Long Beach Marathon training plan: course, start dates, and plan options
Long Beach, CAOctober 10, 2027
The Long Beach Marathon starts at 5:30 in the morning, which tells you what the organizers are worried about. The course tops out around 83 feet above sea level and never really climbs, so what decides your race here is October heat on the Southern California coast rather than anything in the terrain.
Answer a few questions, choose your plan, then create your account and subscribe to start training in Stride.
It's a big race and getting bigger: 4,722 finishers in 2025, up from 2,527 in 2023. The route runs through downtown past the Queen Mary and Shoreline Village, out along the beach path beside the Pacific, through Belmont Shore and Marine Stadium, loops the Cal State Long Beach campus late, then comes back to Ocean Boulevard for the finish.
381 days to race day
Long Beach Marathon · October 10, 2027 · about 54 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 Long Beach Marathon 2027
Race day is October 10, 2027, which is 381 days from today. Counting back from that date, here is when each length of build starts.
- 30-week buildStart March 14, 2027
- 24-week buildStart April 25, 2027
- 18-week buildStart June 6, 2027
- 16-week buildStart June 20, 2027
- 12-week buildshortest Stride acceptsStart July 18, 2027
You have about 54 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 October 10, 2027.
Answer a few questions, choose your plan, then create your account and subscribe to start training in Stride.
Long Beach Marathon course facts
- Course
- Loop · Mostly Flat · Road/Pavement
- Elevation gain / loss
- 470 ft gain, 462 ft loss
- Highest / lowest point
- 83 ft / 5 ft
- Marathon finishers
- 4,722 in 2025 (large field)
- Boston qualifier
- Certified Boston qualifying course
- Finishers running a qualifying time
- 4.8% in 2025
- Typical race morning
- 62°F at the start, 86% humidity, clear
- Race day high / low
- 79°F / 58°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 Long Beach 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 Long Beach 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: sea level, an ocean path, and a campus loop late
The Long Beach Marathon starts at 5:30 a.m. at Shoreline Drive and Shoreline Village Drive and finishes a few blocks away at Shoreline Drive and Linden Avenue. The course runs between about 5 and 83 feet above sea level with roughly 470 feet of climbing across 26.2 miles, so there's no hill on it worth naming.
The sequence matters more than the profile. Downtown first, then the Queen Mary and Shoreline Village, then the flat beach path along the Pacific, then Belmont Shore and Marine Stadium, then a loop of the Cal State Long Beach campus late in the race before turning back toward Ocean Boulevard. Aid stations sit at miles 2, 4.5, 6, 8, 10, 11.5, 13, 14.5, 16.5, 18, 19, 20, 22, 23.5 and 25, with gels at 10, 16.5 and 20.
Two things follow from that. The beach path is exposed and the sun comes up while you're on it, so the temperature you started in is not the temperature you'll be racing in. And with 4,722 finishers in 2025, the early miles on a path are crowded, which means your first two or three splits are only partly yours to choose.
How to train for the Long Beach Marathon
Train for the Long Beach Marathon as a heat race on flat ground. October race mornings here start near 62F with humidity around 86% and the day climbs to an average high close to 79F, so the limiting factor is how well you shed heat, not how strong your legs are. Acclimation in the eight weeks before race day matters more than hill repeats ever will.
In practice that means running some long runs in the warm part of the day on purpose instead of always at dawn. Two or three warm exposures a week for three to four weeks is enough to change how early and how much you sweat. Build your fluid plan around the actual aid station spacing here, which is generous in the second half, with the longest carry being the 2.5 miles between the first two stops.
Then train the flat itself. A course with 470 feet of total climbing and nothing to descend gives your legs the same stride for three or four hours, which is its own kind of damage. Do long runs on genuinely flat ground rather than rolling routes, practice holding goal pace when the terrain never changes, and finish one long run every couple of weeks with three hard miles to rehearse the campus loop late.
Getting in
Long Beach has no lottery and doesn't typically sell out early, though the field has grown fast, from 1,936 finishers in 2022 to 4,722 in 2025. Registration runs through the race's own site and prices step up as race weekend gets closer. Book a room near Shoreline Village if you can, because a 5:30 a.m. start makes a long pre race drive genuinely miserable.
Where does the Long Beach Marathon get hard?
