Atlanta Marathon training plan: course, start dates, and plan options
Atlanta, GAMarch 7, 2027
The Atlanta Marathon is being rebuilt. Atlanta Track Club has moved the race to a new date in early March and put it on a new course, and the detailed routing has not been published yet. What has not changed is the ground underneath it. Atlanta sits on a set of ridges, and a marathon that stays inside the city has to go over them.
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The finishing times tell the rest. In 2026, 1.9% of finishers ran a Boston qualifying time, and in 2024 it was 5.3%. Those are low single digits, year after year, in a race that has grown from 535 finishers in 2021 to 3,078 in 2026. Fast runners keep showing up. The course keeps taking its cut.
164 days to race day
Atlanta Marathon · March 7, 2027 · about 23 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 Atlanta Marathon 2027
Race day is March 7, 2027, which is 164 days from today. Counting back from that date, here is when each length of build starts.
- 30-week buildWindow has passed
- 24-week buildWindow has passed
- 18-week buildStart November 1, 2026
- 16-week buildStart November 15, 2026
- 12-week buildshortest Stride acceptsStart December 13, 2026
You have about 23 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 March 7, 2027.
Answer a few questions, choose your plan, then create your account and subscribe to start training in Stride.
Atlanta Marathon course facts
- Course
- Loop · Rolling Hills · Road/Pavement
- Elevation gain / loss
- 1,338 ft gain, 1,315 ft loss
- Highest / lowest point
- 1,067 ft / 880 ft
- Marathon finishers
- 3,078 in 2026 (large field)
- Boston qualifier
- Certified Boston qualifying course
- Finishers running a qualifying time
- 1.9% in 2026
- Typical race morning
- 49°F at the start, 75% humidity, clear
- Race day high / low
- 60°F / 41°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 Atlanta 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 Atlanta 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 city race that climbs whether the map says so or not
The Atlanta Marathon runs a loop inside the city, starting and finishing in the same place, on pavement, with the climbing spread throughout rather than stacked into one famous hill. The race is switching to a new route on a new March date, so treat any mile by mile description you find from earlier years as historical rather than as a plan.
In its 2026 edition the race started and finished at The Home Depot Backyard beside Mercedes-Benz Stadium with a 7:15 a.m. gun, a 6 hour 30 minute limit and 13 aid stations along the marathon. Those are exactly the details most likely to shift with the new route, so confirm them on the organizer's page before you build a race-day plan around them.
What the terrain does to you is the constant. Atlanta's road grid rides over ridgelines, and a loop that returns to its start gives back every foot it takes. The net change across 26.2 miles comes out near zero, which is precisely what makes it deceptive. You never bank elevation here. You just pay for it twice.
How to train for the Atlanta Marathon
Train for the Atlanta Marathon on rolling terrain at goal effort, not on a flat loop at goal pace. This is a course where climbing arrives in repeated moderate doses rather than at one summit, so the thing being tested is your ability to hold steady output while the numbers on your watch move around underneath you.
Build the long run on a route with a rise every mile or two and run it without surging on the ups or coasting on the downs. Check your breathing, not your splits. If your pace drops forty seconds on a climb and your effort hasn't changed, you're doing it right.
Then train the descents on purpose. A returning loop hands you as much downhill as uphill, and the late-race descents are where quads that only ever saw flat ground start to give out. Two or three sessions of controlled downhill running in the final six weeks, quick cadence and no braking, will change how mile 22 feels.
Because you can't know the exact route in advance, do your specificity work by profile rather than by street. Continuously rolling ground, no long flat stretches to hide in, and the last hour rehearsed on tired legs will cover any version of this course.
Getting in
Entry is through Atlanta Track Club and the race does not sell out the way the big city majors do, though it has grown fast, from 535 finishers in 2021 to 3,078 in 2026. Marathon entry has been posted in a $130 to $220 range depending on how early you commit, so registering early is worth real money. The race also counts toward the Abbott World Marathon Majors Wanda Age Group World Rankings, which matters if you're chasing that.
Where does the Atlanta Marathon get hard?
