Myrtle Beach Marathon training plan: course, start dates, and plan options
Myrtle Beach, SCMarch 6, 2027
The Myrtle Beach Marathon runs its entire 26.2 miles between about 5 and 41 feet above sea level. There is no hill on this course, no bridge worth the name, and no descent. It starts at 6:35 a.m. in the parking lot at the Pelicans ballpark on 21st Avenue North and works its way along Kings Highway and Ocean Boulevard with the Atlantic a block away for long stretches.
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A course this flat moves the difficulty somewhere else. With roughly 283 feet of climbing spread across the whole race, nothing about the terrain will change your stride, and the one variable that can genuinely reshape your day is wind coming off the water on exposed coastal road.
163 days to race day
Myrtle Beach Marathon · March 6, 2027 · about 23 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 Myrtle Beach Marathon 2027
Race day is March 6, 2027, which is 163 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 October 31, 2026
- 16-week buildStart November 14, 2026
- 12-week buildshortest Stride acceptsStart December 12, 2026
You have about 23 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 March 6, 2027.
Answer a few questions, choose your plan, then create your account and subscribe to start training in Stride.
Myrtle Beach Marathon course facts
- Course
- Loop · Very Flat · Road/Pavement
- Elevation gain / loss
- 283 ft gain, 280 ft loss
- Highest / lowest point
- 41 ft / 5 ft
- Marathon finishers
- 1,674 in 2026 (mid-size field)
- Boston qualifier
- Certified Boston qualifying course
- Finishers running a qualifying time
- 6.1% in 2026
- Typical race morning
- 50°F at the start, 71% humidity, clear
- Race day high / low
- 62°F / 42°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 Myrtle Beach 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 Myrtle Beach 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: sea level from start to finish, with the ocean as the only weather
Myrtle Beach is a flat loop that stays between roughly 5 and 41 feet the whole way, with about 283 feet of climbing and 280 feet of descent across 26.2 miles. Aid stations sit on Kings Highway north and south, Ocean Boulevard, Harrelson Boulevard, Farrow Parkway, Grand Dunes Boulevard and Perrin's Path, spanning from mile 2 out to mile 24.5.
The character is oceanfront road and inland highway traded back and forth. Some of it is genuinely scenic, some of it is a wide commercial boulevard in March before the tourist season fills it, and all of it is level. The organizers note the route is subject to change closer to race day, so treat any specific turn as provisional and the profile as certain.
The marathon starts at 6:35 a.m., with wheelchair and handcycle athletes going five minutes earlier. The time limit is six and a half hours, a 15 minute per mile pace, after which roads reopen and course support ends. Pace groups run from 3:00 through 5:30.
How to train for the Myrtle Beach Marathon
Train for Myrtle Beach the way you would train for a track race that lasts three or four hours. On a course that never rises above 41 feet, your calves, soleus and hip flexors do the same work at the same angle for the entire distance, and that repetitive loading is what fails at mile 21, not your aerobic fitness. Flat courses are gentler on the cardiovascular system and harder on connective tissue.
So build long runs on the flattest ground available and finish them at goal pace. Add calf and soleus strength work twice a week, single leg heel raises and eccentric lowers, from early in the block. Runners who do all their long runs on rolling terrain get micro recovery every time the grade changes, and this race gives none of that.
The other half of the plan is wind. Coastal March mornings bring a breeze off the water, typically around 8 mph from the west southwest, and on open beachfront road that is worth real time and a lot of morale. Deliberately run some long efforts into the wind on the return half so you have felt the difference between a headwind that costs you 10 seconds a mile and one that only feels like it does.
Stride matches you to one of 14 marathon plans built on the most proven training methodologies in the sport, then maps every week from today to a sea level start line.
Getting in
Entry is straightforward: register on the race website, no lottery, no qualifying standard, and no published field cap. The event has grown recently, with 1,674 marathon finishers in 2026 against 1,167 the year before, so signing up early is more about price than about scarcity. Races are held rain or shine, and if severe weather cancels the event there are no refunds or transfers, which is worth knowing before you book flights.
Where does the Myrtle Beach Marathon get hard?
The last 6 miles, when the road is still dead level, the wind off the water is the only thing changing, and your calves have made the same motion roughly thirty thousand times.