The stretch from the Cal State Long Beach campus loop back toward Ocean Boulevard, late in the race, once the morning has warmed and there's no terrain change left to break the rhythm.
What is the weather like at the Long Beach Marathon?
Race morning in Long Beach typically starts near 62F with humidity around 86%, clear skies and almost no wind, and the day climbs to an average high near 79F. That's warm for a marathon, and it's the reason the gun goes at 5:30 a.m. Anyone out past four hours finishes in real heat, so build heat tolerance deliberately instead of hoping for a cool October.
Is the Long Beach Marathon a good Boston qualifier?
Long Beach is a Boston eligible certified course, and its net elevation change of about 8 feet means no downhill adjustment applies. Qualifying rates are modest though: 4.8% of finishers ran qualifying times in 2025 and 3.8% in 2024, with a high of 8.9% in 2023. Flat doesn't mean fast when the average high is close to 79F.
Is the Long Beach Marathon a good first marathon?
It's a good first marathon on paper and a warm one in practice. The course is flat, the field is large, the course stays open 7.5 hours and the cutoff pace is a genuinely forgiving 17 minutes per mile. The catch is that a first timer out for five or six hours is running through the hottest part of the morning, so heat training isn't optional here.
Long Beach Marathon questions, answered.
Is the Long Beach Marathon flat?
Yes, genuinely. The Long Beach Marathon runs between roughly 5 and 83 feet above sea level with about 470 feet of total climbing and a net change of around 8 feet. There's no named hill on the course. The difficulty here is October heat and the sameness of unvarying terrain, not elevation.
What time does the Long Beach Marathon start, and why so early?
The marathon starts at 5:30 a.m. at Shoreline Drive and Shoreline Village Drive. The early gun is about heat. Race mornings average near 62F at the line and the day climbs toward an average high close to 79F, so every hour you save at the front of the race is an hour of cooler running.
Is the Long Beach Marathon a good Boston qualifier?
It's eligible but not especially productive. 4.8% of finishers ran Boston qualifying times in 2025 and 3.8% in 2024, with a high of 8.9% in 2023. The course is certified and flat with about 8 feet of net change, so no downhill adjustment applies. Warm conditions are the limiter, not the terrain.
How crowded is the Long Beach Marathon?
Busy at the front end. 4,722 runners finished in 2025, nearly double the 2,527 who finished in 2023, and the early miles include a beach path section where passing is limited. Seed yourself honestly and accept that your first two or three splits may come in slower than planned.
Where does the Long Beach Marathon get hard?
The stretch from the Cal State Long Beach campus loop back toward Ocean Boulevard, late in the race, once the morning has warmed and there's no terrain change left to break the rhythm.
What is the weather like at the Long Beach Marathon?
Race morning in Long Beach typically starts near 62F with humidity around 86%, clear skies and almost no wind, and the day climbs to an average high near 79F. That's warm for a marathon, and it's the reason the gun goes at 5:30 a.m. Anyone out past four hours finishes in real heat, so build heat tolerance deliberately instead of hoping for a cool October.
Is the Long Beach Marathon a good Boston qualifier?
Long Beach is a Boston eligible certified course, and its net elevation change of about 8 feet means no downhill adjustment applies. Qualifying rates are modest though: 4.8% of finishers ran qualifying times in 2025 and 3.8% in 2024, with a high of 8.9% in 2023. Flat doesn't mean fast when the average high is close to 79F.
Is the Long Beach Marathon a good first marathon?
It's a good first marathon on paper and a warm one in practice. The course is flat, the field is large, the course stays open 7.5 hours and the cutoff pace is a genuinely forgiving 17 minutes per mile. The catch is that a first timer out for five or six hours is running through the hottest part of the morning, so heat training isn't optional here.
When should I start training for the Long Beach Marathon 2027?
Race day is October 10, 2027. Counting back from that date, a 20-week build starts around May 23, 2027, a 16-week build around June 20, 2027, and a 12-week build around July 18, 2027. Already inside that window? Stride maps a plan from today to race day, whatever the runway.
How does Stride's Long Beach Marathon plan work?
Download the app, pick the Long Beach 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 October 10, 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 Long Beach Marathon buildup is months of your life. See how Stride compares before you commit it to an app.
Find your plan.
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