Ogden Marathon training plan: course, start dates, and plan options
Ogden, UTMay 15, 2027
The Ogden Marathon starts at a place called Dancing Moose Farm, up in the Ogden Valley near Huntsville, and finishes at 25th and Grant Avenue in downtown Ogden about 1,100 feet lower. Runner's World has called it one of the best courses in America for first-time marathoners, and 1,528 people finished it in 2026.
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The organizers describe 'gentle downhills that keep you moving,' which is accurate and slightly misleading. There is only about 398 feet of climbing in the entire race against roughly 1,514 feet of descent. A course that never really asks you to climb also never lets your quads off the hook, and the drop through Ogden Canyon is saved for late.
233 days to race day
Ogden Marathon · May 15, 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 Ogden Marathon 2027
Race day is May 15, 2027, which is 233 days from today. Counting back from that date, here is when each length of build starts.
- 30-week buildStart October 17, 2026
- 24-week buildStart November 28, 2026
- 18-week buildStart January 9, 2027
- 16-week buildStart January 23, 2027
- 12-week buildshortest Stride acceptsStart February 20, 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 15, 2027.
Answer a few questions, choose your plan, then create your account and subscribe to start training in Stride.
Ogden Marathon course facts
- Course
- Point to Point · Downhill · Road/Pavement
- Elevation gain / loss
- 398 ft gain, 1,514 ft loss
- Net elevation drop
- About 1,116 ft lower at the finish than the start
- Highest / lowest point
- 5,421 ft / 4,292 ft
- Marathon finishers
- 1,528 in 2026 (mid-size field)
- Boston qualifier
- Certified Boston qualifying course
- Finishers running a qualifying time
- 8.4% in 2026
- Race day high / low
- 71°F / 45°F on average
Start-line temperature is not listed for this race. The course finishes thousands of feet below where it starts, so the weather recorded in the finish city does not describe the start line.
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 Ogden 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 Ogden 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 valley descent that saves the canyon for last
The Ogden Marathon runs point to point from the Ogden Valley down into the city, between 5,421 and 4,292 feet, losing about 1,514 feet against only 398 feet of gain. Eden Park marks the halfway point at 13.1 miles. Ogden Canyon comes near the end, with the organizers' canyon checkpoint set a full hour ahead of the finish cutoff.
That ordering is what makes this course specific. On a race that drops steadily from the gun, most of the eccentric damage is already done by mile 18, and Ogden then hands you the canyon on legs that have absorbed a thousand feet of descent. Then the course flattens into the city grid for the finish, where a flat mile at 4,300 feet feels like a climb after everything that came before it.
Aid is unusually thick. Stations sit at miles 3, 5, 7, 8.5, 11, 13, 14, 15.5, 17, 18, 20, 21.5, 23, 24 and 25, with gels at 5, 8.5, 13, 17 and 23. Five of those stations fall inside the last six miles, so you can race light and drink often instead of carrying a bottle for four hours.
How to train for Ogden
Train for Ogden by teaching your quads to brake for four hours. A course with 1,514 feet of loss and almost no climbing loads the same muscle group in the same eccentric way from the first mile to the last, and there is no uphill section anywhere to hand those muscles a different job. This is the classic downhill-marathon failure and it has nothing to do with aerobic fitness.
Build downhill repeats in gradually, starting around 8 to 10 weeks out with short, gentle descents and adding length before you add steepness. If you can, run a few of your long runs on a net-downhill route so your legs practice the duration of the load rather than just a handful of reps. Soreness for two or three days after the first sessions is normal and is exactly the point.
Then account for altitude. The race runs entirely above 4,290 feet, which is enough to cost a sea-level runner real aerobic capacity without ever feeling dramatic. Either arrive within about 24 hours of the start or give yourself a couple of weeks, and set goal pace a little slower than your flat sea-level fitness promises, then let the descent give it back.
Stride matches you to one of 14 marathon plans built on the most proven training methodologies in the sport and maps every week between now and race day, which matters on a course like this where the downhill work has to be sequenced rather than crammed in at the end. It is on the App Store.
Getting in
Registration for the Ogden Marathon runs through the official site. Bussing to the start is mandatory for the marathon, which means an early wake-up and a wait at Dancing Moose Farm in the cold before the gun. You must finish by 2 p.m., with checkpoints at the mile-7 aid station by 9 a.m., halfway at Eden Park by 10:30 a.m., and Ogden Canyon by 1 p.m. The finish sits downtown at 25th and Grant Avenue, which puts you within walking distance of a hotel and a shower.
