Mesa Falls Marathon training plan: course, start dates, and plan options
Ashton, IDJuly 17, 2027
The Mesa Falls Marathon hands you a 300 foot climb over 2.8 miles starting at mile 17, after the course has already been dropping you toward Ashton. It's a point to point through the Targhee National Forest that loses about 1,650 feet and gains around 790, a net drop near 860, and it puts its one real climb exactly where a marathon starts to hurt.
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Then add altitude. The course runs between roughly 5,250 and 6,230 feet, so if you live low, your easy effort will feel like tempo in the opening miles. 155 people finished in 2026 and 129 in 2025, so this is a small race in a very large forest, and long stretches of it are run alone.
296 days to race day
Mesa Falls Marathon · July 17, 2027 · about 42 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 Mesa Falls Marathon 2027
Race day is July 17, 2027, which is 296 days from today. Counting back from that date, here is when each length of build starts.
- 30-week buildStart December 19, 2026
- 24-week buildStart January 30, 2027
- 18-week buildStart March 13, 2027
- 16-week buildStart March 27, 2027
- 12-week buildshortest Stride acceptsStart April 24, 2027
You have about 42 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 17, 2027.
Answer a few questions, choose your plan, then create your account and subscribe to start training in Stride.
Mesa Falls Marathon course facts
- Course
- Point to Point · Downhill · Road/Pavement
- Elevation gain / loss
- 793 ft gain, 1,654 ft loss
- Net elevation drop
- About 861 ft lower at the finish than the start
- Highest / lowest point
- 6,232 ft / 5,254 ft
- Marathon finishers
- 155 in 2026 (very small field)
- Boston qualifier
- Not a certified Boston qualifying course
- Finishers running a qualifying time
- 8.8% in 2023
- Typical race morning
- 50°F at the start, 76% humidity, clear
- Race day high / low
- 83°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 Mesa Falls 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 Mesa Falls 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 descent through the Targhee, then the Warm River grade
The Mesa Falls Marathon starts on Idaho Highway 47, the Mesa Falls Scenic Byway, in the Targhee National Forest near the headwaters of the Warm River, and finishes at North Fremont High School in Ashton. It's mostly paved and point to point, dropping about 860 feet net between roughly 6,230 and 5,250 feet above sea level.
The named landmarks mark the shape of the race. You pass the Lower Mesa Falls scenic overlook above Henry's Fork of the Snake River, duck under the road through a short tunnel by the Bear Gulch parking area, run past the Warm River Campground, and cross Robison Creek at mile 17. Robison Creek is where the climbing starts.
From there the organizers put it at 300 feet in 2.8 miles on the Warm River grade, so miles 17 through 19.9 go up steadily. That's a modest hill in isolation. It is not modest after 17 descending miles at 6,000 feet, and it lands at the exact point in a marathon where most people have already started negotiating with themselves.
One detail you won't find on most road marathons: the organizers warn about bears and cougars on the course page, since this is Yellowstone country.
How to train for the Mesa Falls Marathon
Train for the Mesa Falls Marathon by building eccentric quad durability first and a late climb second. The course loses about 1,650 feet, and downhill running damages muscle in a way flat running doesn't. Runners who train flat roads and race a long descent get quads that stop answering around mile 19, no matter how fit they are.
So run downhill on purpose and start early. Add a mile or two of moderate downhill at goal effort into a long run from about week four of your build, then extend it. Don't sprint the descents. You want a quick, light stride with your feet landing under you, which is the same skill that lets you keep the free speed here without paying for it later.
Then rehearse the actual sequence: descend, then climb. Every two or three weeks, run 10 to 14 miles including real descending and finish with a 20 to 25 minute steady climb. That's the Warm River grade in miniature, and it's the single most transferable session you can do for this course.
If you live low, treat the altitude honestly. Come in either a couple of weeks early or the day before, plan on your race effort feeling harder at the same pace, and resist chasing your sea level splits in the first 5 miles just because the course feels generous.
Getting in
Getting in isn't the hard part. With 155 finishers in 2026, 129 in 2025 and 167 in 2024, this race doesn't sell out the way a big city marathon does, and the organizers have offered in person registration on race day once online entry closes. Sign up early anyway, so you're committed to the build rather than deciding in July.
