Avenue of the Giants Marathon training plan: course, start dates, and plan options
Weott, CAMay 2, 2027
The redwoods along this course are tall enough to cut off your watch's satellite signal, and the organizers say so out loud. The Avenue of the Giants Marathon is a double out and back on paved road through Humboldt Redwoods State Park in Weott, California, starting at the Dyerville Bridge. It drew 545 finishers in 2026.
Answer a few questions, choose your plan, then create your account and subscribe to start training in Stride.
That GPS quirk matters more than it sounds. If your pacing plan lives on your wrist, you'll spend stretches of this race with nothing reliable to look at. You'll be running by feel and by the mile markers on the road, and that is a skill you either have or you don't.
220 days to race day
Avenue of the Giants Marathon · May 2, 2027 · about 31 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 Avenue of the Giants Marathon 2027
Race day is May 2, 2027, which is 220 days from today. Counting back from that date, here is when each length of build starts.
- 30-week buildStart October 4, 2026
- 24-week buildStart November 15, 2026
- 18-week buildStart December 27, 2026
- 16-week buildStart January 10, 2027
- 12-week buildshortest Stride acceptsStart February 7, 2027
You have about 31 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 May 2, 2027.
Answer a few questions, choose your plan, then create your account and subscribe to start training in Stride.
Avenue of the Giants Marathon course facts
- Course
- Out and Back · Hilly · Road/Pavement
- Elevation gain / loss
- 695 ft gain, 689 ft loss
- Highest / lowest point
- 372 ft / 166 ft
- Marathon finishers
- 545 in 2026 (small field)
- Boston qualifier
- Certified Boston qualifying course
- Finishers running a qualifying time
- 6.8% in 2026
- Typical race morning
- 47°F at the start, 90% humidity, clear
- Race day high / low
- 56°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 Avenue of the Giants 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 Avenue of the Giants 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 double out and back under 300-foot trees
The Avenue of the Giants Marathon is a double out and back on pavement with about 695 feet of climbing and 689 feet of descent, finishing 6 feet below where it started. The low point sits near 166 feet and the high point near 372 feet, so nothing on this course is steep and nothing is long.
The organizers describe the route as mostly flat and fast with only one significant hill, and the elevation figures back that up. You start at the Dyerville Bridge. Founders Grove, home to the Founders Tree and the fallen Dyerville Giant, sits about a hundred yards down the Avenue from the start. Aid stations come thick and early, roughly at miles 2, 3.8, 5 and 6, and the first turnaround arrives near mile 6.5 before the second leg heads out toward Weott. Almost all of it runs under canopy.
How to train for Avenue of the Giants
Train for Avenue of the Giants by rehearsing pace without a watch. The old growth canopy blocks GPS in places, so build long runs where you cover the middle miles on perceived effort alone and check the clock only at known mile marks. That habit is worth more here than any hill session.
The second thing to train is the doubling back. You come through the start area again partway through the race and head straight out for another loop of the same road, which is a mental problem rather than a physical one. Rehearse it: run a long run as two out and backs from your car and make the second one the faster one. The single real climb rewards a few sessions of steady uphill running at marathon effort rather than sharp repeats, because it's gentle and drawn out rather than punchy.
Getting in
Entry is straightforward: you register on the race's own site, with cheaper pricing for people who commit early in the winter. This has not been a race that vanishes in minutes, but the field is only a few hundred runners and the location is remote enough that lodging near Humboldt Redwoods State Park is the real constraint. Book a room before you worry about the entry. Fees and deadlines move year to year, so confirm both with the organizers rather than trusting a number you read somewhere.
Where does the Avenue of the Giants Marathon get hard?
There's no brutal climb to point at, so the race turns around halfway, when you come back past the start area and have to head out again for a second helping of road you've already run.
What is the weather like at the Avenue of the Giants Marathon?