Where does the Ogden Marathon get hard?
The Ogden Canyon descent late in the race, because it arrives after roughly 20 miles of downhill have already loaded your quads.
What is the weather like at the Ogden Marathon?
Ogden in mid-May averages a 45F low and a 71F high, which is close to ideal by the time you reach town. The start line is a different story, sitting more than 1,100 feet above the finish up in the valley, and the organizers warn runners to expect near-freezing conditions there. Bussing to the start is mandatory, so you will be standing outside a long time before the gun. Bring layers you are happy to abandon.
Is the Ogden Marathon a good Boston qualifier?
Ogden is a certified Boston qualifier and its roughly 1,116-foot net drop does not reach the level that triggers the BAA's net-downhill adjustment, though rulings change and the BAA is the place to confirm. The qualifying rate is steady rather than spectacular: 8.4 percent of finishers in 2026, 9.3 percent in 2025, and 10.3 percent in 2024. The drop helps, and the altitude quietly takes some of it back.
Is the Ogden Marathon a good first marathon?
Yes, with one condition. Runner's World has named it among the best first-marathon courses in America, and the 1,500-plus finisher field, the dense aid stations and the net drop all support that. The condition is downhill training. A first-timer who has only run flat roads will find their quads gone by mile 19 no matter how many long runs they logged.
Ogden Marathon questions, answered.
Is the Ogden Marathon downhill the whole way?
Effectively yes. The Ogden Marathon drops about 1,514 feet and climbs only around 398, running point to point from roughly 5,421 feet down to 4,292. The organizers describe 'gentle downhills that keep you moving.' The descent through Ogden Canyon comes late in the race rather than early, which is the detail most people miss.
Is the Ogden Marathon a good first marathon?
It is one of the better ones, and Runner's World has named it among the best first-marathon courses in America. More than 1,500 people finish each year, aid stations sit every mile or two late in the race, and the net drop of about 1,100 feet flatters your pace. Train downhill first or your quads will fail regardless.
How cold is the start of the Ogden Marathon?
Cold enough that the organizers warn about it. The start sits more than 1,100 feet above downtown Ogden in the valley, and with mandatory bussing you will wait outside a while before the gun. Ogden itself averages a 45F low and a 71F high in mid-May, so the day warms considerably as you descend into town.
Can you qualify for Boston at the Ogden Marathon?
Yes. Ogden is a certified Boston qualifier and its net drop of roughly 1,116 feet does not reach the level that triggers the BAA's net-downhill adjustment, though the BAA is the place to confirm the current ruling. About 8.4 percent of finishers ran qualifying times in 2026 and 9.3 percent in 2025.
Where does the Ogden Marathon get hard?
The Ogden Canyon descent late in the race, because it arrives after roughly 20 miles of downhill have already loaded your quads.
What is the weather like at the Ogden Marathon?
Ogden in mid-May averages a 45F low and a 71F high, which is close to ideal by the time you reach town. The start line is a different story, sitting more than 1,100 feet above the finish up in the valley, and the organizers warn runners to expect near-freezing conditions there. Bussing to the start is mandatory, so you will be standing outside a long time before the gun. Bring layers you are happy to abandon.
Is the Ogden Marathon a good Boston qualifier?
Ogden is a certified Boston qualifier and its roughly 1,116-foot net drop does not reach the level that triggers the BAA's net-downhill adjustment, though rulings change and the BAA is the place to confirm. The qualifying rate is steady rather than spectacular: 8.4 percent of finishers in 2026, 9.3 percent in 2025, and 10.3 percent in 2024. The drop helps, and the altitude quietly takes some of it back.
Is the Ogden Marathon a good first marathon?
Yes, with one condition. Runner's World has named it among the best first-marathon courses in America, and the 1,500-plus finisher field, the dense aid stations and the net drop all support that. The condition is downhill training. A first-timer who has only run flat roads will find their quads gone by mile 19 no matter how many long runs they logged.
When should I start training for the Ogden Marathon 2027?
Race day is May 15, 2027. Counting back from that date, a 20-week build starts around December 26, 2026, a 16-week build around January 23, 2027, and a 12-week build around February 20, 2027. Already inside that window? Stride maps a plan from today to race day, whatever the runway.
How does Stride's Ogden Marathon plan work?
Download the app, pick the Ogden 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 15, 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 Ogden 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.