Napa Valley Marathon training plan: course, start dates, and plan options
Napa, CAMarch 7, 2027
The Napa Valley Marathon runs 26.2 miles down the Silverado Trail from Calistoga to Napa with four turns in the entire race, all of them inside the final four miles. You drop about 303 feet net, a figure the organizers publish themselves, and you climb 564 feet along the way, which is the part people forget.
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That combination is the whole course. It isn't a plummet and it isn't flat. It's a rolling road that trends downhill for three hours, with a strict 6 hour cutoff and a checkpoint at mile 22.7 that will pull you off the course if you miss it. In 2026, 12.5% of the 1,942 finishers ran Boston qualifying times.
164 days to race day
Napa Valley Marathon · March 7, 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 Napa Valley Marathon 2027
Race day is March 7, 2027, which is 164 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 November 1, 2026
- 16-week buildStart November 15, 2026
- 12-week buildshortest Stride acceptsStart December 13, 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 7, 2027.
Answer a few questions, choose your plan, then create your account and subscribe to start training in Stride.
Napa Valley Marathon course facts
- Course
- Point to Point · Downhill · Road/Pavement
- Elevation gain / loss
- 564 ft gain, 867 ft loss
- Highest / lowest point
- 395 ft / 56 ft
- Marathon finishers
- 1,942 in 2026 (mid-size field)
- Boston qualifier
- Certified Boston qualifying course
- Finishers running a qualifying time
- 12.5% in 2026
- Typical race morning
- 45°F at the start, 88% humidity, mostly cloudy
- Race day high / low
- 60°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 Napa Valley 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 Napa Valley 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: the Silverado Trail, and four turns in 26 miles
The Napa Valley Marathon starts at 7:30 a.m. on the Silverado Trail at Brannan Street in Calistoga and finishes at Vintage High School in Napa. The first 23 miles are a straight run down one road with no turns at all. Net drop is 303 feet, made up of 867 feet of descent against 564 feet of climbing.
The elevation range runs from about 395 feet at the high point down to 56 feet at the finish, so the descent is gradual rather than steep. What you feel instead is repetition. Twelve aid stations sit at 2.1, 4.3, 6.6, 9.4, 12.0, 13.9, 16.1, 19.0, 20.8, 22.4, 24.0 and 25.1 miles, and between them the road just keeps going the same direction with vineyards on both sides.
The cutoff deserves its own paragraph. The marathon enforces a 6 hour limit, which works out to 13:44 per mile, and runners who haven't reached mile 22.7 by 12:45 p.m. are shuttled to the finish. That's strict by modern marathon standards, and it should be the first thing you check against a realistic finish time rather than an optimistic one.
How to train for the Napa Valley Marathon
Train for the Napa Valley Marathon by building downhill durability and tolerance for rhythm that never breaks. The course sheds 867 feet across 26.2 miles, which loads your quads eccentrically for three straight hours, and it runs almost entirely in one direction on one road, so nothing interrupts your stride.
Do the quad work early and often. Run gentle grades, one to three percent, at goal pace or a touch faster, with a short quick stride and no braking. Six to eight of these across a build changes how mile 20 feels here. And don't skip climbing: there are 564 feet of it, in small rises that arrive when you've already been descending, so put short uphill segments inside those downhill sessions.
Then practice the monotony on purpose. Find the longest uninterrupted road you can and run 16 to 18 miles of it with no turns, no stoplights and no change of scenery. It sounds trivial and it isn't. With no turns for 23 miles you get no rhythm breaks and no landmarks to chop the race into pieces, so have a plan for what you do with your head between aid stations.
Getting in
Napa doesn't run a lottery and hasn't historically closed early, though the field jumped from 1,478 finishers in 2025 to 1,942 in 2026. Registration is on the race's own site. The bigger logistical problem is the shape: the start is in Calistoga and the finish is at Vintage High School in Napa, so plan around race transport and book lodging at the finish end of the valley.
Where does the Napa Valley Marathon get hard?
Somewhere between miles 18 and 23, when three hours of gentle eccentric loading finally catches up with your quads and the road still offers no turn to break the rhythm.
