Deseret News Marathon training plan: course, start dates, and plan options
Salt Lake City, UTJuly 24, 2027
The Deseret News Marathon starts at 5:30 in the morning at Mountain Dell Golf Course, just below Little Dell Reservoir. The first five miles head toward Big Mountain before turning around, so the race climbs before it ever descends. Only then does it drop Emigration Canyon, the pioneer route, down into Salt Lake City.
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It finishes on July 24, Pioneer Day, running the Days of '47 Parade route through downtown, where the organizers say more than 100,000 people line the streets. It is a small race, 401 finishers in 2026, moving through a very large party. That contrast is most of the appeal.
303 days to race day
Deseret News Marathon · July 24, 2027 · about 43 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 Deseret News Marathon 2027
Race day is July 24, 2027, which is 303 days from today. Counting back from that date, here is when each length of build starts.
- 30-week buildStart December 26, 2026
- 24-week buildStart February 6, 2027
- 18-week buildStart March 20, 2027
- 16-week buildStart April 3, 2027
- 12-week buildshortest Stride acceptsStart May 1, 2027
You have about 43 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 July 24, 2027.
Answer a few questions, choose your plan, then create your account and subscribe to start training in Stride.
Deseret News Marathon course facts
- Course
- Point to Point · Downhill · Road/Pavement
- Elevation gain / loss
- 1,232 ft gain, 2,708 ft loss
- Net elevation drop
- About 1,476 ft lower at the finish than the start
- Highest / lowest point
- 6,239 ft / 4,242 ft
- Marathon finishers
- 401 in 2026 (small field)
- Boston qualifier
- Certified Boston qualifying course
- Finishers running a qualifying time
- 6.5% in 2026
- Race day high / low
- 92°F / 65°F on average
Boston qualifying note. This course sits close to a threshold in the Boston Marathon's net-downhill index, so check the BAA's current ruling before counting on a qualifying time from it.
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 Deseret News 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 Deseret News 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: up first, then 2,700 feet down
Deseret News drops about 1,476 feet net, but that number hides the shape of the race. There is roughly 1,232 feet of climbing in it, most of that in the opening five miles toward Big Mountain, and about 2,708 feet of descent after the turnaround. The course tops out near 6,239 feet and bottoms out around 4,242.
The descent through Emigration Canyon is long and steady rather than steep, which is worse than it sounds. A steady grade invites you to ride it for miles without ever changing your stride, and the eccentric load just accumulates while your effort feels easy and your splits look great.
Then the canyon lets you out and the course flattens through the valley into downtown. Those last miles are flat, exposed, and running by the time the sun is properly up. They are where the race gets decided, and they are the reason a fast canyon split is a trap.
How to train for Deseret News
Train for Deseret News on three fronts: climbing early, long steady descending, and heat. The mistake that ruins people here is racing the first five miles uphill at altitude, reaching the Big Mountain turnaround already in debt, then pounding out 2,700 feet of descent with nothing left for the flat finish downtown.
Downhill work is the piece most runners skip. Eccentric loading over that much drop causes muscle damage that fitness cannot compensate for, so build downhill repeats into your long runs for at least two months before race day, starting easy and adding volume before you add steepness. Your legs will complain the first few times, and that complaint is the adaptation.
Heat matters more than the 5:30 a.m. gun makes it look. Salt Lake City averages a 92F high in late July, and even a quick runner is still out there as the day warms up. If you train somewhere cool, put some runs in the warmest part of the day during the final few weeks so your sweat rate and your stomach have both seen it.
Altitude is the last piece. The whole course sits above 4,200 feet and the start is considerably higher, so if you live near sea level, either arrive within about a day of the race or come out two weeks ahead rather than landing somewhere in the middle. Stride matches you to one of 14 marathon plans built on the most proven training methodologies in the sport and maps every week from today to race day, adapting when a week goes sideways.
Getting in
Registration runs through the official Deseret News Marathon site. Buses leave Rice-Eccles Stadium between 3:45 and 4:15 a.m. and are how you get to the start at Mountain Dell Golf Course, which means your race day practically begins around 3 a.m. The course closes after six hours per Salt Lake police, after which runners are directed to the sidewalk to finish. Sleep math is part of the plan here, and the night that matters is two nights out, because nobody sleeps well before a 3 a.m. alarm.
Where does the Deseret News Marathon get hard?
The flat downtown miles after Emigration Canyon lets you out, where 2,708 feet of descent has already emptied your quads and the July sun is coming up.
