4-Day Maui Oceanfront Marathon Training Plan

Wailea, HIJanuary 17, 2027

Four runs per week for 18 weeks: two easy runs, one midweek aerobic run, and one long run. The schedule stays fixed; the guidance below shows how to choose terrain, rehearse conditions, and prepare for the Maui Oceanfront Marathon course.

Maui Oceanfront is the island marathon built for scenery first: a start at the Shops at Wailea, then miles along South Kihei Road and the Highway 30 shoulder with the ocean on one side and mountains on the other. Whales, pullouts, and beach picnic spots for friends make race day feel like a Maui day out that also happens to be 26.2.

Race day
January 17, 2027
18-week window
Around September 13, 2026
Course
Wailea start, oceanfront all the way
Peak week
40 miles
Longest run
20 miles

Your complete Maui Oceanfront Marathon schedule

The 18-week window opens around September 13, 2026. Weeks one through 17 keep the normal Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday rhythm. Only race week moves so the marathon lands on its actual weekday. If the window has passed, do not skip ahead or cram missed mileage into the time left.

Open any week to see all seven days. Week 1 is open to start.

1Week 1Foundation · 15 mi

Mon

Rest

Rest

Tue

Easy

3 mi easy run

Wed

Cross-training

30 min easy cross-training or mobility

Thu

Easy

3 mi relaxed aerobic run

Fri

Rest

Rest

Sat

Easy

3 mi easy run

Sun

Long run

6 mi long run, conversational effort

2Week 2Foundation · 17 mi

Mon

Rest

Rest

Tue

Easy

3 mi easy run

Wed

Cross-training

30 min easy cross-training or mobility

Thu

Easy

4 mi relaxed aerobic run

Fri

Rest

Rest

Sat

Easy

3 mi easy run

Sun

Long run

7 mi long run, conversational effort

3Week 3Recovery week · 15 mi

Mon

Rest

Rest

Tue

Easy

3 mi easy run

Wed

Cross-training

Rest or 20 min gentle mobility

Thu

Easy

3 mi relaxed aerobic run

Fri

Rest

Rest

Sat

Easy

3 mi easy run

Sun

Long run

6 mi long run, conversational effort

4Week 4Build · 19 mi

Mon

Rest

Rest

Tue

Easy

3 mi easy run

Wed

Cross-training

30–40 min easy cross-training

Thu

Easy

5 mi relaxed aerobic run

Fri

Rest

Rest

Sat

Easy

3 mi easy run + 4 relaxed strides

Sun

Long run

8 mi long run, conversational effort

5Week 5Build · 22 mi

Mon

Rest

Rest

Tue

Easy

4 mi easy run

Wed

Cross-training

30–40 min easy cross-training

Thu

Easy

5 mi relaxed aerobic run

Fri

Rest

Rest

Sat

Easy

3 mi easy run

Sun

Long run

10 mi long run; practice fluids

6Week 6Recovery week · 18 mi

Mon

Rest

Rest

Tue

Easy

3 mi easy run

Wed

Cross-training

Rest or 25 min gentle cross-training

Thu

Easy

4 mi relaxed aerobic run

Fri

Rest

Rest

Sat

Easy

3 mi easy run

Sun

Long run

8 mi long run, conversational effort

7Week 7Build · 25 mi

Mon

Rest

Rest

Tue

Easy

4 mi easy run

Wed

Cross-training

30–40 min easy cross-training

Thu

Quality

6 mi steady run; final 1 mi at planned marathon effort

Fri

Rest

Rest

Sat

Easy

3 mi easy run

Sun

Long run

12 mi long run; practice fuel and fluids

8Week 8Recovery week · 23 mi

Mon

Rest

Rest

Tue

Easy

4 mi easy run

Wed

Cross-training

30 min easy cross-training or mobility

Thu

Easy

5 mi relaxed aerobic run

Fri

Rest

Rest

Sat

Easy

4 mi easy run + 4 relaxed strides

Sun

Long run

10 mi long run, conversational effort

9Week 9Build · 29 mi

Mon

Rest

Rest

Tue

Easy

4 mi easy run

Wed

Cross-training

30–40 min easy cross-training

Thu

Quality

7 mi steady run; middle 2 mi at planned marathon effort

Fri

Rest

Rest

Sat

Easy

4 mi easy run

Sun

Long run

14 mi long run; use race-day fuel timing

10Week 10Recovery week · 24 mi

Mon

Rest

Rest

Tue

Easy

4 mi easy run

Wed

Cross-training

Rest or 25 min gentle cross-training

Thu

Easy

5 mi relaxed aerobic run

Fri

Rest

Rest

Sat

Easy

4 mi easy run

Sun

Long run

11 mi long run, conversational effort

11Week 11Build · 32 mi

Mon

Rest

Rest

Tue

Easy

5 mi easy run

Wed

Cross-training

30–40 min easy cross-training

Thu

Quality

7 mi steady run; final 2 mi at planned marathon effort

Fri

Rest

Rest

Sat

Easy

4 mi easy run

Sun

Long run

16 mi long run; rehearse fuel, fluids, and kit

12Week 12Recovery week · 26 mi

Mon

Rest

Rest

Tue

Easy

4 mi easy run

Wed

Cross-training

Rest or 25 min gentle cross-training

Thu

Easy

6 mi relaxed aerobic run

Fri

Rest

Rest

Sat

Easy

4 mi easy run + 4 relaxed strides

Sun

Long run

12 mi long run, conversational effort

13Week 13Peak week · 36 mi

Mon

Rest

Rest

Tue

Easy

5 mi easy run

Wed

Cross-training

30 min easy cross-training or mobility

Thu

Quality

8 mi steady run; middle 3 mi at planned marathon effort

Fri

Rest

Rest

Sat

Easy

5 mi easy run

Sun

Long run

18 mi long run; full race-day fueling rehearsal

14Week 14Recovery week · 29 mi

Mon

Rest

Rest

Tue

Easy

5 mi easy run

Wed

Cross-training

Rest or 25 min gentle cross-training

Thu

Easy

6 mi relaxed aerobic run

Fri

Rest

Rest

Sat

Easy

4 mi easy run

Sun

Long run

14 mi long run, conversational effort

15Week 15Peak week · 40 mi

Mon

Rest

Rest

Tue

Easy

6 mi easy run

