Mon
Rest
Rest
4-Day Tacoma City Marathon Training Plan
Tacoma, WAMay 2, 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 Tacoma City Marathon course.
The Tacoma City Marathon starts at Tacoma Narrows Airport and finishes at Dune Peninsula Park, and it is really two races bolted together. The first half does all the climbing, roughly 864 feet of it, through the north end of the city and Point Defiance Park. Then at mile 12.5 you cross the Wilson Way Bridge and drop half a mile to sea level.
- Race day
- May 2, 2027
- 18-week window
- Around December 27, 2026
- Course
- Hilly · Point to Point
- Peak week
- 40 miles
- Longest run
- 20 miles
Your complete Tacoma City Marathon schedule
The 18-week window opens around December 27, 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
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 Tacoma City 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 the Tacoma City Marathon
Train for the Tacoma City Marathon by making eccentric quad strength the priority, because the half mile descent off the Wilson Way Bridge at mile 12.5 arrives right before 13 miles of flat road where damaged quads have nowhere to hide. Downhill repeats are the specific work: run four to six efforts of two to four minutes down a moderate grade at marathon effort, once a week from about ten weeks out.
Build long runs that copy the shape of the day. Climb for the first half, take a hard descent in the middle, then hold goal pace on flat ground for the last hour. That last piece is where the race is won, and it is the part almost nobody rehearses. If you only train hills, you arrive at mile 14 with fresh legs and no ability to hold one rhythm. If you only train flat, the first half spends you.
Practice the descent itself rather than just surviving it. Quick, short, high cadence steps with the foot landing under you, not out in front. Braking down that bridge feels controlled and costs you the last 10K.
Then pace the front half conservatively. With 864 feet of climbing before you even reach the bridge, the temptation is to bank time on the drop. Take the descent at even effort instead and let it be free speed, and you will still have the waterfront left.
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
Run part of your Tacoma City Marathon long-run mileage on terrain that rises and falls. Hold effort steady on climbs, let pace change, and practice cresting without surging.
Rehearse race morning
Race morning in Tacoma usually starts near 50F with humidity around 80%, clear skies and a light southerly, and the day averages a high of only 58F. That is close to perfect marathon weather, so it will not be conditions that slow you down. The one practical detail is the start: you will be standing at an airfield at 7:30 a.m., so bring a throwaway layer you are happy to lose.
Prepare for the hard part
Miles 20 to 25 on the flat Ruston Way waterfront, where nothing about the grade changes and your quads have already taken the half mile Wilson Way descent at mile 12.5.
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 December 27, 2026 without forcing the early weeks.
Tacoma City Marathon course facts
- Course
- Point to Point · Hilly · Road/Pavement
- Elevation gain / loss
- 864 ft gain, 1,126 ft loss
- Highest / lowest point
- 411 ft / 9 ft
- Marathon finishers
- 422 in 2026 (small field)
- Boston qualifier
- Certified Boston qualifying course
- Finishers running a qualifying time
- 3.1% in 2026
- Typical race morning
- 50°F at the start, 80% humidity, clear
- Race day high / low
- 58°F / 43°F on average
Tacoma City Marathon questions, answered.
When should I start this 18-week Tacoma City Marathon plan?
The 2027 Tacoma City Marathon is scheduled for May 2, 2027, so the 18-week window opens around December 27, 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 Tacoma City Marathon course?
Run part of your Tacoma City Marathon long-run mileage on terrain that rises and falls. Hold effort steady on climbs, let pace change, and practice cresting without surging. Train for the Tacoma City Marathon by making eccentric quad strength the priority, because the half mile descent off the Wilson Way Bridge at mile 12.5 arrives right before 13 miles of flat road where damaged quads have nowhere to hide. Downhill repeats are the specific work: run four to six efforts of two to four minutes down a moderate grade at marathon effort, once a week from about ten weeks out.
Is four days a week enough to train for the Tacoma City 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.
Is the Tacoma City Marathon hilly?
The first half is. The Tacoma City Marathon climbs about 864 feet before mile 13, topping out around 411 feet, then drops to near sea level and stays flat for the rest of the way. Net drop for the whole course is 262 feet. Train hills for the first half and sustained flat pace for the second.
What is the Wilson Way Bridge downhill?
It is a half mile descent at about mile 12.5 that takes runners from the Point Defiance side down to Puget Sound, and the race itself calls it a sweet half mile downhill. It arrives at the midpoint, so it hits legs that are already tired and sets up the flat second half. Train downhill running specifically.
The same four-day schedule, shaped around the course ahead.
Choose your race for its current date, course profile, typical race-morning conditions, and specific long-run guidance.