Palm Beaches Marathon training plan: course, start dates, and plan options
West Palm Beach, FLDecember 13, 2026
The Palm Beaches Marathon accumulates 88 feet of climbing over 26.2 miles. Not 880. The course sits between roughly 1 and 11 feet above sea level along Flagler Drive in West Palm Beach, which makes it about as flat as a marathon can physically be. The ground is not what makes this race hard.
Answer a few questions, choose your plan, then create your account and subscribe to start training in Stride.
The air is. A mid-December start on the Florida coast means race-morning norms around 71F with humidity near 83%, on a two-loop waterfront course. The runners who come apart here are almost always the ones who trained for a flat course and never trained for a warm one.
80 days to race day
Palm Beaches Marathon · December 13, 2026 · about 11 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 Palm Beaches Marathon 2026
Race day is December 13, 2026, which is 80 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 buildWindow has passed
- 16-week buildWindow has passed
- 12-week buildshortest Stride acceptsWindow has passed
You have about 11 weeks until race day, which is inside the shortest build Stride matches. Stride won’t pretend there is room for a responsible full build. You can still use the finder to check your starting point, then choose a later race if this runway is too short.
Answer a few questions, choose your plan, then create your account and subscribe to start training in Stride.
Palm Beaches Marathon course facts
- Course
- Multiple Out and Backs · Very Flat · Road/Pavement
- Elevation gain / loss
- 88 ft gain, 88 ft loss
- Highest / lowest point
- 11 ft / 1 ft
- Marathon finishers
- 886 in 2025 (small field)
- Boston qualifier
- Certified Boston qualifying course
- Finishers running a qualifying time
- 2.9% in 2025
- Typical race morning
- 71°F at the start, 83% humidity, partially cloudy
- Race day high / low
- 77°F / 62°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 Palm Beaches 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 Palm Beaches 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: two flat loops along the water
The Palm Beaches Marathon is a two-loop course starting and finishing on Flagler Drive in downtown West Palm Beach, with a 6 a.m. gun. It runs palm-lined waterfront along the Intracoastal, past Manatee Lagoon, museums and parks, and cuts through shaded city streets and historic neighborhoods on each loop. It is USATF certified and Boston eligible.
The elevation numbers are almost comic: a high point near 11 feet, a low point near 1, and 88 feet of total gain matched by 88 feet of loss. There is no hill to break your rhythm and nowhere to shift onto different muscles. Every stride for 26.2 miles is the same stride, which is more demanding than it sounds.
Because it is two loops, you pass the finish area at roughly halfway and cover the same waterfront twice. Runners split on this. Some find the second loop easier for knowing exactly what is coming, and others find running past the finish line with 13 miles left genuinely hard.
How to train for the Palm Beaches
Training for the Palm Beaches Marathon is heat acclimation first and pacing discipline second. A start near 71F with 83% humidity means your body is shedding heat the entire race, and a course this flat gives you no terrain excuse to back off. Runners who train in cool weather and race here typically fade from mile 18 onward.
Get heat exposure deliberately. Over the last six to eight weeks, run at least two sessions a week in the warmest, most humid part of the day rather than the coolest. Ten to fourteen exposures is enough to change how much you sweat and how early you start. If your October and November are cold, over-dressing on easy runs is a workable substitute.
Then handle the sameness. On a course with 88 feet of gain, nothing forces a change of gear, so your form and your fueling have to survive three-plus hours of identical demand. Do two long runs on the flattest route you can find, at goal pace, and pay attention to what starts hurting. On flat ground it will be the same thing every time, and it shows up early.
Getting in
Entry is open registration through the race's site, with no qualifying standard. The marathon has grown quickly, from 296 finishers in 2022 to 886 in 2025, and a mid-December date puts your peak training weeks in October and November. A 16-week build starts in late August, which for most runners means training through the tail of summer.
Where does the Palm Beaches Marathon get hard?
Miles 18 to 24 on the second loop, where accumulated heat load rather than terrain is what slows people down.