Where does the Mesa Falls Marathon get hard?
Miles 17 to 19.9 on the Warm River grade, a 300 foot climb over 2.8 miles that arrives after your quads have already absorbed most of the descent.
What is the weather like at the Mesa Falls Marathon?
Race morning here has averaged around 50F at the start with humidity near 76% and clear skies, while the day climbs to an average high near 83F. That's a cold wait in a forest and a genuinely warm finish down in Ashton for anyone out past four hours. Do some long runs in the heat of the day rather than only at dawn, and pack throwaway layers for the start line.
Is the Mesa Falls Marathon a good Boston qualifier?
The Mesa Falls Marathon isn't listed as a Boston eligible course, and with a net drop near 860 feet it sits squarely in the territory the BAA's downhill rules address. Around 8.8% of finishers ran times under a Boston standard in 2023 and 8.2% in 2022, but a fast time on a course the BAA doesn't accept won't get you to Hopkinton. Confirm the current position with the BAA before choosing this as a qualifier.
Is the Mesa Falls Marathon a good first marathon?
It's a hard first marathon, and not because of the profile. Altitude, a long descent that will wreck untrained quads, a climb at mile 17 and a field of 155 finishers in 2026 mean you'll spend much of the day alone at a pace that feels wrong. If it's your first, come for the forest rather than for a time.
Mesa Falls Marathon questions, answered.
Is the Mesa Falls Marathon a downhill race?
Mostly. The course loses about 1,650 feet and gains around 790 between the Targhee National Forest and Ashton, for a net drop near 860 feet. What separates it from a pure descent is the climb: 300 feet over 2.8 miles starting at mile 17, on the Warm River grade.
How high is the Mesa Falls Marathon course?
It runs between roughly 5,250 and 6,230 feet above sea level. That's high enough that sea level runners will notice, particularly in the opening miles when the descent tempts you into a pace you can't hold. Plan on a higher perceived effort for the same speed all the way to the finish.
Does the Mesa Falls Marathon count for Boston?
It isn't listed as a Boston eligible course, and its net drop of about 860 feet puts it in the territory the BAA's downhill rules address. Around 8.8% of finishers ran times under a Boston standard in 2023, but eligibility is the BAA's call. Confirm with them before entering for that reason.
Is the Mesa Falls Marathon a big race?
No, it's small. 155 runners finished the marathon in 2026, 129 in 2025 and 167 in 2024. You'll have a forest road largely to yourself for long stretches, which some runners love and others find genuinely hard. If you need people around you to hold a pace, practice running alone first.
Where does the Mesa Falls Marathon get hard?
Miles 17 to 19.9 on the Warm River grade, a 300 foot climb over 2.8 miles that arrives after your quads have already absorbed most of the descent.
What is the weather like at the Mesa Falls Marathon?
Race morning here has averaged around 50F at the start with humidity near 76% and clear skies, while the day climbs to an average high near 83F. That's a cold wait in a forest and a genuinely warm finish down in Ashton for anyone out past four hours. Do some long runs in the heat of the day rather than only at dawn, and pack throwaway layers for the start line.
Is the Mesa Falls Marathon a good Boston qualifier?
The Mesa Falls Marathon isn't listed as a Boston eligible course, and with a net drop near 860 feet it sits squarely in the territory the BAA's downhill rules address. Around 8.8% of finishers ran times under a Boston standard in 2023 and 8.2% in 2022, but a fast time on a course the BAA doesn't accept won't get you to Hopkinton. Confirm the current position with the BAA before choosing this as a qualifier.
Is the Mesa Falls Marathon a good first marathon?
It's a hard first marathon, and not because of the profile. Altitude, a long descent that will wreck untrained quads, a climb at mile 17 and a field of 155 finishers in 2026 mean you'll spend much of the day alone at a pace that feels wrong. If it's your first, come for the forest rather than for a time.
When should I start training for the Mesa Falls Marathon 2027?
Race day is July 17, 2027. Counting back from that date, a 20-week build starts around February 27, 2027, a 16-week build around March 27, 2027, and a 12-week build around April 24, 2027. Already inside that window? Stride maps a plan from today to race day, whatever the runway.
How does Stride's Mesa Falls Marathon plan work?
Download the app, pick the Mesa Falls 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 17, 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 Mesa Falls 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.