Lake Placid Marathon training plan: course, start dates, and plan options
Lake Placid, NYJune 13, 2027
The Lake Placid Marathon runs as a double out and back finishing at the Olympic Speedskating Oval, which means you take its steepest climb, the hill near the ski jumps on Route 73, twice. It's about three tenths of a mile long, half marathon runners meet it once, and your second pass comes deep in the back half.
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Almost everything about how you train for this race follows from that repeat. In 2026, 374 people finished the marathon and 2.1% of them ran a Boston qualifying time. This is a small, scenic, honestly difficult race, and it isn't where you go looking for a fast clock.
261 days to race day
Lake Placid Marathon · June 13, 2027 · about 37 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 Lake Placid Marathon 2027
Race day is June 13, 2027, which is 261 days from today. Counting back from that date, here is when each length of build starts.
- 30-week buildStart November 15, 2026
- 24-week buildStart December 27, 2026
- 18-week buildStart February 7, 2027
- 16-week buildStart February 21, 2027
- 12-week buildshortest Stride acceptsStart March 21, 2027
You have about 37 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 June 13, 2027.
Answer a few questions, choose your plan, then create your account and subscribe to start training in Stride.
Lake Placid Marathon course facts
- Course
- Multiple Out and Backs · Rolling Hills · Road/Pavement
- Elevation gain / loss
- 1,039 ft gain, 1,050 ft loss
- Highest / lowest point
- 1,896 ft / 1,650 ft
- Marathon finishers
- 374 in 2026 (small field)
- Boston qualifier
- Certified Boston qualifying course
- Finishers running a qualifying time
- 2.1% in 2026
- Typical race morning
- 67°F at the start, 80% humidity, clear
- Race day high / low
- 72°F / 47°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 Lake Placid 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 Lake Placid 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 laps out along the river and back past the ski jumps
The Lake Placid Marathon starts at 8 a.m. on Main Street and finishes at the Olympic Speedskating Oval, running the half marathon's out and back twice. The route takes in Mirror Lake, River Road and Riverside Drive along a class III trout stream, and passes the 1980 Arena, the 400 meter outdoor speedskating oval and the Olympic ski jumps.
The organizers call the terrain moderate rolling with some flat and a few steep hills, and place the most significant climbing near the ski jumps on Route 73. The whole course sits between roughly 1,650 and 1,900 feet, high enough to notice the mountain air and nowhere near high enough to change how you train. Twenty six aid stations cover the marathon.
The doubling is what makes it hard. You come back through town at halfway, past the finish area, and then head out to do all of it again while the half marathon field is collecting medals. Runners who've never raced a lapped marathon consistently underestimate what that moment costs them.
How to train for the Lake Placid Marathon
Train for the Lake Placid Marathon by preparing for a short steep climb you'll hit twice, once fresh and once late. That means hill repeats of roughly a third of a mile at marathon effort or a touch above, plus long runs where the hardest climbing is deliberately placed in the final quarter instead of the first.
Underneath that hill the course rolls almost continuously, so train by effort rather than by pace. Get comfortable with splits swinging thirty seconds either side of goal while your breathing stays level. On rolling ground, runners who chase an even number on the watch burn themselves on the climbs and coast the descents, which is exactly backwards.
Then train for solitude. With 374 finishers in 2026 and 293 in 2025, you'll spend long stretches with nobody near you, particularly on the second lap after the half marathon runners have gone home. Do at least three long runs alone at goal effort. Producing your own pace with no one to follow is a skill, and this course will ask for it.
Getting in
No lottery, no qualifying standard. Race day registration is available if the event hasn't sold out, though the organizers push hard for signing up in advance, and moving up from the half to the full costs $25 while downgrading gets you no refund. The real constraint is lodging: Lake Placid is a small mountain town in June, and rooms are the thing to book first.
Where does the Lake Placid Marathon get hard?
The second pass up the Route 73 hill near the ski jumps, which arrives deep in the back half on legs that already climbed it once.
