Los Angeles Marathon Training Plan, Matched to You
Los Angeles, CAMarch 7, 2027
LA runs its marathon like a studio tour with a start cannon: the Stadium to the Stars course leaves Dodger Stadium and rolls point-to-point through downtown, Echo Park, Hollywood, the Sunset Strip, and Beverly Hills before finishing among the towers of Century City.
It’s a genuinely fun course with two honest personality traits: it rolls more than out-of-towners expect, and March in Southern California can serve up real heat. Stride matches you to a plan for your experience and maps every week from today to race day.
230 days to race day
Los Angeles Marathon · March 7, 2027 · about 32 weeks out
Most Stride plans run 12 to 20 weeks. Wherever you are in the window, Stride maps your plan from today to the start line, never from an idealized week one.
14 plans. One that fits how you’ll get to Los Angeles.
Stride’s marathon plans are built on the most proven training methodologies in the sport, from run-walk first finishes to high-mileage qualifying builds. Stride doesn’t hand you a template; it matches your experience, mileage, and schedule to the plan a coach would have picked, then maps every week from today to race day at the Los Angeles 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.
Not sure which one is yours? That’s what Stride is for. Download the app and get matched and it picks for you.
The course: Dodger Stadium to Century City
The route is a rolling tour of the city's greatest hits: out of Dodger Stadium and through downtown's early climbs, past Echo Park, up into Hollywood and the Walk of Fame, along the Sunset Strip through West Hollywood, past Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, and home to Century City. Net elevation drops from start to finish, but it drops in waves: short climbs and descents keep coming most of the day.
Crowd energy tracks the neighborhoods: loud in Hollywood and West Hollywood, steady elsewhere. The late miles trend gently downhill, which is a gift: if your quads trained for rollers, the finish comes to you.
How to train for LA
Two priorities: rollers and warmth. Put rolling terrain in your long runs so repeated short climbs at fatigue are familiar, and get some warm-weather running in late in your buildup; a March race in LA can be cool and gray or genuinely hot, and heat on race day punishes anyone who never practiced in it.
A March marathon means a winter buildup, and for most of the country that's the reverse of the usual problem: you train in cold and race in warmth. Run some long runs overdressed, practice drinking more than winter makes you want to, and plan race pacing by effort in case the sun shows up.
Getting in
Open registration: no lottery, no qualifying standards. Register once you commit to the buildup; pricing tiers typically rise as race day approaches.
Los Angeles Marathon questions, answered.
How long do I need to train for the LA Marathon?
Most Stride marathon plans run 12 to 20 weeks, which for a March race means a winter buildup. Get matched in the app and Stride maps every week from today to Dodger Stadium.
Is the LA Marathon course hilly?
Rolling more than hilly: a net downhill from Dodger Stadium to Century City, delivered in waves of short climbs and descents through the first half especially. Train rolling terrain and the profile works in your favor.
How hot does the LA Marathon get?
It varies wildly: March in LA can be cool and overcast or genuinely hot by mid-morning. Train some warm-weather runs late in your buildup and plan to pace by effort so a sunny day doesn't wreck your race.
Is LA a good first marathon?
Yes: open registration, famous scenery that keeps your mind busy, and big-city support. Tell Stride it's your first and you'll get a conservative first-finish build with the rollers accounted for.
Your race is the center of everything.
Every week between now and your start line, planned. Download Stride and start training today.
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