Bayshore Marathon training plan: course, start dates, and plan options
Traverse City, MIMay 29, 2027
The Bayshore Marathon sends you up one side of Michigan's Old Mission Peninsula and then turns you around at mile 13 to run the exact same road home. Grand Traverse Bay sits on one side and cherry orchards on the other, and the whole thing moves between 583 and 612 feet. There is no hill to blame anything on.
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That symmetry is the interesting part. A mile 13 turnaround means whatever the wind was doing at your back for the first half is doing to your face for the second, and you will recognize every landmark on the way home. Runners who race the first half on feel here tend to learn something unpleasant about themselves around mile 19.
247 days to race day
Bayshore Marathon · May 29, 2027 · about 35 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 Bayshore Marathon 2027
Race day is May 29, 2027, which is 247 days from today. Counting back from that date, here is when each length of build starts.
- 30-week buildStart October 31, 2026
- 24-week buildStart December 12, 2026
- 18-week buildStart January 23, 2027
- 16-week buildStart February 6, 2027
- 12-week buildshortest Stride acceptsStart March 6, 2027
You have about 35 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 29, 2027.
Answer a few questions, choose your plan, then create your account and subscribe to start training in Stride.
Bayshore Marathon course facts
- Course
- Out and Back · Mostly Flat · Road/Pavement
- Elevation gain / loss
- 371 ft gain, 371 ft loss
- Highest / lowest point
- 612 ft / 583 ft
- Marathon finishers
- 1,732 in 2026 (mid-size field)
- Boston qualifier
- Certified Boston qualifying course
- Finishers running a qualifying time
- 20% in 2026
- Typical race morning
- 53°F at the start, 81% humidity, overcast
- Race day high / low
- 69°F / 43°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 Bayshore 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 Bayshore 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: out and back on Old Mission Peninsula, turnaround at mile 13
Bayshore is a USATF certified out and back that starts at 7:15 a.m. on the grounds of Northwestern Michigan College, runs about a mile of residential streets, then picks up the shoreline of the East Arm of Grand Traverse Bay on Birchwood Drive, East Shore Road, Center Road (M-37) and Bluff Road. You turn at mile 13 and retrace all of it.
Total climbing is roughly 371 feet spread across 26.2 miles, which in practice means the road is quietly tilted rather than hilly. Nothing on the course forces a gear change, and nothing gives your legs a different job to do. The last 200 meters come on a track, which is a pleasant way to finish and also a very public one if you are limping.
Aid comes about every mile to mile and a half, roughly eighteen stations from mile 1.5 through mile 24.7. The finish line closes at 1:15 p.m., six hours after the marathon start.
How to train for the Bayshore Marathon
Train for Bayshore by rehearsing one pace until it is boring. This is a flat, exposed, out and back course with about 371 feet of climbing in the entire race, so almost nothing about the terrain will change your stride between mile 1 and mile 26. The specific skill it asks for is holding an even effort with no variation to reset your legs.
Build long runs that finish with 8 to 10 miles at goal pace on the flattest road you can find. Flat is harder to train than it sounds, because the same muscles fire the same way for three hours and your calves and hip flexors take the whole load. Runners who do all their long work on rolling terrain often find the flat version of marathon pace feels foreign.
Then handle the wind, because on an open bay shoreline it is the one thing that can change your race. Do at least three long runs as an actual out and back so you finish into the wind rather than with it, and get used to how much slower a headwind feels than it costs you. Run the first half by feel plus discipline and the second half by the fact that you already know the road.
Stride matches you to one of 14 marathon plans built on the most proven training methodologies in the sport, then maps every week from today to race morning at Northwestern Michigan College.
Getting in
Registration for Bayshore opens December 1 at 9 a.m. Eastern and the marathon fills, so this is a set an alarm race rather than a decide in March race. The organizers cap the field in all events, and recent editions have sold out. Event transfers are allowed until May 15 if space remains, and runners who become pregnant can request a deferral of up to three years by contacting the race at least ten days out. There is no lottery.
