Miami Marathon training plan: course, start dates, and plan options
Miami, FLJanuary 31, 2027
The Life Time Miami Marathon is one of the flattest certified courses in the country and one of the harder places on the calendar to run a fast time. The whole route sits between 1 and 35 feet above sea level with 254 feet of climbing. In 2026, 1.7 percent of finishers ran a Boston qualifying time.
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The reason is not the terrain. It is the air. Race morning at the end of January has averaged 66 degrees with 80 percent humidity under clear skies, warming toward a daily high near 77. You are running a pancake of a course in conditions that quietly add minutes to everyone's day.
129 days to race day
Miami Marathon · January 31, 2027 · about 18 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 Miami Marathon 2027
Race day is January 31, 2027, which is 129 days from today. Counting back from that date, here is when each length of build starts.
- 30-week buildWindow has passed
- 24-week buildWindow has passed
- 18-week buildStart September 27, 2026
- 16-week buildStart October 11, 2026
- 12-week buildshortest Stride acceptsStart November 8, 2026
You have about 18 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 January 31, 2027.
Answer a few questions, choose your plan, then create your account and subscribe to start training in Stride.
Miami Marathon course facts
- Course
- Loop · Mostly Flat · Road/Pavement
- Elevation gain / loss
- 254 ft gain, 253 ft loss
- Highest / lowest point
- 35 ft / 1 ft
- Marathon finishers
- 3,251 in 2026 (large field)
- Boston qualifier
- Certified Boston qualifying course
- Finishers running a qualifying time
- 1.7% in 2026
- Typical race morning
- 66°F at the start, 80% humidity, clear
- Race day high / low
- 77°F / 59°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 Miami 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 Miami 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: causeways over Biscayne Bay
The Life Time Miami Marathon is a flat single loop finishing at Bayfront Park in downtown Miami, with 254 feet of total climbing and a course that never rises more than 35 feet above sea level. The organizers describe a certified, Boston qualifying route that crosses Biscayne Bay on causeways and shares its finish line with the half marathon.
The organizer's course notes name the MacArthur, Venetian, Julia Tuttle and Rickenbacker causeways, and they flag the rough spots by mile: a narrow construction area at 0.2, a sharp turn at 3.6, speed bumps at 3.9 and again at 22, and uneven road at 13.3 and 14.9. Those causeway ramps are the only elevation on the course. They are also where you are most exposed to sun and to wind coming off the bay.
How to train for Miami
Training for the Life Time Miami Marathon is heat work, not hill work. Race morning averages 66 degrees and 80 percent humidity, and most runners building for a late January race are doing it through a northern winter. Do every long run in cold air and the first warm mile of the race is a shock you cannot take back.
Overdress deliberately for two long runs a week through the last six weeks, or run them indoors with the heat turned up. Then set an honest pace. A flat course is not a fast day when the dew point is high, so plan a goal pace 20 to 40 seconds per mile slower than your cold-weather fitness suggests and treat anything quicker as a bonus. Practice drinking at every station, because the 254 feet of climbing on those causeway ramps will not tire you out. The fluid loss will.
Getting in
Registration is open entry with no qualifying time, handled at themiamimarathon.com. The marathon carries a seven hour limit measured from the start of the final wave, which works out to 16 minutes per mile, and on-course support ends after that. If you are traveling in from a cold climate, arriving two or three days early is worth the money for the heat exposure alone.
Where does the Miami Marathon get hard?
Mile 22, where the organizers flag the second set of speed bumps, the sun is fully up, and three hours of humidity have already taken more out of you than a flat profile suggests.
What is the weather like at the Miami Marathon?
Race morning in Miami at the end of January has averaged 66 degrees with 80 percent humidity, clear skies and a north wind near 6 mph, and the day climbs toward a high around 77. That is warm for a marathon and the sun is up for nearly all of it. Train with deliberate heat exposure and arrive with a pace target set for the conditions rather than for your best cold-weather workout.
Is the Miami Marathon a good Boston qualifier?
Miami is a certified Boston qualifier, but very few people actually qualify here. 1.7 percent of finishers ran a qualifying time in 2026 and 1.5 percent in 2025, down from 5.5 percent in 2022. The course is flat enough for anything. The weather is what stops people. If a qualifying time is the only goal of your season, this is a poor choice of race.
Is the Miami Marathon a good first marathon?
Miami is a good first marathon for anyone who is not chasing a time. The course is flat, the field of 3,251 finishers in 2026 is large, the seven hour limit is generous, and the finish at Bayfront Park is a genuine payoff. Go in with a conservative plan, because the humidity is brutal on first-timers who race on feel.
Miami Marathon questions, answered.
Is the Miami Marathon a fast course?
It is a flat course, which is not the same thing. The Life Time Miami Marathon sits between 1 and 35 feet above sea level with only 254 feet of climbing, but race morning averages 66 degrees and 80 percent humidity. The terrain is fast and the air is slow, and the air usually wins the argument.
How hot is the Miami Marathon?
Race morning at the end of January has averaged 66 degrees with 80 percent humidity under clear skies, warming toward a daily high near 77. The sun is up for most of the race and the causeway crossings offer no shade at all. Runners coming from cold climates should build deliberate heat exposure into the final six weeks.
Where does the Miami Marathon get hard?
Around mile 22, where the organizers flag a second set of speed bumps and the sun is fully up. By then you have crossed Biscayne Bay, the humidity has been working on you for three hours or more, and there is no hill to blame. The last four miles are where this course collects its bill.
Is the Miami Marathon a good first marathon?
Yes, if you are running it to finish rather than to race it. The course is flat, the field is large, the seven hour limit is generous, and it ends at Bayfront Park. The heat is the entire risk, so set a pace you could hold a conversation at and let the rest of the day come to you.
Where does the Miami Marathon get hard?
Mile 22, where the organizers flag the second set of speed bumps, the sun is fully up, and three hours of humidity have already taken more out of you than a flat profile suggests.
What is the weather like at the Miami Marathon?
Race morning in Miami at the end of January has averaged 66 degrees with 80 percent humidity, clear skies and a north wind near 6 mph, and the day climbs toward a high around 77. That is warm for a marathon and the sun is up for nearly all of it. Train with deliberate heat exposure and arrive with a pace target set for the conditions rather than for your best cold-weather workout.
Is the Miami Marathon a good Boston qualifier?
Miami is a certified Boston qualifier, but very few people actually qualify here. 1.7 percent of finishers ran a qualifying time in 2026 and 1.5 percent in 2025, down from 5.5 percent in 2022. The course is flat enough for anything. The weather is what stops people. If a qualifying time is the only goal of your season, this is a poor choice of race.
Is the Miami Marathon a good first marathon?
Miami is a good first marathon for anyone who is not chasing a time. The course is flat, the field of 3,251 finishers in 2026 is large, the seven hour limit is generous, and the finish at Bayfront Park is a genuine payoff. Go in with a conservative plan, because the humidity is brutal on first-timers who race on feel.
When should I start training for the Miami Marathon 2027?
Race day is January 31, 2027. Counting back from that date, a 20-week build starts around September 13, 2026, a 16-week build around October 11, 2026, and a 12-week build around November 8, 2026. Already inside that window? Stride maps a plan from today to race day, whatever the runway.
How does Stride's Miami Marathon plan work?
Download the app, pick the Miami 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 January 31, 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 Miami 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.