Med City Marathon training plan: course, start dates, and plan options
Rochester, MNMay 16, 2027
The Med City Marathon puts its hardest climb at mile 20, and the race marks it on its own spectator map with an exclamation point: Third Street and Frontage Road, labeled Big Hill. Everything before it trends downhill off the airport bluffs into Rochester, Minnesota, which is precisely why mile 20 hurts as much as it does.
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The course runs point to point, starting at the Rochester International Event Center southwest of town and finishing downtown near First Avenue and Third Street, in the shadow of the Mayo Clinic. Across the distance it loses about 778 feet and gains about 513, for a net drop of roughly 265 feet.
234 days to race day
Med City Marathon · May 16, 2027 · about 33 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 Med City Marathon 2027
Race day is May 16, 2027, which is 234 days from today. Counting back from that date, here is when each length of build starts.
- 30-week buildStart October 18, 2026
- 24-week buildStart November 29, 2026
- 18-week buildStart January 10, 2027
- 16-week buildStart January 24, 2027
- 12-week buildshortest Stride acceptsStart February 21, 2027
You have about 33 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 May 16, 2027.
Answer a few questions, choose your plan, then create your account and subscribe to start training in Stride.
Med City Marathon course facts
- Course
- Point to Point · Mostly Flat · Road/Pavement
- Elevation gain / loss
- 513 ft gain, 778 ft loss
- Highest / lowest point
- 1,283 ft / 977 ft
- Marathon finishers
- 453 in 2026 (small field)
- Boston qualifier
- Certified Boston qualifying course
- Finishers running a qualifying time
- 8.4% in 2026
- Typical race morning
- 57°F at the start, 75% humidity, clear
- Race day high / low
- 73°F / 51°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 Med City 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 Med City 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: a net descent into Rochester, then Big Hill at mile 20
The Med City Marathon runs point to point from the Rochester International Event Center into downtown Rochester, Minnesota, starting at 7 a.m. Over 26.2 miles it climbs about 513 feet and descends about 778, a net drop near 265 feet. Most of the giving-back happens in one place, the mile 20 climb at Third Street and Frontage Road.
The middle of the race threads Rochester's park system. You pass Bamber Valley School near mile 8, Zumbro South Park at mile 10, Mayo Memorial Park at 12.5, East Park at 14, Quarry Hill at 15, Silver Lake Park at 16, Cook Park at 17, Kutzky Park at 18 and the Cascade Lake area at 19. Then comes the hill.
The last six miles retrace ground you have already run. The John Withers Sports Complex shows up at mile 8.5 and again at 22.5, Zumbro South Park at 10 and again at 24, Broadway at 9th Street SE at 11 and again at 25.5. Passing a landmark you saw two hours earlier, four miles from home, is its own kind of test.
How to train for Med City
Med City asks for two things that pull against each other: quad durability for a 265-foot net descent, and the strength to climb hard at mile 20. Train only for the downhill and Big Hill breaks you. Train only hills and the long descent through the first 19 miles quietly shreds your legs before you ever reach it.
Do both, in that order. From about eight weeks out, put gentle downhill miles into your long runs, 3 to 5 miles at goal pace on a shallow grade, so your quads learn to absorb repeated impact. Then separately, finish two or three long runs with a single hard climb inside the last six miles. Rehearsing the sequence matters more than either piece on its own.
The mid-May date puts your peak weeks in March and April in the Upper Midwest, which is a wind and slush problem more than a heat problem. A 16-week build starts in late January. Get your downhill work in on whatever grade you can find early, because you may be dodging ice on the good hills until March.
Getting in
Registration runs through RunSignup with no qualifying standard. Walk-up registration is available at the Saturday expo but not on race morning, so a last-minute decision has to be made a day early. With 453 marathon finishers in 2026, up from 302 in 2024, this is a small race that has not needed to cap entries.
Where does the Med City Marathon get hard?
Mile 20 at Third Street and Frontage Road, where the course's one real climb arrives after 19 miles of net descent.
What is the weather like at the Med City Marathon?
Mid-May mornings in Rochester tend to be mild and clear. Race-day norms sit around 57F at the start with humidity near 75%, warming toward an average high near 73F. The second half can run noticeably warmer than the first, so practice taking fluid on the move rather than assuming you will finish in start-line conditions.
Is the Med City Marathon a good Boston qualifier?
Med City is a Boston qualifier and the race states it plainly. About 8.4% of finishers ran qualifying times in 2026 and 10% did in 2025, a good rate for a field this size. The course's net drop of roughly 265 feet does not put it in the BAA's net-downhill adjustment, so a time run here stands as run.
Is the Med City Marathon a good first marathon?
Med City makes a friendly first marathon with one caveat. The field is small, 453 finishers in 2026, the course loses more elevation than it gains, and the park sections are pleasant running. The caveat is the mile 20 hill, which is a hard place to meet your first real low point. Practice climbing late in long runs.
Med City Marathon questions, answered.
How hard is the Med City Marathon course?
Moderate, with a sting late. Med City loses about 778 feet and gains about 513 on a point-to-point route into Rochester, so it runs net downhill, but the race's own map marks a Big Hill at mile 20 where Third Street meets Frontage Road. That climb is where the race gets decided.
Where does the Med City Marathon start and finish?
It starts at the Rochester International Event Center southwest of Rochester, Minnesota, at 7 a.m., and finishes downtown near First Avenue and Third Street. It is point to point, so plan race-morning logistics and your gear drop around finishing somewhere different from where you parked.
Is Med City a good Boston qualifying race?
It qualifies well for its size. About 8.4% of Med City Marathon finishers ran Boston qualifying times in 2026 and 10% did in 2025. It is an official Boston qualifier, and its roughly 265-foot net drop does not trigger the BAA's net-downhill adjustment, so the clock is the clock.
What is the Big Hill at the Med City Marathon?
It is the climb at Third Street and Frontage Road, right at mile 20, and the race labels it Big Hill on its own spectator map. After 19 miles of mostly descending terrain through Rochester's parks, it arrives at the point where most marathons already feel hard. Train climbs into the closing miles of long runs.
Where does the Med City Marathon get hard?
Mile 20 at Third Street and Frontage Road, where the course's one real climb arrives after 19 miles of net descent.
What is the weather like at the Med City Marathon?
Mid-May mornings in Rochester tend to be mild and clear. Race-day norms sit around 57F at the start with humidity near 75%, warming toward an average high near 73F. The second half can run noticeably warmer than the first, so practice taking fluid on the move rather than assuming you will finish in start-line conditions.
Is the Med City Marathon a good Boston qualifier?
Med City is a Boston qualifier and the race states it plainly. About 8.4% of finishers ran qualifying times in 2026 and 10% did in 2025, a good rate for a field this size. The course's net drop of roughly 265 feet does not put it in the BAA's net-downhill adjustment, so a time run here stands as run.
Is the Med City Marathon a good first marathon?
Med City makes a friendly first marathon with one caveat. The field is small, 453 finishers in 2026, the course loses more elevation than it gains, and the park sections are pleasant running. The caveat is the mile 20 hill, which is a hard place to meet your first real low point. Practice climbing late in long runs.
When should I start training for the Med City Marathon 2027?
Race day is May 16, 2027. Counting back from that date, a 20-week build starts around December 27, 2026, a 16-week build around January 24, 2027, and a 12-week build around February 21, 2027. Already inside that window? Stride maps a plan from today to race day, whatever the runway.
How does Stride's Med City Marathon plan work?
Download the app, pick the Med City 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 May 16, 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 Med City 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.