Adirondack Marathon training plan: course, start dates, and plan options
Schroon Lake, NYSeptember 26, 2027
The Adirondack Marathon runs one lap around Schroon Lake, a nine mile finger of water in the eastern Adirondacks, and the loop never flattens out. The road tips up or down almost continuously between 811 and 1,110 feet. In 2025, 162 people finished it, which tells you what kind of race day this is.
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That matters more than it sounds. A hilly loop doesn't punish you the way a mountain race does, with one climb you can see coming. It bleeds you in small increments, and runners who trained on flat roads at a fixed pace arrive at mile 20 having spent far more than their splits suggest.
367 days to race day
Adirondack Marathon · September 26, 2027 · about 52 weeks out
Your plan starts with your race and works backward. Every week lands on a real calendar, with race day at the end.
When to start training for the Adirondack Marathon 2027
Race day is September 26, 2027, which is 367 days from today. Counting back from that date, here is when each length of build starts.
- 30-week buildStart February 28, 2027
- 24-week buildStart April 11, 2027
- 18-week buildStart May 23, 2027
- 16-week buildStart June 6, 2027
- 12-week buildshortest Stride acceptsStart July 4, 2027
You have about 52 weeks until race day, so there is still room for a full build. Stride reads the runway you actually have and maps every week from today to September 26, 2027.
Answer a few questions, choose your plan, then create your account and subscribe to start training in Stride.
Adirondack Marathon course facts
- Course
- Loop · Hilly · Road/Pavement
- Highest / lowest point
- 1,110 ft / 811 ft
- Marathon finishers
- 162 in 2025 (very small field)
- Boston qualifier
- Certified Boston qualifying course
- Finishers running a qualifying time
- 3.7% in 2025
- Typical race morning
- 57°F at the start, 82% humidity, clear
- Race day high / low
- 66°F / 44°F on average
Let’s find the plan for you.
Your race, current mileage, longest run, marathon experience, and available days decide the best fit. Stride maps the plan you choose to race day at the Adirondack Marathon.
- Stride Run-Walk FinisherThree sessions a week with planned walk breaks, cover the full distance before race day.
- Stride First MarathonThe classic four-day first-marathon build: easy running and one weekly long run, no speedwork.
- Stride First Marathon PlusA first-marathon build with a little more volume and weekly race-pace miles.
- Stride 6-Day FinisherFinish your first marathon on frequency: six easy-leaning runs a week, no monster long runs.
- Stride 5-Day Pace BuilderFive days a week with race-pace runs before your long runs, built for a mid-pack time goal.
- Stride 6-Day RhythmSix days a week with three quality sessions, steady fatigue that teaches you to finish strong.
- Stride Time-Based FoundationFive time-based runs a week, mostly easy, the injury-averse way to a strong finish.
- Stride Time-Based BuilderSix time-based runs a week at a strict 80% easy / 20% hard split, chase a time goal without breaking.
- Stride 3-Day Cross-TrainThree runs plus two cross-training days over 24 weeks, marathon fitness on a busy schedule.
- Stride 3-Day QualityExactly three hard runs plus two mandatory cross-training sessions, every workout counts.
- Stride 6-Day CumulativeThe six-day cumulative-fatigue build with quality from week two, for PR chasers with a base.
- Stride Threshold 55The serious BQ/PR build to 55 miles a week: threshold work, medium-long runs, and 20-milers.
- Stride Threshold 70The high-mileage BQ/PR build to 70 miles a week for veterans with a deep base.
- Stride 2-Quality FlexTwo fixed quality sessions a week, everything else flexible easy running, fits any schedule.
Answer a few questions, choose your plan, then create your account and subscribe to start training in Stride.
Choose your Adirondack Marathon training window.
Compare 12, 16, 18, and 20 weeks counted back from race day. The 18-week option includes the complete four-day schedule.
The course: one lap of a nine mile lake, and the back side is the hard side
The Adirondack Marathon circles Schroon Lake on public roads, starting at 8:00 a.m. in the hamlet near the Stewart's Shop. The race describes the back side of the lake as its challenging stretch, rolling continuously, before the return along Route 9 delivers long, gentle grades heading north toward town.
The elevation range is only about 300 feet, which sounds mild until you realize there is nowhere on the loop that stays level long enough for you to settle in. Aid comes every two miles until mile 20 and then every mile, which is a reasonable signal about where the organizers expect the race to get ugly.
Roads stay open in places, and runners are told to keep right of the center line on Route 9. That is worth knowing if you were planning to run the tangents like it's a closed city course. You won't be.
How to train for the Adirondack Marathon
Train the Adirondack Marathon by effort rather than by pace. The right preparation is continuously rolling terrain in your long runs, not one big hill repeat session bolted onto a flat plan. Find a route that undulates for two hours straight and learn to hold steady breathing while your per mile numbers swing thirty seconds in both directions.
Then add the part most people skip: downhill control. On a loop you take roughly as much descent as climb, and the descents on the back side arrive when you're already tired. Practice running down at goal effort with a quick, short stride instead of braking. Quads that are used to that will still be there when the Route 9 grades start.