What is the weather like at the Deseret News Marathon?
Race morning in the Salt Lake Valley in late July is warm and dry, with humidity near 39 percent, clear skies, and an average daytime high of 92F. The start at Mountain Dell sits high in the canyon well above the valley floor, so it is meaningfully cooler up there than any valley reading suggests, and 5:30 a.m. exists for a reason. Train your fueling and hydration in heat, because the flat miles into downtown will be the warmest running you do all day.
Is the Deseret News Marathon a good Boston qualifier?
Deseret News is USATF certified and Boston eligible, and 6.5 percent of finishers ran a qualifying time in 2026 against 13.4 percent in 2025. Its net drop of roughly 1,476 feet sits close to the threshold for the BAA's net-downhill index that applies to Boston registration from 2027 onward, and the organizers state the course carries no penalty. Confirm the current ruling with the BAA yourself before building a qualifying attempt around this race.
Is the Deseret News Marathon a good first marathon?
It can work, but really only for a first-timer who already lives at altitude and trains on hills. The 5:30 a.m. start, the mandatory bus that leaves Rice-Eccles Stadium between 3:45 and 4:15 a.m., and a six-hour course close add up to a demanding first experience. If you are flying in from sea level for your first marathon, pick something kinder.
Deseret News Marathon questions, answered.
Is the Deseret News Marathon all downhill?
No. The Deseret News Marathon climbs for its first five miles toward Big Mountain before turning around, roughly 1,232 feet of gain, and only then drops about 2,708 feet down Emigration Canyon. The net works out to about a 1,476-foot drop, but you earn the descent first and the closing miles into downtown are flat.
How hot does the Deseret News Marathon get?
Hot enough that the race starts at 5:30 a.m. Salt Lake City averages a 92F daytime high in late July, and the final flat miles run exposed through downtown as the sun climbs. The start at Mountain Dell is much cooler because it sits high in the canyon. Heat acclimation matters more here than hill work does.
Why does the Deseret News Marathon run on July 24?
July 24 is Pioneer Day, a Utah state holiday marking the 1847 arrival of the Mormon pioneers in the Salt Lake Valley. The marathon descends the same Emigration Canyon route they used and finishes along the Days of '47 Parade route through downtown, where the organizers say more than 100,000 spectators gather.
Is the Deseret News Marathon a good Boston qualifier?
The rate is respectable for a small race: 6.5 percent of finishers qualified in 2026 and 13.4 percent in 2025, on a USATF-certified, Boston-eligible course. The open question is the BAA's net-downhill index, since the roughly 1,476-foot net drop lands near the threshold, so check the current ruling with the BAA before you commit.
Where does the Deseret News Marathon get hard?
The flat downtown miles after Emigration Canyon lets you out, where 2,708 feet of descent has already emptied your quads and the July sun is coming up.
What is the weather like at the Deseret News Marathon?
Race morning in the Salt Lake Valley in late July is warm and dry, with humidity near 39 percent, clear skies, and an average daytime high of 92F. The start at Mountain Dell sits high in the canyon well above the valley floor, so it is meaningfully cooler up there than any valley reading suggests, and 5:30 a.m. exists for a reason. Train your fueling and hydration in heat, because the flat miles into downtown will be the warmest running you do all day.
Is the Deseret News Marathon a good Boston qualifier?
Deseret News is USATF certified and Boston eligible, and 6.5 percent of finishers ran a qualifying time in 2026 against 13.4 percent in 2025. Its net drop of roughly 1,476 feet sits close to the threshold for the BAA's net-downhill index that applies to Boston registration from 2027 onward, and the organizers state the course carries no penalty. Confirm the current ruling with the BAA yourself before building a qualifying attempt around this race.
Is the Deseret News Marathon a good first marathon?
It can work, but really only for a first-timer who already lives at altitude and trains on hills. The 5:30 a.m. start, the mandatory bus that leaves Rice-Eccles Stadium between 3:45 and 4:15 a.m., and a six-hour course close add up to a demanding first experience. If you are flying in from sea level for your first marathon, pick something kinder.
When should I start training for the Deseret News Marathon 2027?
Race day is July 24, 2027. Counting back from that date, a 20-week build starts around March 6, 2027, a 16-week build around April 3, 2027, and a 12-week build around May 1, 2027. Already inside that window? Stride maps a plan from today to race day, whatever the runway.
How does Stride's Deseret News Marathon plan work?
Download the app, pick the Deseret News 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 July 24, 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 Deseret News 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.