Big Island International Marathon training plan: course, start dates, and plan options
Hilo, HIMarch 14, 2027
The Big Island International Marathon runs two out-and-backs from the lawn of the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel, and the gun goes at 6 a.m. for a reason. By mid-morning the Hilo side of Hawaii is warm enough and wet enough to rewrite your race plan for you, so the organizers hand you the coolest hours available and close the course at 1 p.m.
Answer a few questions, choose your plan, then create your account and subscribe to start training in Stride.
This is a small race. About 115 runners finished in 2026, and the field has run between 50 and 157 in the years around that. You get an unhurried start, no bottlenecks on Banyan Drive, and long stretches of coastal highway with nobody in sight. Train accordingly, because nobody is going to pull you along out there.
171 days to race day
Big Island International Marathon · March 14, 2027 · about 24 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 Big Island International Marathon 2027
Race day is March 14, 2027, which is 171 days from today. Counting back from that date, here is when each length of build starts.
- 30-week buildWindow has passed
- 24-week buildStart September 27, 2026
- 18-week buildStart November 8, 2026
- 16-week buildStart November 22, 2026
- 12-week buildshortest Stride acceptsStart December 20, 2026
You have about 24 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 14, 2027.
Answer a few questions, choose your plan, then create your account and subscribe to start training in Stride.
Big Island International Marathon course facts
- Course
- Point to Point · Rolling Hills · Road/Pavement
- Highest / lowest point
- 236 ft / 1 ft
- Marathon finishers
- 115 in 2026 (very small field)
- Boston qualifier
- Certified Boston qualifying course
- Finishers running a qualifying time
- 4.4% in 2026
- Typical race morning
- 70°F at the start, 80% humidity, rain, overcast
- Race day high / low
- 79°F / 65°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 Big Island International 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 Big Island International 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: two out-and-backs on the Hilo coast
The Big Island International Marathon is built from two out-and-backs that both begin and end at the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel on Banyan Drive. The long northern leg runs out past Liliuokalani Gardens and Bayfront Park, onto Highway 19 past the lighthouse and the Singing Bridge, then up Old Mamalahoa Highway, turning around a little past the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden.
The shorter second leg heads the other direction, out Kalanianaole Avenue past Onekahakaha and Richardson Ocean Park, then back through a handful of small residential streets to a finish on the hotel lawn. Elevation sits between roughly 1 and 236 feet, so nothing here is steep. The climbing is the repeated sort, small rises taken over and over on the coastal highway, and it grinds at you rather than hurting outright.
How to train for the Big Island International Marathon
Train for the Big Island International Marathon as a humidity race first and a hills race a distant second. Race-morning norms are near 70F with humidity around 80% and rain or overcast skies, so the pace that feels comfortable at home in dry cool air will feel a full effort level harder on the Hilo coast.
Spend the last four to six weeks getting your body used to working warm and wet. Run in the rain on purpose, including one long run where your shoes, socks and anti-chafe setup all get properly soaked, because that is the likely race-day condition and not a worst case. Work out your sweat rate and drink to it, since aid sits roughly every two miles with water and Gatorade and you will need most of those stops. Then pace by effort, not by watch: on the small repeated rises of Old Mamalahoa Highway, holding a number will cost you the last hour.
Getting in
Registration runs through RunSignup, with a mail-in paper form as an alternative, and packet pickup and the expo happen the day before at the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel. That hotel is also the start, the finish and the obvious place to stay, which makes race morning about as simple as marathon logistics get. Entry fees, deadlines and any field cap are not published far ahead, so check the organizer's registration page rather than planning around a number you half remember.
Where does the Big Island International Marathon get hard?
The second, shorter out-and-back after the northern leg, when the sun is up, the humidity has not budged and the field has spread far enough that you are running alone.
What is the weather like at the Big Island International Marathon?
Race morning in Hilo typically starts near 70F with humidity around 80%, often under rain or overcast skies, with a light north wind. Daytime norms reach a high near 79F against a low of 65F, so it warms while you run and it never dries out. Do at least your last month of long runs in the warmest, wettest conditions you can arrange, and rehearse pacing by effort rather than by split.
Is the Big Island International Marathon a good Boston qualifier?
The course is Boston eligible, but the conversion rate is low: 4.4% of finishers ran qualifying times in 2026, 2.9% in 2025 and 6.4% in 2024. Warm, humid air costs most runners minutes rather than seconds, and that shows up in those numbers. If a qualifying time is the whole point of your season, this is a hard place to chase it.
Is the Big Island International Marathon a good first marathon?
It works as a first marathon if finishing is the goal rather than a number. The 6 a.m. start with a 1 p.m. course closing gives you seven hours, and the terrain never gets steep enough to hurt an inexperienced runner. The climate is the real test, so build your tolerance for heat and humidity before you build any speed.
Big Island International Marathon questions, answered.
Is the Big Island International Marathon a hard course?
It is hard for climate reasons rather than terrain reasons. Elevation stays between about 1 and 236 feet, so the rollers along the coast are gentle and there is no signature climb. What takes the time is roughly 70F and 80% humidity at the 6 a.m. start, warming toward a high near 79F while you are still out there.
What time does the Big Island International Marathon start and how long do I get?
The race starts at 6 a.m. from the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel and the course closes at 1 p.m., which gives you seven hours. Aid stations with water and Gatorade sit roughly every two miles. The early gun is deliberate, since it buys you the coolest and least brutal hours the Hilo coast has on offer.
Is this a good marathon if I do not like crowds?
Yes. Only 115 runners finished in 2026, and the field has run between 50 and 157 in the surrounding years. You get an easy start, no congestion, and long stretches of coastal highway to yourself. Train some long runs completely alone at goal effort so that emptiness feels normal instead of demoralizing.
Should I expect rain on race day?
Plan on it. Race-morning norms for Hilo include rain or overcast skies with humidity near 80%, so wet shoes and wet clothing are the default rather than the exception. Test your shoe, sock and anti-chafe combination on a genuinely soaked long run well before race week, not on the start line.
Where does the Big Island International Marathon get hard?
The second, shorter out-and-back after the northern leg, when the sun is up, the humidity has not budged and the field has spread far enough that you are running alone.
What is the weather like at the Big Island International Marathon?
Race morning in Hilo typically starts near 70F with humidity around 80%, often under rain or overcast skies, with a light north wind. Daytime norms reach a high near 79F against a low of 65F, so it warms while you run and it never dries out. Do at least your last month of long runs in the warmest, wettest conditions you can arrange, and rehearse pacing by effort rather than by split.
Is the Big Island International Marathon a good Boston qualifier?
The course is Boston eligible, but the conversion rate is low: 4.4% of finishers ran qualifying times in 2026, 2.9% in 2025 and 6.4% in 2024. Warm, humid air costs most runners minutes rather than seconds, and that shows up in those numbers. If a qualifying time is the whole point of your season, this is a hard place to chase it.
Is the Big Island International Marathon a good first marathon?
It works as a first marathon if finishing is the goal rather than a number. The 6 a.m. start with a 1 p.m. course closing gives you seven hours, and the terrain never gets steep enough to hurt an inexperienced runner. The climate is the real test, so build your tolerance for heat and humidity before you build any speed.
When should I start training for the Big Island International Marathon 2027?
Race day is March 14, 2027. Counting back from that date, a 20-week build starts around October 25, 2026, a 16-week build around November 22, 2026, and a 12-week build around December 20, 2026. Already inside that window? Stride maps a plan from today to race day, whatever the runway.
How does Stride's Big Island International Marathon plan work?
Download the app, pick the Big Island International 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 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 Big Island International 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.