Austin Marathon training plan: course, start dates, and plan options
Austin, TXFebruary 14, 2027
The Austin Marathon spends its first 17 miles going up, gaining roughly 14 feet per mile, then hands you a descent of more than 33 feet per mile over the final 9 to the finish on Congress Avenue in the shadow of the State Capitol. Climb first, drop late. That shape is the whole race.
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It punishes two different weaknesses in the same morning. Runners who fight the rollers early arrive at mile 17 with nothing left to spend on the part that should be free. Runners who trained on flat ground find their quads locking up on a descent they expected to enjoy. In 2026, 7,295 people finished and 2.2% of them ran a Boston qualifying time.
142 days to race day
Austin Marathon · February 14, 2027 · about 20 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 Austin Marathon 2027
Race day is February 14, 2027, which is 142 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 October 11, 2026
- 16-week buildStart October 25, 2026
- 12-week buildshortest Stride acceptsStart November 22, 2026
You have about 20 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 February 14, 2027.
Answer a few questions, choose your plan, then create your account and subscribe to start training in Stride.
Austin Marathon course facts
- Course
- Loop · Rolling Hills · Road/Pavement
- Elevation gain / loss
- 1,015 ft gain, 973 ft loss
- Highest / lowest point
- 687 ft / 434 ft
- Marathon finishers
- 7,295 in 2026 (large field)
- Boston qualifier
- Certified Boston qualifying course
- Finishers running a qualifying time
- 2.2% in 2026
- Typical race morning
- 55°F at the start, 89% humidity, clear
- Race day high / low
- 65°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 Austin 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 Austin 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: 17 miles up, 9 miles down, about 28 turns
The Austin Marathon is a rolling loop through the city with long straightaways and roughly 28 turns, starting at 2nd and Congress at 7 a.m. and finishing seven blocks north at 9th and Congress. It climbs steadily through the first 17 miles, then gives almost all of it back over the last 9.
The elevation range is modest on paper, about 250 feet between the low and high points, with roughly 1,000 feet of total climb and about the same amount of descent. Nothing here is a mountain. What makes it hard is that there's essentially no flat: the road tilts one way or the other almost the entire time, and the tilt reverses late.
One structural detail worth knowing. The course splits after mile 12, with the marathon turning north and the half turning south. From that point the field around you thins out considerably, and you run the hardest climbing miles with far fewer people than you started with.
How to train for the Austin Marathon
Train for the Austin Marathon by building climbing strength for the first two thirds and downhill durability for the last third. Those are different adaptations and most plans only give you the first. Time is won here in the closing 9 miles, and that stretch only stays available if your quads survive mile 17.
Practically, put your long runs on continuously rolling terrain rather than bolting hill repeats onto an otherwise flat plan. Then, every week or two, run the last 3 to 5 miles of a long run on a gentle sustained descent at goal effort or a touch quicker. Short stride, quick feet, no braking. Legs that have absorbed that will still be able to run down Congress.
Second, rehearse restraint. The temptation on a course that climbs early is to fight the grade and hold your number. Run the first 17 miles by effort and let the pace read slow. You have a 33 feet per mile descent coming to fix your average, and no way at all to fix trashed quads.
Getting in
There's no lottery and no qualifying standard. The marathon field is capped at 10,000, registration stays open online, and you can still sign up at the expo until 3 p.m. the day before if the distance hasn't filled. Deferrals aren't offered, so if you enter, plan on running it. Mid February in Austin is a busy weekend in the city, so sort lodging well before you worry about anything else.
Where does the Austin Marathon get hard?
Miles 12 to 17, when the field has just thinned after the half splits off and the course is still grinding up toward its high point before the descent begins.
What is the weather like at the Austin Marathon?
Race morning in Austin typically starts near 55F with humidity around 89% and a light southerly breeze, warming toward an average high of 65F. That's a damp start and a genuinely warm finish for anyone out past four and a half hours. Put some long runs in early morning humidity so the first hour doesn't feel harder than it should.
Is the Austin Marathon a good Boston qualifier?
Austin is a Boston eligible certified course, but the qualifying rate is low: 2.2% of finishers ran a qualifying time in 2026, down from 4.1% in 2025 and 5.6% in 2024. The rolling profile is why. If a qualifier is the point of your season, this is a hard place to get one, because the late descent doesn't fully repay what the first 17 miles cost.
Is the Austin Marathon a good first marathon?
It works as a first marathon if you accept that your splits will be uneven. The 7 a.m. start comes with a seven hour limit and the course closes at 2:18 p.m., which is real room. The catch is that rolling terrain makes pacing harder, and pacing is exactly the skill a first timer has least of.
Austin Marathon questions, answered.
Is the Austin Marathon a hard course?
Yes, moderately hard. The Austin Marathon climbs about 14 feet per mile through the first 17 miles before dropping more than 33 feet per mile over the final 9. There's very little true flat anywhere on it, and roughly 28 turns break up your rhythm. Expect to run slower than your flat course pace.
Is the Austin Marathon a good Boston qualifier?
Not especially. Just 2.2% of Austin Marathon finishers ran a Boston qualifying time in 2026, and the rate has stayed under 6% every year since 2022. The rolling first 17 miles cost more than the closing descent gives back. Pick a flatter course if a qualifier is the goal for your season.
What is the weather like at the Austin Marathon?
Mid February mornings in Austin usually start around 55F with humidity near 89%, climbing to an average high of 65F. That's mild by marathon standards, humid at the gun and warm by the finish. Dress for mile 15 rather than the start corral, and expect the last hour to feel warmer than you planned for.
How long do you have to finish the Austin Marathon?
Seven hours. The Austin Marathon starts at 7 a.m. and the course closes at 2:18 p.m., which works out to a 16 minute per mile average. Streets reopen behind runners on that schedule, so the limit is enforced by the city getting its roads back rather than by a single checkpoint.
Where does the Austin Marathon get hard?
Miles 12 to 17, when the field has just thinned after the half splits off and the course is still grinding up toward its high point before the descent begins.
What is the weather like at the Austin Marathon?
Race morning in Austin typically starts near 55F with humidity around 89% and a light southerly breeze, warming toward an average high of 65F. That's a damp start and a genuinely warm finish for anyone out past four and a half hours. Put some long runs in early morning humidity so the first hour doesn't feel harder than it should.
Is the Austin Marathon a good Boston qualifier?
Austin is a Boston eligible certified course, but the qualifying rate is low: 2.2% of finishers ran a qualifying time in 2026, down from 4.1% in 2025 and 5.6% in 2024. The rolling profile is why. If a qualifier is the point of your season, this is a hard place to get one, because the late descent doesn't fully repay what the first 17 miles cost.
Is the Austin Marathon a good first marathon?
It works as a first marathon if you accept that your splits will be uneven. The 7 a.m. start comes with a seven hour limit and the course closes at 2:18 p.m., which is real room. The catch is that rolling terrain makes pacing harder, and pacing is exactly the skill a first timer has least of.
When should I start training for the Austin Marathon 2027?
Race day is February 14, 2027. Counting back from that date, a 20-week build starts around September 27, 2026, a 16-week build around October 25, 2026, and a 12-week build around November 22, 2026. Already inside that window? Stride maps a plan from today to race day, whatever the runway.
How does Stride's Austin Marathon plan work?
Download the app, pick the Austin 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 February 14, 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 Austin Marathon buildup is months of your life. See how Stride compares before you commit it to an app.
Training for a different race?
Find your plan.
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