One more thing. With 162 finishers in 2025 you will spend long stretches alone, so do at least three long runs solo at goal effort. Generating your own pace is a skill, and this course will ask for it.
Getting in
Entry is not the hard part here. With 162 finishers in 2025 and 94 as recently as 2022, the marathon doesn't sell out the way big city races do, and registration runs through Race Roster. The real constraint is lodging: Schroon Lake is a small Adirondack town in late September, so book a bed before you book anything else.
Where does the Adirondack Marathon get hard?
The rolling back side of the lake through the middle third, and then the Route 9 grades on the way home, which arrive after your legs have already absorbed a couple of hours of undulation.
What is the weather like at the Adirondack Marathon?
Race morning in Schroon Lake usually starts around 57F with humidity near 82%, and the day climbs to an average high of 66F. That's a damp, cool start and a genuinely warm finish for anyone out past four hours. Train some long runs in early morning humidity so the first hour doesn't feel harder than it should.
Is the Adirondack Marathon a good Boston qualifier?
The Adirondack Marathon is a sanctioned, Boston eligible course, but it's a slow one. Just 3.7% of finishers ran a qualifying time in 2025 and 2.5% did in 2024, and the rate has stayed under 7% every year since 2021. If a qualifier is the whole point of your season, pick a flatter race and come here for the lake.
Is the Adirondack Marathon a good first marathon?
It works as a first marathon if you go in wanting to finish rather than to run a number. The course closes at 3:00 p.m. with a final sweep at 3:30, which gives you seven to seven and a half hours from the 8:00 a.m. start. The catch is that hills make pacing harder, and pacing is the skill first timers have least of.
Adirondack Marathon questions, answered.
Is the Adirondack Marathon a hard course?
Yes, moderately. The Adirondack Marathon is a continuously rolling loop with about 300 feet of elevation range and no sustained flat, so it runs slower than its numbers suggest. The back side of Schroon Lake rolls hardest, and the return along Route 9 adds long gentle grades when your legs are already spent.
Is the Adirondack Marathon good for a first marathon?
It's a reasonable first marathon for a runner who wants a small, quiet race and isn't chasing a time. The course closes at 3:00 p.m. after an 8:00 a.m. start, with a sweep at 3:30. Just know that rolling terrain makes even pacing harder than it would be on flat ground.
How big is the Adirondack Marathon?
Small. 162 runners finished the marathon in 2025, up from 129 in 2023 and 94 in 2022. You'll spend long stretches running alone around the lake, which some runners love and others find brutal. If you need a pack to pull you along, train your solo long runs at goal effort first.
What is the weather like for the Adirondack Marathon?
Late September in the Adirondacks means a cool, damp start near 57F with humidity around 82%, warming to an average high near 66F. Clear skies and a light northerly are typical. Dress for the middle of the race rather than the start line, and expect the last hour to feel warmer than you planned.
Where does the Adirondack Marathon get hard?
The rolling back side of the lake through the middle third, and then the Route 9 grades on the way home, which arrive after your legs have already absorbed a couple of hours of undulation.
What is the weather like at the Adirondack Marathon?
Race morning in Schroon Lake usually starts around 57F with humidity near 82%, and the day climbs to an average high of 66F. That's a damp, cool start and a genuinely warm finish for anyone out past four hours. Train some long runs in early morning humidity so the first hour doesn't feel harder than it should.
Is the Adirondack Marathon a good Boston qualifier?
The Adirondack Marathon is a sanctioned, Boston eligible course, but it's a slow one. Just 3.7% of finishers ran a qualifying time in 2025 and 2.5% did in 2024, and the rate has stayed under 7% every year since 2021. If a qualifier is the whole point of your season, pick a flatter race and come here for the lake.
Is the Adirondack Marathon a good first marathon?
It works as a first marathon if you go in wanting to finish rather than to run a number. The course closes at 3:00 p.m. with a final sweep at 3:30, which gives you seven to seven and a half hours from the 8:00 a.m. start. The catch is that hills make pacing harder, and pacing is the skill first timers have least of.
When should I start training for the Adirondack Marathon 2027?
Race day is September 26, 2027. Counting back from that date, a 20-week build starts around May 9, 2027, a 16-week build around June 6, 2027, and a 12-week build around July 4, 2027. Already inside that window? Stride maps a plan from today to race day, whatever the runway.
How does Stride's Adirondack Marathon plan work?
Download the app, pick the Adirondack Marathon as your race, and answer a few questions about your recent running and your weekly schedule. Stride matches you to one of 14 marathon plans, maps every week from today to September 26, 2027, adjusts when life gets in the way, and puts you in a feed of runners training for the same race.
Choosing a training app?
A Adirondack Marathon buildup is months of your life. See how Stride compares before you commit it to an app.
Find your plan.
Your race, current mileage, recent longest run, goal, and run days determine which plans rank first. Choose one and subscribe, then open every workout in Stride.