What is the weather like at the Palm Beaches Marathon?
Race morning in West Palm Beach in mid-December averages about 71F with humidity near 83%, under partly cloudy skies with a light easterly breeze, warming toward a typical high near 77F. That is warm for a marathon. Start conservatively, plan to drink at every station, and get your last six weeks of training done in the heat if you possibly can.
Is the Palm Beaches Marathon a good Boston qualifier?
The Palm Beaches Marathon is a USATF-certified Boston qualifier with a completely flat profile and no net drop, so no downhill adjustment applies. Qualifying rates run low: about 2.9% of finishers ran qualifying times in 2025 and 2.3% did in 2024. That is the warmth talking, not the course. Fast times happen here, but the weather taxes everyone.
Is the Palm Beaches Marathon a good first marathon?
This is a good first marathon with one condition: respect the heat. There is no hill anywhere, the field is manageable at 886 finishers in 2025, and the two-loop layout keeps you near support the whole way. But a first timer who goes out at goal pace in 71F and 83% humidity will pay for it, so plan to start slower than feels right.
Palm Beaches Marathon questions, answered.
Is the Palm Beaches Marathon flat?
Yes, genuinely. The course runs between about 1 and 11 feet of elevation and accumulates only 88 feet of total climbing over 26.2 miles, with no net drop. There is no hill anywhere on the route. It is one of the flatter certified marathon courses a runner can enter.
What is the weather like at the Palm Beaches Marathon?
Warm and humid. Mid-December race mornings in West Palm Beach average around 71F with humidity near 83% and a light easterly breeze, warming toward a high near 77F. The 6 a.m. start helps, but heat is the limiting factor here and it should shape both your pacing and your training.
Is Palm Beaches a good Boston qualifying race?
The course helps and the weather does not. It is USATF certified and Boston eligible with a completely flat profile, but only about 2.9% of finishers ran qualifying times in 2025 and 2.3% in 2024. Chasing a standard here has to be a heat-management plan, not just a fitness plan.
How many loops is the Palm Beaches Marathon?
Two. Marathon runners cover the same waterfront loop twice, starting and finishing on Flagler Drive in downtown West Palm Beach. You pass the finish area at roughly halfway, which some runners find motivating and others find brutal. Worth deciding in advance which one you plan to be.
Where does the Palm Beaches Marathon get hard?
Miles 18 to 24 on the second loop, where accumulated heat load rather than terrain is what slows people down.
What is the weather like at the Palm Beaches Marathon?
Race morning in West Palm Beach in mid-December averages about 71F with humidity near 83%, under partly cloudy skies with a light easterly breeze, warming toward a typical high near 77F. That is warm for a marathon. Start conservatively, plan to drink at every station, and get your last six weeks of training done in the heat if you possibly can.
Is the Palm Beaches Marathon a good Boston qualifier?
The Palm Beaches Marathon is a USATF-certified Boston qualifier with a completely flat profile and no net drop, so no downhill adjustment applies. Qualifying rates run low: about 2.9% of finishers ran qualifying times in 2025 and 2.3% did in 2024. That is the warmth talking, not the course. Fast times happen here, but the weather taxes everyone.
Is the Palm Beaches Marathon a good first marathon?
This is a good first marathon with one condition: respect the heat. There is no hill anywhere, the field is manageable at 886 finishers in 2025, and the two-loop layout keeps you near support the whole way. But a first timer who goes out at goal pace in 71F and 83% humidity will pay for it, so plan to start slower than feels right.
When should I start training for the Palm Beaches Marathon 2026?
Race day is December 13, 2026. Counting back from that date, a 20-week build starts around July 26, 2026, a 16-week build around August 23, 2026, and a 12-week build around September 20, 2026. Already inside that window? Stride maps a plan from today to race day, whatever the runway.
How does Stride's Palm Beaches Marathon plan work?
Download the app, pick the Palm Beaches 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 December 13, 2026, 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 Palm Beaches 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.