Colorado Marathon training plan: course, start dates, and plan options
Fort Collins, COMay 2, 2027
You board a bus in downtown Fort Collins between 4:00 and 4:45 in the morning and get driven up into Poudre Canyon to a start line at Steven's Gulch, 6,111 feet above sea level, to run back down. The first 16 miles of the Colorado Marathon descend along the Cache la Poudre River, through a tunnel at mile 2.5, before the road spills out at Laporte and flattens for the run into downtown.
Answer a few questions, choose your plan, then create your account and subscribe to start training in Stride.
That shape is the whole race. Almost all of the roughly 1,100 feet of net drop is spent before mile 17, which means you arrive at the flat section with quads that have absorbed two hours of braking and still have nine or ten miles to produce power on level ground.
219 days to race day
Colorado 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 Colorado Marathon 2027
Race day is May 2, 2027, which is 219 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.
Colorado Marathon course facts
- Course
- Point to Point · Downhill · Road/Pavement
- Elevation gain / loss
- 206 ft gain, 1,336 ft loss
- Net elevation drop
- About 1,130 ft lower at the finish than the start
- Highest / lowest point
- 6,117 ft / 4,969 ft
- Marathon finishers
- 1,162 in 2026 (mid-size field)
- Boston qualifier
- Certified Boston qualifying course
- Finishers running a qualifying time
- 6.3% in 2026
- Race day high / low
- 66°F / 39°F on average
Start-line temperature is not listed for this race. The course finishes thousands of feet below where it starts, so the weather recorded in the finish city does not describe the start line.
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 Colorado 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 Colorado 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: 16 miles down Poudre Canyon, then flat into Fort Collins
The Colorado Marathon is a point to point that starts at 6,111 feet at Steven's Gulch and finishes in downtown Fort Collins just under 5,000 feet. The organizers describe it as descending the canyon for 16 miles before the course flattens at Laporte. The tunnel at mile 2.5 arrives after you have already given back about 140 feet.
There is very little climbing to speak of, roughly 200 feet across the day, so this is a course where gravity is doing you a favor and charging you for it later. Canyon road, river on your side, dark at the start, and a sunrise that arrives while you are already running.
The marathon starts at 6:30 a.m. after mandatory bus boarding at Old Town Square from 4:00 to 4:45 a.m. The time limit is six hours, with intermediate cutoffs of 3:15 at the half, 4:15 at mile 17 and 5:15 at mile 21. The course carries USATF certification CO 15007DCR.
How to train for the Colorado Marathon
Train the Colorado Marathon for two things the flat road will never teach you: eccentric quad durability and thin air. A runner who trains on level ground and then descends for 16 straight miles will feel fine through mile 12 and find their quads have stopped answering by mile 19. Downhill running damages muscle rather than tiring it, and that damage is trainable, but only by doing it.
Put sustained downhill running into your long runs starting at least eight weeks out, and run it at goal effort with a quick, light cadence instead of braking with a long stride. Look for a descent you can hold for 15 to 20 minutes, repeat it, and build to a long run where the first half drops and the second half is flat. That last combination is the actual race and almost nobody rehearses it.
Altitude is the second half of the problem. The start sits above 6,000 feet and even the finish is close to a mile up, so if you live at sea level plan your arrival deliberately and run the early miles by breathing rather than by watch. The organizers put it plainly and they are right: run the downhill easy and relaxed. The clock is already generous, so spend restraint early and pace hard after Laporte.
Stride reads the descent and the altitude when it 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 that 4 a.m. bus.
Getting in
Registration for the Colorado Marathon opens July 1 and the field is capped at 1,500 for the marathon, with the organizers noting that recent editions sold out quickly. Everyone in the marathon must ride the buses to the canyon start, so entry effectively commits you to a 4 a.m. departure. The refund policy is strict: no refunds, no deferrals and no transfers, though you can change to a shorter distance for a fee after mid February.