What is the weather like at the Napa Valley Marathon?
Race morning near Calistoga typically starts around 45F with humidity near 88%, mostly cloudy skies and a light westerly, warming to an average high near 60F. That's close to ideal for running fast, but a damp cool start means a real wait at the line and cold hands for the first few miles. Practice starting long runs cold rather than warmed up indoors.
Is the Napa Valley Marathon a good Boston qualifier?
Napa is a Boston eligible certified course and a productive qualifier: 12.5% of finishers ran qualifying times in 2026, 14.5% in 2024 and 17.1% in 2022. Its 303 foot net drop isn't steep enough to trigger the BAA's net downhill adjustment, so a time run here counts as run. Downhill without the penalty is a combination worth knowing about.
Is the Napa Valley Marathon a good first marathon?
Only if you're confident of finishing under 6 hours. Napa enforces a strict 6 hour cutoff at 13:44 per mile and pulls runners who haven't reached mile 22.7 by 12:45 p.m., which is unforgiving for a first timer whose day goes sideways. If you're comfortably inside that, the gradual profile and dense aid make it a kind first race.
Napa Valley Marathon questions, answered.
Is the Napa Valley Marathon downhill?
Net downhill, yes, but not steeply. The Napa Valley Marathon drops 303 feet net from Calistoga to Napa, with 867 feet of descent and 564 feet of climbing along the way. It runs from about 395 feet down to 56 feet, so the grade is gentle and continuous rather than dramatic.
What is the Napa Valley Marathon cutoff time?
Six hours, enforced strictly, which works out to 13:44 per mile. Runners who haven't reached mile 22.7 by 12:45 p.m. are shuttled to the finish. The race starts at 7:30 a.m. on the Silverado Trail at Brannan Street in Calistoga. Check that against a realistic finish time before you enter.
Is the Napa Valley Marathon a good Boston qualifier?
One of the better ones. 12.5% of finishers ran Boston qualifying times in 2026, and the rate has run between 12% and 17% every year since 2022. The course is certified and Boston eligible, and its 303 foot net drop doesn't trigger the BAA's net downhill adjustment, so the time stands as run.
What is it like running 23 miles without a turn?
Monotonous in a way that catches people out. The Napa Valley Marathon has four turns in the whole race, all inside the final four miles, so there are no rhythm breaks and few landmarks to divide the distance up. Practice long uninterrupted road runs and go in with a plan for the stretches between aid stations.
Where does the Napa Valley Marathon get hard?
Somewhere between miles 18 and 23, when three hours of gentle eccentric loading finally catches up with your quads and the road still offers no turn to break the rhythm.
What is the weather like at the Napa Valley Marathon?
Race morning near Calistoga typically starts around 45F with humidity near 88%, mostly cloudy skies and a light westerly, warming to an average high near 60F. That's close to ideal for running fast, but a damp cool start means a real wait at the line and cold hands for the first few miles. Practice starting long runs cold rather than warmed up indoors.
Is the Napa Valley Marathon a good Boston qualifier?
Napa is a Boston eligible certified course and a productive qualifier: 12.5% of finishers ran qualifying times in 2026, 14.5% in 2024 and 17.1% in 2022. Its 303 foot net drop isn't steep enough to trigger the BAA's net downhill adjustment, so a time run here counts as run. Downhill without the penalty is a combination worth knowing about.
Is the Napa Valley Marathon a good first marathon?
Only if you're confident of finishing under 6 hours. Napa enforces a strict 6 hour cutoff at 13:44 per mile and pulls runners who haven't reached mile 22.7 by 12:45 p.m., which is unforgiving for a first timer whose day goes sideways. If you're comfortably inside that, the gradual profile and dense aid make it a kind first race.
When should I start training for the Napa Valley Marathon 2027?
Race day is March 7, 2027. Counting back from that date, a 20-week build starts around October 18, 2026, a 16-week build around November 15, 2026, and a 12-week build around December 13, 2026. Already inside that window? Stride maps a plan from today to race day, whatever the runway.
How does Stride's Napa Valley Marathon plan work?
Download the app, pick the Napa Valley 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 7, 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.
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