What is the weather like at the Myrtle Beach Marathon?
Early March on the South Carolina coast usually gives you a start near 50F with humidity around 71 percent, clear skies and a west southwest breeze near 8 mph, warming toward an average high of 62F. Cool enough to race well, humid enough that sweat rates are higher than the thermometer suggests. Practice your fluid plan on mild, humid mornings rather than only in winter cold.
Is the Myrtle Beach Marathon a good Boston qualifier?
Myrtle Beach is a certified Boston qualifying course, and the organizers confirm it directly. Even so, about 6.1 percent of finishers ran a qualifying time in 2026, 8.7 percent in 2025 and 10.2 percent in 2024. Flat does not automatically mean fast: the wind and the humidity both take a cut, and the field is a broad one rather than a stacked one.
Is the Myrtle Beach Marathon a good first marathon?
It is a sensible first marathon. Nothing about the terrain will surprise you, the time limit is six and a half hours at a 15 minute per mile pace, and pace groups run out to 5:30. The honest warning is that flat and repetitive is mentally harder than it sounds, so go in with a plan for miles 18 to 24 rather than trusting the scenery to carry you.
Myrtle Beach Marathon questions, answered.
How flat is the Myrtle Beach Marathon?
As flat as marathons get. The course runs between about 5 and 41 feet above sea level with roughly 283 feet of total climbing across 26.2 miles. There is no hill, no bridge climb and no descent. Your pace will be decided by wind, heat and pacing discipline rather than by the profile.
Does wind affect the Myrtle Beach Marathon?
It is the main variable. Race morning typically has a west southwest breeze near 8 mph, and long stretches of exposed oceanfront road offer nothing to hide behind. Train by running into the wind on the second half of long runs so you have rehearsed both the pace cost and the mental cost of it.
Is Myrtle Beach a good Boston qualifier?
It is certified and eligible, but the qualifying rate is modest: about 6.1 percent of finishers in 2026, 8.7 percent in 2025 and 10.2 percent in 2024. The course will not cost you time, so the profile is on your side. Coastal wind and March humidity are the reasons the numbers are not higher.
What is the time limit at the Myrtle Beach Marathon?
Six and a half hours, which works out to a 15 minute per mile pace. The limit is set by the race permit, and once it passes the roads reopen and course support ends. The marathon starts at 6:35 a.m., with wheelchair and handcycle athletes released five minutes ahead of the field.
Where does the Myrtle Beach Marathon get hard?
The last 6 miles, when the road is still dead level, the wind off the water is the only thing changing, and your calves have made the same motion roughly thirty thousand times.
What is the weather like at the Myrtle Beach Marathon?
Early March on the South Carolina coast usually gives you a start near 50F with humidity around 71 percent, clear skies and a west southwest breeze near 8 mph, warming toward an average high of 62F. Cool enough to race well, humid enough that sweat rates are higher than the thermometer suggests. Practice your fluid plan on mild, humid mornings rather than only in winter cold.
Is the Myrtle Beach Marathon a good Boston qualifier?
Myrtle Beach is a certified Boston qualifying course, and the organizers confirm it directly. Even so, about 6.1 percent of finishers ran a qualifying time in 2026, 8.7 percent in 2025 and 10.2 percent in 2024. Flat does not automatically mean fast: the wind and the humidity both take a cut, and the field is a broad one rather than a stacked one.
Is the Myrtle Beach Marathon a good first marathon?
It is a sensible first marathon. Nothing about the terrain will surprise you, the time limit is six and a half hours at a 15 minute per mile pace, and pace groups run out to 5:30. The honest warning is that flat and repetitive is mentally harder than it sounds, so go in with a plan for miles 18 to 24 rather than trusting the scenery to carry you.
When should I start training for the Myrtle Beach Marathon 2027?
Race day is March 6, 2027. Counting back from that date, a 20-week build starts around October 17, 2026, a 16-week build around November 14, 2026, and a 12-week build around December 12, 2026. Already inside that window? Stride maps a plan from today to race day, whatever the runway.
How does Stride's Myrtle Beach Marathon plan work?
Download the app, pick the Myrtle Beach 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 March 6, 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?
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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.