The final third, wherever the last set of ridges falls on the new route, because a returning loop keeps handing you climbs after mile 20 and the cumulative cost only shows up then.
What is the weather like at the Atlanta Marathon?
Race morning in Atlanta typically opens near 49F with humidity around 75% and clear skies, and the day averages a high of 60F. That's a cool start turning mild by the time most of the field finishes, so dress for mile 6 rather than for the start corral. Getting a few long runs done in the low 50s in the final month will make the temperature feel like a non-event.
Is the Atlanta Marathon a good Boston qualifier?
The Atlanta Marathon is a Boston eligible, USATF certified course, and it is a hard place to run a qualifying time: 1.9% of finishers managed one in 2026 and 5.3% did in 2024. The BAA's net downhill adjustment does not apply here, because a loop that returns to its start has no meaningful net drop. If a qualifier is the whole point of your season, pick flatter ground and come to Atlanta for the city instead.
Is the Atlanta Marathon a good first marathon?
Yes, with one caveat: hills make pacing harder, and pacing is the skill first-timers have least of. The 2026 edition allowed 6 hours 30 minutes at a 15 minute per mile pace, which is workable but not generous if you plan to walk much of the back half. Train on rolling ground and you'll be fine.
Atlanta Marathon questions, answered.
Is the Atlanta Marathon a hard course?
Yes. The Atlanta Marathon climbs through a city built on ridges, and the elevation arrives in repeated moderate doses rather than one big hill, which makes it hard to pace. Boston qualifying rates sit in low single digits: 1.9% of finishers in 2026, 5.3% in 2024. Plan to run slower here than on flat ground.
Is the Atlanta Marathon course changing?
Yes. Atlanta Track Club has moved the race to a new date in early March and announced a new course. Detailed routing has not been published, so older mile by mile descriptions and elevation profiles describe a route that is being replaced. Check the organizer's course page before you plan splits or pick out landmarks.
Is the Atlanta Marathon good for a first marathon?
It can be, if you're running to finish rather than to hit a number. The 2026 edition gave 6 hours 30 minutes at a 15 minute per mile pace, enough time for a run walk finish but not a leisurely one. The hills are the real challenge, so train on rolling terrain rather than flat.
What is the weather like at the Atlanta Marathon?
Early March in Atlanta usually means a cool, clear start around 49F with humidity near 75%, warming to an average high near 60F. That's close to ideal marathon weather, though it can feel warm in the last hour if you're out past four hours. Dress for the middle of the race, not the corral.
Where does the Atlanta Marathon get hard?
The final third, wherever the last set of ridges falls on the new route, because a returning loop keeps handing you climbs after mile 20 and the cumulative cost only shows up then.
What is the weather like at the Atlanta Marathon?
Race morning in Atlanta typically opens near 49F with humidity around 75% and clear skies, and the day averages a high of 60F. That's a cool start turning mild by the time most of the field finishes, so dress for mile 6 rather than for the start corral. Getting a few long runs done in the low 50s in the final month will make the temperature feel like a non-event.
Is the Atlanta Marathon a good Boston qualifier?
The Atlanta Marathon is a Boston eligible, USATF certified course, and it is a hard place to run a qualifying time: 1.9% of finishers managed one in 2026 and 5.3% did in 2024. The BAA's net downhill adjustment does not apply here, because a loop that returns to its start has no meaningful net drop. If a qualifier is the whole point of your season, pick flatter ground and come to Atlanta for the city instead.
Is the Atlanta Marathon a good first marathon?
Yes, with one caveat: hills make pacing harder, and pacing is the skill first-timers have least of. The 2026 edition allowed 6 hours 30 minutes at a 15 minute per mile pace, which is workable but not generous if you plan to walk much of the back half. Train on rolling ground and you'll be fine.
When should I start training for the Atlanta Marathon 2027?
Race day is March 7, 2027. Counting back from that date, a 20-week build starts around October 18, 2026, a 16-week build around November 15, 2026, and a 12-week build around December 13, 2026. Already inside that window? Stride maps a plan from today to race day, whatever the runway.
How does Stride's Atlanta Marathon plan work?
Download the app, pick the Atlanta 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 March 7, 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 Atlanta 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.