Race morning here averages about 47F at the start with humidity near 90%, and the day usually tops out around 56F against a 41F low. That's close to ideal running weather and genuinely cold standing weather. The damp air under the canopy holds the chill longer than you'd expect, so do a few long runs at dawn in a throwaway layer you can ditch at mile 3.
Is the Avenue of the Giants Marathon a good Boston qualifier?
Avenue of the Giants is a certified Boston qualifier, and 6.8% of finishers ran qualifying times in 2026, up from 4.5% in 2025. The net change across the course is 6 feet, so the BAA's net downhill adjustment doesn't apply and your time counts at face value. Qualifying here comes down to your own fitness, not to gravity.
Is the Avenue of the Giants Marathon a good first marathon?
It's a sensible first marathon if you like quiet races. The field was 545 finishers in 2026, the course is shaded and gently rolling, and the cutoff is 6 hours. The catch is the double out and back paired with unreliable GPS, which can rattle a first-timer who has spent the whole build pacing off a watch.
Avenue of the Giants Marathon questions, answered.
Is the Avenue of the Giants Marathon a hard course?
Not physically. Total climbing is about 695 feet across 26.2 miles and the net change is 6 feet, with the organizers describing only one significant hill. The difficulty is psychological. It's a double out and back, so you cover the same stretches of road twice and pass the start area mid-race.
Why does my GPS watch stop working at Avenue of the Giants?
The old growth redwoods along the course stand around 300 feet tall, and the organizers warn that they sometimes block satellite signal on running watches. Expect your pace and distance readings to drift. Run the middle of the race on effort and use the course mile markers to check yourself instead of trusting the watch.
What is the weather like at the Avenue of the Giants Marathon?
Cool and damp. Race morning averages around 47F with humidity near 90%, and the daytime high sits near 56F. The redwood canopy holds that chill in, so the shade that helps you late will make you cold early. Most runners are better off starting in a layer they can throw away.
Is Avenue of the Giants a good Boston qualifier?
It's an honest one. The course is certified and Boston eligible, 6.8% of 2026 finishers ran qualifying times, and the 6-foot net change means no downhill adjustment touches your result. You get cool, shaded, near-flat conditions and no help from the course, which suits an even-paced runner.
Where does the Avenue of the Giants Marathon get hard?
There's no brutal climb to point at, so the race turns around halfway, when you come back past the start area and have to head out again for a second helping of road you've already run.
What is the weather like at the Avenue of the Giants Marathon?
Race morning here averages about 47F at the start with humidity near 90%, and the day usually tops out around 56F against a 41F low. That's close to ideal running weather and genuinely cold standing weather. The damp air under the canopy holds the chill longer than you'd expect, so do a few long runs at dawn in a throwaway layer you can ditch at mile 3.
Is the Avenue of the Giants Marathon a good Boston qualifier?
Avenue of the Giants is a certified Boston qualifier, and 6.8% of finishers ran qualifying times in 2026, up from 4.5% in 2025. The net change across the course is 6 feet, so the BAA's net downhill adjustment doesn't apply and your time counts at face value. Qualifying here comes down to your own fitness, not to gravity.
Is the Avenue of the Giants Marathon a good first marathon?
It's a sensible first marathon if you like quiet races. The field was 545 finishers in 2026, the course is shaded and gently rolling, and the cutoff is 6 hours. The catch is the double out and back paired with unreliable GPS, which can rattle a first-timer who has spent the whole build pacing off a watch.
When should I start training for the Avenue of the Giants Marathon 2027?
Race day is May 2, 2027. Counting back from that date, a 20-week build starts around December 13, 2026, a 16-week build around January 10, 2027, and a 12-week build around February 7, 2027. Already inside that window? Stride maps a plan from today to race day, whatever the runway.
How does Stride's Avenue of the Giants Marathon plan work?
Download the app, pick the Avenue of the Giants 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 May 2, 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 Avenue of the Giants 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.