What is the weather like at the Lake Placid Marathon?
Race morning in Lake Placid typically starts around 67F with humidity near 80% and clear skies, climbing to an average high of 72F. That's warm, which surprises people who book a June race in the Adirondacks expecting mountain cool. Get real heat exposure into the last few weeks of training rather than assuming the elevation will take care of it for you.
Is the Lake Placid Marathon a good Boston qualifier?
Lake Placid is a USATF certified Boston qualifying course, but a slow one. Just 2.1% of finishers ran a qualifying time in 2026, down from 5.1% in 2025 and 6.8% in 2024, and the rate hasn't cleared 9% in recent years. Rolling terrain, a hill you climb twice and warm June mornings all work against fast times here.
Is the Lake Placid Marathon a good first marathon?
It can work as a first marathon if your goal is to finish rather than to run a number. The six hour limit, with the course closing at 2 p.m. after an 8 a.m. start, is workable but not generous, and the organizers openly suggest dropping to the half if you don't expect to make it. Rolling terrain and a lapped course both make pacing harder than a first timer expects.
Lake Placid Marathon questions, answered.
Is the Lake Placid Marathon hilly?
Moderately. The organizers describe the course as moderate rolling with some flat and a few steep hills, and the most significant climb sits near the Olympic ski jumps on Route 73, roughly three tenths of a mile long. Marathon runners take that hill twice, because the course is a double out and back.
Is the Lake Placid Marathon a good Boston qualifier?
No, not really. Just 2.1% of Lake Placid Marathon finishers ran a qualifying time in 2026 and 5.1% did in 2025. It's a certified qualifying course, so a time here counts, but the rolling profile, the repeated ski jump hill and warm June weather make it a hard place to actually run one.
How big is the Lake Placid Marathon?
Small. 374 runners finished the marathon in 2026 and 293 finished in 2025, though the weekend as a whole draws between 900 and 2,000 runners across all its distances. Expect long stretches of running alone, especially on the second lap once the half marathon field has already finished.
What is the weather like at the Lake Placid Marathon?
Warmer than most people expect. Mid June mornings in Lake Placid usually start near 67F with humidity around 80%, warming to an average high of 72F under clear skies. The Adirondacks guarantee you nothing. Anyone out past four hours should plan for the warmest part of the day.
Where does the Lake Placid Marathon get hard?
The second pass up the Route 73 hill near the ski jumps, which arrives deep in the back half on legs that already climbed it once.
What is the weather like at the Lake Placid Marathon?
Race morning in Lake Placid typically starts around 67F with humidity near 80% and clear skies, climbing to an average high of 72F. That's warm, which surprises people who book a June race in the Adirondacks expecting mountain cool. Get real heat exposure into the last few weeks of training rather than assuming the elevation will take care of it for you.
Is the Lake Placid Marathon a good Boston qualifier?
Lake Placid is a USATF certified Boston qualifying course, but a slow one. Just 2.1% of finishers ran a qualifying time in 2026, down from 5.1% in 2025 and 6.8% in 2024, and the rate hasn't cleared 9% in recent years. Rolling terrain, a hill you climb twice and warm June mornings all work against fast times here.
Is the Lake Placid Marathon a good first marathon?
It can work as a first marathon if your goal is to finish rather than to run a number. The six hour limit, with the course closing at 2 p.m. after an 8 a.m. start, is workable but not generous, and the organizers openly suggest dropping to the half if you don't expect to make it. Rolling terrain and a lapped course both make pacing harder than a first timer expects.
When should I start training for the Lake Placid Marathon 2027?
Race day is June 13, 2027. Counting back from that date, a 20-week build starts around January 24, 2027, a 16-week build around February 21, 2027, and a 12-week build around March 21, 2027. Already inside that window? Stride maps a plan from today to race day, whatever the runway.
How does Stride's Lake Placid Marathon plan work?
Download the app, pick the Lake Placid 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 June 13, 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 Lake Placid 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.