Akron Marathon training plan: course, start dates, and plan options
Akron, OHSeptember 25, 2027
The Akron Marathon spends four miles of its middle on a crushed limestone towpath, then hands you the steepest climb of the day at mile 19. The organizers say it themselves: this is not a flat and fast course. It rewards runners who show up with hill legs and a plan for where to spend them.
Answer a few questions, choose your plan, then create your account and subscribe to start training in Stride.
Akron's own course description lists a dozen climbs at 1.5% grade or steeper, and the hardest of them, roughly 200 meters at 5.3% up Sand Run Road, lands between miles 19.1 and 19.4. That placement is the whole story. You meet the worst of it after your quads have already absorbed 18 miles of rolling terrain.
366 days to race day
Akron Marathon · September 25, 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 Akron Marathon 2027
Race day is September 25, 2027, which is 366 days from today. Counting back from that date, here is when each length of build starts.
- 30-week buildStart February 27, 2027
- 24-week buildStart April 10, 2027
- 18-week buildStart May 22, 2027
- 16-week buildStart June 5, 2027
- 12-week buildshortest Stride acceptsStart July 3, 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 25, 2027.
Answer a few questions, choose your plan, then create your account and subscribe to start training in Stride.
Akron Marathon course facts
- Course
- Loop · Rolling Hills · Road/Pavement
- Elevation gain / loss
- 989 ft gain, 1,005 ft loss
- Highest / lowest point
- 1,104 ft / 749 ft
- Marathon finishers
- 818 in 2025 (small field)
- Boston qualifier
- Certified Boston qualifying course
- Finishers running a qualifying time
- 6.4% in 2025
- Typical race morning
- 57°F at the start, 82% humidity, clear
- Race day high / low
- 70°F / 50°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 Akron 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 Akron 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: a loop through Akron with a hill at mile 19
The Akron Marathon starts on High Street next to the Akron Art Museum and finishes downtown at Lock 3, and it starts climbing almost immediately. The first eight miles roll through downtown and around Firestone Park before the day's most sustained early effort, a 2.4% grade up East Buchtel Avenue that tops out right at mile eight.
Near mile nine you cross the All-America Bridge, a Y-shaped span with the Cuyahoga River valley roughly 300 feet below, then come back over it at mile 12 before dropping hard down Howard Street at a 7% grade. At mile 13 the course turns onto the Towpath Trail for four miles of flat, hard-packed crushed limestone along the Little Cuyahoga River.
Then the bill arrives. You leave the towpath at mile 17, climb into Sand Run Metro Park, and start what the race calls the Rally from the Valley: a mile of steady climb from the ford at mile 18, followed by about 200 meters at 5.3% up Sand Run Road in the nineteenth mile. Heart Rate Hill comes at mile 22 in front of the gates of Stan Hywet Hall, and the last gift is a runnable downhill through Highland Square after mile 24.
How to train for Akron
Training for the Akron Marathon means putting hills at the end of long runs, not the start. The two hardest climbs come at miles 19 and 22, so a runner who does hill repeats fresh on a Tuesday and flat long runs on Sunday arrives unprepared for the only part of the course that decides anything.
Build a long run that finishes with 3 to 4 miles of rolling terrain at marathon effort. Twice in the buildup, run a 20-miler that puts a genuine climb inside the last three miles. You also need downhill tolerance, because Howard Street drops at 7% and Market Street falls toward downtown after mile 24. Quads that have never absorbed a fast descent will complain on both.
Spend a few long runs on crushed limestone or packed gravel if you can find it. The towpath's softer surface changes your push-off for four miles in the middle of the race, and runners who have only trained on asphalt often describe those miles as oddly heavy. The adjustment takes a few minutes, and fewer if you have felt it before.
Getting in
Entry is through the Akron Marathon's own registration page, and the marathon is one event in a race series the city runs across the year. With 818 marathon finishers in 2025 and 678 in 2021, this is a small field that has grown slowly, so late entry is usually possible. Check the official site for current pricing and deadlines rather than assuming last year's.
