Mad Marathon training plan: course, start dates, and plan options
Waitsfield, VTJuly 11, 2027
The Mad Marathon runs the back roads and dirt roads of Vermont's Mad River Valley in the middle of July, climbing and descending more than 2,100 feet past covered bridges, hill farms and Green Mountain views. The first serious climb starts about a mile in on Joslin Hill Road, before most runners have settled into anything at all.
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Around 290 people finished in 2026 and the field has sat between 166 and 290 over the past six years. This is a small race and it is unapologetic about it. You are going to run a lot of it alone, on roads with cows on one side and a view on the other, and the pace on your watch will bear very little relation to the effort in your legs.
289 days to race day
Mad Marathon · July 11, 2027 · about 41 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 Mad Marathon 2027
Race day is July 11, 2027, which is 289 days from today. Counting back from that date, here is when each length of build starts.
- 30-week buildStart December 13, 2026
- 24-week buildStart January 24, 2027
- 18-week buildStart March 7, 2027
- 16-week buildStart March 21, 2027
- 12-week buildshortest Stride acceptsStart April 18, 2027
You have about 41 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 11, 2027.
Answer a few questions, choose your plan, then create your account and subscribe to start training in Stride.
Mad Marathon course facts
- Course
- Mostly Out and Back · Hilly · Mostly on Road/Pavement
- Elevation gain / loss
- 2,134 ft gain, 2,133 ft loss
- Highest / lowest point
- 1,514 ft / 639 ft
- Marathon finishers
- 290 in 2026 (very small field)
- Boston qualifier
- Certified Boston qualifying course
- Finishers running a qualifying time
- 3.1% in 2026
- Typical race morning
- 62°F at the start, 83% humidity, clear
- Race day high / low
- 78°F / 56°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 Mad 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 Mad 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: 2,100 feet of Vermont hill farm
The Mad Marathon is a genuinely hilly out-and-back through the Mad River Valley, with roughly 2,134 feet of climbing and an almost identical amount of descent, running between about 639 and 1,514 feet of elevation. It leaves Waitsfield on Route 100 for the first half mile or so and then turns uphill onto Joslin Hill Road while your legs are still cold.
From there it works through North Road, the Pine Brook Covered Bridge, Meadow Road and dirt sections past the valley's farms, with a turnaround out by Carpenter Farm a little after mile 6. The long rolling middle runs along East Warren Road from roughly mile 12 to mile 19, and the return drops back toward Waitsfield village and a finish on Bridge Street. Part of the route is unpaved, so footing and pace both vary more than a road marathon normally asks of you.
How to train for the Mad Marathon
Train for the Mad Marathon on hills and on dirt, in the heat, and then throw your goal splits away. A course with about 2,134 feet of climbing and matching descent in mid-July weather is run by effort rather than by pace, and the first climb arrives roughly a mile in, before you are warm enough to judge either.
Two specifics matter more than anything else. Run repeated downhills in training, not only climbs, because 2,133 feet of descent on quads that have practiced going up will fail you somewhere on East Warren Road. And get onto gravel or dirt for part of your long runs so your ankles and feet have met loose, uneven ground before mile 20 asks them to. Start a few long runs with a climb in the first mile as well, so going uphill on cold legs is something you have already survived.
Getting in
Entry is online through the race's own site, with separate marathon and marathon walker options, and the walker entry was listed at $135. With a field in the low hundreds this is not a race that vanishes in an afternoon, though a July weekend in a Vermont resort valley makes lodging the harder booking of the two. Start and finish are both in Waitsfield village, which keeps the morning simple. Course cutoff times are not published in the material available, so confirm them with the organizer if you expect to be out past six hours.
Where does the Mad Marathon get hard?
East Warren Road, roughly miles 12 to 19, where more than 2,000 feet of accumulated climbing and descent runs into the hottest part of a July morning.
What is the weather like at the Mad Marathon?
A July start here is usually around 62F with humidity near 83%, and the day climbs toward a high near 78F while you are still on the course. On a clear morning the open farm road sections warm up fast and there is not much shade to duck into. Build heat tolerance through June and plan your fluids around a race that gets hotter every hour you are out on it.
Is the Mad Marathon a good Boston qualifier?
Do not pick this as your qualifier. It is a Boston-eligible course, but 3.1% of finishers ran qualifying times in 2026 and only 1.2% did in 2025. Between the climbing and the July heat, most runners here finish well outside what they could run on a flat, cool course, and that is the honest expectation to bring.
Is the Mad Marathon a good first marathon?
Only if finishing rather than timing is the point. The climbing, the dirt sections and the mid-July heat make this a demanding first marathon, and the small field means long solo stretches. Runners who want a beautiful, low-key first marathon and are willing to walk the steep parts do fine. Anyone chasing a number should start somewhere flatter.
Mad Marathon questions, answered.
How hard is the Mad Marathon?
Hard. The course climbs roughly 2,134 feet and descends the same amount, on back roads and dirt roads between about 639 and 1,514 feet of elevation, in mid-July. Expect to finish well outside your flat-course time, and expect the descents to punish your quads as much as the climbs punish your lungs.
Is the Mad Marathon on dirt roads?
Partly. The organizer describes the route as back roads and dirt roads through the Mad River Valley, with unpaved sections past the valley's farms alongside paved stretches on Route 100, Joslin Hill Road and East Warren Road. Run some long training miles on gravel so loose footing at mile 20 is familiar rather than alarming.
Where does the Mad Marathon get hard?
In two places. The first climb starts about a mile in on Joslin Hill Road, before you are warm, and the rolling stretch along East Warren Road from roughly mile 12 to mile 19 is where accumulated climbing meets the hottest part of a July morning. The drop back into Waitsfield is the reward.
Is the Mad Marathon a big race?
No, and that is much of the appeal. Around 290 runners finished in 2026, and the field has run between 166 and 290 over the last six years. You get a village start, farm roads with almost nobody on them, and long stretches where the company is Vermont cows and the occasional volunteer.
Where does the Mad Marathon get hard?
East Warren Road, roughly miles 12 to 19, where more than 2,000 feet of accumulated climbing and descent runs into the hottest part of a July morning.
What is the weather like at the Mad Marathon?
A July start here is usually around 62F with humidity near 83%, and the day climbs toward a high near 78F while you are still on the course. On a clear morning the open farm road sections warm up fast and there is not much shade to duck into. Build heat tolerance through June and plan your fluids around a race that gets hotter every hour you are out on it.
Is the Mad Marathon a good Boston qualifier?
Do not pick this as your qualifier. It is a Boston-eligible course, but 3.1% of finishers ran qualifying times in 2026 and only 1.2% did in 2025. Between the climbing and the July heat, most runners here finish well outside what they could run on a flat, cool course, and that is the honest expectation to bring.
Is the Mad Marathon a good first marathon?
Only if finishing rather than timing is the point. The climbing, the dirt sections and the mid-July heat make this a demanding first marathon, and the small field means long solo stretches. Runners who want a beautiful, low-key first marathon and are willing to walk the steep parts do fine. Anyone chasing a number should start somewhere flatter.
When should I start training for the Mad Marathon 2027?
Race day is July 11, 2027. Counting back from that date, a 20-week build starts around February 21, 2027, a 16-week build around March 21, 2027, and a 12-week build around April 18, 2027. Already inside that window? Stride maps a plan from today to race day, whatever the runway.
How does Stride's Mad Marathon plan work?
Download the app, pick the Mad 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 11, 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 Mad 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.