near 82F, so anyone running slower than about 3:30 finishes in noticeably warmer air. Do your marathon-pace training later in the morning so the second half is not a surprise.

Do you really run through a winery at the Santa Rosa Marathon?

Yes. The course routes runners through the barrel room at DeLoach Vineyards as part of its wine country section, which is one of the few marathons anywhere that takes you indoors mid-race. The rest of the wine country miles run on quiet rolling roads between vineyards before the course returns to downtown Santa Rosa.

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.