Where does the Colorado Marathon get hard?
Miles 17 to 24 on the flat past Laporte, where the descent stops helping and quads that spent two hours braking have to produce pace on level ground.
What is the weather like at the Colorado Marathon?
Race morning in the canyon typically starts near 42F under clear skies with humidity around 62 percent, and the day rises toward an average high of 66F. That is a cold wait at 6,111 feet followed by a genuinely warm finish in town, and mountain air is dry enough to hide how much you are sweating. Practice drinking on schedule rather than by thirst, and bring throwaway layers for the bus.
Is the Colorado Marathon a good Boston qualifier?
The Colorado Marathon is USATF certified and Boston eligible, but do not treat the downhill as free time. About 6.3 percent of finishers ran a qualifying time in 2026, 8.9 percent in 2025 and 12.3 percent in 2024, so the qualifying rate has fallen even though the course profile has not changed. Altitude and a broad field both play a part.
Is the Colorado Marathon a good first marathon?
It is a reasonable first marathon only if you have trained on descents. The six hour limit and the intermediate cutoffs at miles 13.1, 17 and 21 are firm, and a first timer whose quads fail at mile 18 can lose enough time to be pulled. If your training is entirely flat, the canyon will find that out about you.
Colorado Marathon questions, answered.
How much does the Colorado Marathon drop?
It starts at 6,111 feet at Steven's Gulch and finishes in downtown Fort Collins just under 5,000 feet, for a net drop of roughly 1,100 feet. Nearly all of it comes in the first 16 miles through Poudre Canyon. After Laporte the course flattens and stays flat to the finish.
Is the Colorado Marathon hard on your quads?
Yes, and that is the main way people lose time here. Sixteen miles of continuous descent loads the quadriceps eccentrically, which causes muscle damage rather than ordinary fatigue. Runners who have not trained downhill often feel strong to mile 15 and then cannot generate pace on the flat run into Fort Collins.
Does the altitude matter at the Colorado Marathon?
It does for sea level runners. The start is above 6,000 feet and the finish is close to a mile up, so aerobic effort at any given pace costs more than at home. The organizers advise staying well hydrated and running the downhill easy and relaxed, which is the right instruction for both problems at once.
What is the time limit and are there cutoffs?
Six hours, about 13:44 per mile, with intermediate cutoffs at the half in 3:15, mile 17 in 4:15 and mile 21 in 5:15. The marathon starts at 6:30 a.m. and bus boarding in Fort Collins is mandatory from 4:00 to 4:45 a.m., so plan on being awake well before 3.
Where does the Colorado Marathon get hard?
Miles 17 to 24 on the flat past Laporte, where the descent stops helping and quads that spent two hours braking have to produce pace on level ground.
What is the weather like at the Colorado Marathon?
Race morning in the canyon typically starts near 42F under clear skies with humidity around 62 percent, and the day rises toward an average high of 66F. That is a cold wait at 6,111 feet followed by a genuinely warm finish in town, and mountain air is dry enough to hide how much you are sweating. Practice drinking on schedule rather than by thirst, and bring throwaway layers for the bus.
Is the Colorado Marathon a good Boston qualifier?
The Colorado Marathon is USATF certified and Boston eligible, but do not treat the downhill as free time. About 6.3 percent of finishers ran a qualifying time in 2026, 8.9 percent in 2025 and 12.3 percent in 2024, so the qualifying rate has fallen even though the course profile has not changed. Altitude and a broad field both play a part.
Is the Colorado Marathon a good first marathon?
It is a reasonable first marathon only if you have trained on descents. The six hour limit and the intermediate cutoffs at miles 13.1, 17 and 21 are firm, and a first timer whose quads fail at mile 18 can lose enough time to be pulled. If your training is entirely flat, the canyon will find that out about you.
When should I start training for the Colorado 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 Colorado Marathon plan work?
Download the app, pick the Colorado 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 Colorado 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.