Wed

Cross-training

30 min easy cross-training or mobility

Thu

Quality

9 mi steady run; middle 4 mi at planned marathon effort

Fri

Rest

Rest

Sat

Easy

5 mi easy run

Sun

Long run

20 mi long run; complete race-day rehearsal

16Week 16Taper · 26 mi

Mon

Rest

Rest

Tue

Easy

4 mi easy run

Wed

Cross-training

25 min easy cross-training or mobility

Thu

Quality

6 mi relaxed run; 2 mi at planned marathon effort

Fri

Rest

Rest

Sat

Easy

4 mi easy run

Sun

Long run

12 mi long run, controlled effort

17Week 17Taper · 18 mi

Mon

Rest

Rest

Tue

Easy

3 mi easy run

Wed

Cross-training

Rest or 20 min gentle mobility

Thu

Easy

4 mi relaxed run + 4 short strides

Fri

Rest

Rest

Sat

Easy

3 mi easy run

Sun

Long run

8 mi long run, conversational effort

18Week 18Taper · 8 mi + race

Mon

Rest

Rest

Tue

Easy

3 mi easy run

Wed

Rest

Rest or 15 min gentle mobility

Thu

Easy

3 mi easy run + 4 short strides

Fri

Rest

Rest

Sat

Easy

2 mi shakeout, or rest

Sun

Race

Marathon — 26.2 mi

This free plan is complete, fixed, and ready to use.

It begins at 15 miles per week, peaks at 40, and asks you to manage schedule changes and missed training yourself.

A Stride plan ranks from your running, then dates to race day.

Current mileage, recent longest run, marathon experience, goal, and available days decide which plans rank first.

How to use this plan for Maui Oceanfront Marathon

The mileage builds your engine. Your long-run route, pacing, fueling, and clothing rehearsals make that fitness specific to this race.

How to train for Maui Oceanfront

Build heat and sun tolerance into your long runs. Even in January, Maui means brightness and humidity most mainlanders underestimate: practice drinking on the run, easy effort in warm conditions, and pacing by feel when the wind pushes or pulls along the coast.

Keep some sustained road miles in training. This race rewards strong shoulders and steady aerobic fitness more than climbing legs; long stretches on flat asphalt teach the rhythm the middle miles demand. A mid-January date also means a fall-into-winter buildup, so map your holidays early and protect the long-run streak.

Keep the plan honest. This free schedule contains no speedwork. Apply the course guidance through route choice and race rehearsal without turning easy days into extra workouts. If your goal calls for marathon-pace work, compare it with First Marathon Plus.

Match the terrain

Match some long-run terrain to the Maui Oceanfront Marathon course while keeping the prescribed effort easy. The schedule supplies the volume; your route choice supplies the course rehearsal.

Rehearse race morning

Use your long runs to rehearse the clothing, fluids, and fueling you plan to use at the Maui Oceanfront Marathon. Check the race forecast during taper week rather than trying anything new on race morning.

Check the starting line before you commit.

Beginner-friendly does not mean couch-to-marathon. Week one asks for four runs, 15 total miles, and a six-mile long run.

  • Fifteen miles in week one is close to the volume you already handle.
  • You can protect four run days most weeks, including a weekend long run.
  • Your priority is a steady first-marathon build without speedwork.
  • You can start around September 13, 2026 without forcing the early weeks.

Maui Oceanfront Marathon questions, answered.

When should I start this 18-week Maui Oceanfront Marathon plan?

The 2027 Maui Oceanfront Marathon is scheduled for January 17, 2027, so the 18-week window opens around September 13, 2026. Weeks one through 17 keep the normal weekly rhythm and Sunday long run; only the final race week shifts to the event's actual weekday. If that date has already passed, do not compress 18 weeks of mileage into a shorter window.

How should I adapt the four-day plan for the Maui Oceanfront Marathon course?

Match some long-run terrain to the Maui Oceanfront Marathon course while keeping the prescribed effort easy. The schedule supplies the volume; your route choice supplies the course rehearsal. Build heat and sun tolerance into your long runs. Even in January, Maui means brightness and humidity most mainlanders underestimate: practice drinking on the run, easy effort in warm conditions, and pacing by feel when the wind pushes or pulls along the coast.

Is four days a week enough to train for the Maui Oceanfront Marathon?

Four run days can be enough when 15 miles in week one is not a sudden jump and you can protect the long run most weeks. This schedule builds to a 40-mile peak and a 20-mile long run. A runner chasing an aggressive time or already supporting more volume may fit a higher-mileage plan better.

How long do I need to train for the Maui Oceanfront Marathon?

Most Stride marathon plans run 12 to 20 weeks. Tell Stride your experience level and race date and every week from today to Wailea gets mapped, including warm-weather long-run practice for island conditions.

Is Maui Oceanfront a Boston Qualifier?

Yes. The course is USA Track & Field / AIMS certified and can qualify you for Boston when you hit the standard for your age and gender.