Where does the Akron Marathon get hard?
Miles 18 to 19.4, where a mile of steady climb out of the Cuyahoga valley ends in about 200 meters at 5.3% grade up Sand Run Road.
What is the weather like at the Akron Marathon?
Late September in Akron is usually cool and damp at the gun. Race mornings run around 57F with humidity near 82%, warming toward an average high of about 70F by midday. Do a chunk of your late-summer long runs in the humid early morning so the muggy first hour feels like something you have already done.
Is the Akron Marathon a good Boston qualifier?
The Akron Marathon is a certified Boston qualifier, and about 6.4% of its finishers ran qualifying times in 2025, up from 5.8% in 2024. Those are respectable numbers for a course carrying a dozen graded climbs. If you want a qualifier here, budget effort for miles 19 through 22 rather than banking time early.
Is the Akron Marathon a good first marathon?
Akron works as a first marathon if you respect the hills, and the race actively pitches it to first timers for its variety of terrain. The honest caveat is the mile 19 climb, which is a rough place to meet your first real low point. Train hills late in long runs and it is very doable.
Akron Marathon questions, answered.
Is the Akron Marathon a hard course?
Moderately, yes. The Akron Marathon's own course description lists a dozen climbs at 1.5% grade or steeper, and the organizers state plainly that it is not flat and fast. The hardest stretch is roughly 200 meters at 5.3% up Sand Run Road in the nineteenth mile, after 18 miles of rolling terrain.
What is the hill at mile 19 of the Akron Marathon?
It is Sand Run Road, reached at the end of a mile-long climb the race nicknames the Rally from the Valley. A ford crossing near mile 18 marks the start of the effort, and the road pitches to about 5.3% for roughly 200 meters between miles 19.1 and 19.4.
What is the Towpath section of the Akron Marathon like?
Four flat miles on crushed limestone, beginning at mile 13 and running north along the Little Cuyahoga River. The surface is hard-packed and softer underfoot than road, which eases impact but reduces push-off. Most runners need a few minutes to settle their cadence after they turn onto it.
Is Akron a good marathon for a Boston qualifier?
Workable, but it is not a personal-best course for most people. About 6.4% of Akron Marathon finishers ran Boston qualifying times in 2025 and 5.8% did in 2024. The certified course is qualifier eligible, though the climbs at miles 19 and 22 mean holding effort late matters more than even splits.
Where does the Akron Marathon get hard?
Miles 18 to 19.4, where a mile of steady climb out of the Cuyahoga valley ends in about 200 meters at 5.3% grade up Sand Run Road.
What is the weather like at the Akron Marathon?
Late September in Akron is usually cool and damp at the gun. Race mornings run around 57F with humidity near 82%, warming toward an average high of about 70F by midday. Do a chunk of your late-summer long runs in the humid early morning so the muggy first hour feels like something you have already done.
Is the Akron Marathon a good Boston qualifier?
The Akron Marathon is a certified Boston qualifier, and about 6.4% of its finishers ran qualifying times in 2025, up from 5.8% in 2024. Those are respectable numbers for a course carrying a dozen graded climbs. If you want a qualifier here, budget effort for miles 19 through 22 rather than banking time early.
Is the Akron Marathon a good first marathon?
Akron works as a first marathon if you respect the hills, and the race actively pitches it to first timers for its variety of terrain. The honest caveat is the mile 19 climb, which is a rough place to meet your first real low point. Train hills late in long runs and it is very doable.
When should I start training for the Akron Marathon 2027?
Race day is September 25, 2027. Counting back from that date, a 20-week build starts around May 8, 2027, a 16-week build around June 5, 2027, and a 12-week build around July 3, 2027. Already inside that window? Stride maps a plan from today to race day, whatever the runway.
How does Stride's Akron Marathon plan work?
Download the app, pick the Akron 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 25, 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 Akron 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.