Where does the Bayshore Marathon get hard?
Miles 20 to 26 back down the exposed shoreline, where the terrain gives you nothing new and any headwind you avoided on the way out is now in your face.
What is the weather like at the Bayshore Marathon?
Race morning in Traverse City typically starts near 53F with humidity around 81 percent and very light wind, and the day climbs toward an average high of 69F. That is close to ideal for the first two hours and warm for anyone still out past five. Do some long runs at dawn in humid air so a damp start does not read as a bad day.
Is the Bayshore Marathon a good Boston qualifier?
Bayshore is a certified Boston qualifying course and a genuinely good one for it. About 20 percent of finishers ran a qualifying time in 2026, 19.2 percent in 2025 and 21.1 percent in 2023, so roughly one runner in five leaves with the time. The flat profile is doing that work, but only for people who paced the first half honestly.
Is the Bayshore Marathon a good first marathon?
It is a good first marathon if you are reasonably fit and a poor one if you are not. The flat course and the aid station every mile or so make it forgiving, but the finish line closes at 1:15 p.m., six hours after the 7:15 a.m. start, which is tighter than many first timers expect. Come prepared to average under about 13:45 per mile.
Bayshore Marathon questions, answered.
Is the Bayshore Marathon course really flat?
Yes. Bayshore runs between 583 and 612 feet the whole way, with about 371 feet of total climbing across 26.2 miles. There is no hill worth naming. The difficulty is that nothing varies, so your stride and your pace judgment carry the entire race without any help from the terrain.
How hard is the wind at Bayshore?
Wind is the main variable on an open shoreline course. Race morning wind is typically light, around 3 mph, but the out and back shape means any breeze you enjoy for the first 13 miles you will face for the last 13. Train by running out and back long runs so you finish into the wind rather than with it.
Is the Bayshore Marathon a good Boston qualifier?
It is one of the better ones. About 20 percent of Bayshore finishers ran a Boston qualifying time in 2026, 19.2 percent in 2025 and 21.1 percent in 2023. The course is USATF certified and flat, cool late May weather usually cooperates, and the field is large enough that pace groups are easy to find.
What is the time limit at Bayshore?
The finish line closes at 1:15 p.m. for all events. With the marathon starting at 7:15 a.m., that gives you six hours, or roughly 13:45 per mile. Runners who finish after the cutoff do not receive an official time or a finisher medal, so build your plan around that number rather than hoping.
Where does the Bayshore Marathon get hard?
Miles 20 to 26 back down the exposed shoreline, where the terrain gives you nothing new and any headwind you avoided on the way out is now in your face.
What is the weather like at the Bayshore Marathon?
Race morning in Traverse City typically starts near 53F with humidity around 81 percent and very light wind, and the day climbs toward an average high of 69F. That is close to ideal for the first two hours and warm for anyone still out past five. Do some long runs at dawn in humid air so a damp start does not read as a bad day.
Is the Bayshore Marathon a good Boston qualifier?
Bayshore is a certified Boston qualifying course and a genuinely good one for it. About 20 percent of finishers ran a qualifying time in 2026, 19.2 percent in 2025 and 21.1 percent in 2023, so roughly one runner in five leaves with the time. The flat profile is doing that work, but only for people who paced the first half honestly.
Is the Bayshore Marathon a good first marathon?
It is a good first marathon if you are reasonably fit and a poor one if you are not. The flat course and the aid station every mile or so make it forgiving, but the finish line closes at 1:15 p.m., six hours after the 7:15 a.m. start, which is tighter than many first timers expect. Come prepared to average under about 13:45 per mile.
When should I start training for the Bayshore Marathon 2027?
Race day is May 29, 2027. Counting back from that date, a 20-week build starts around January 9, 2027, a 16-week build around February 6, 2027, and a 12-week build around March 6, 2027. Already inside that window? Stride maps a plan from today to race day, whatever the runway.
How does Stride's Bayshore Marathon plan work?
Download the app, pick the Bayshore 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 29, 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 Bayshore 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.