Quad Cities Marathon training plan: course, start dates, and plan options
Moline, ILSeptember 26, 2027
The Quad Cities Marathon crosses the Mississippi River three times, touches four cities in two states and includes Arsenal Island, which is the organizers' own summary of the day and a fair one. Apart from the bridge ramps, it is also flat.
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That combination shapes the training in a way most flat races do not. About 520 feet of climbing across 26.2 miles is nothing at all, but nearly all of it is concentrated into a handful of short, steep, completely exposed ramps up and over open water. You do not prepare for that with repeats on a long climb. You prepare with sharp efforts you then have to recover from at race pace.
367 days to race day
Quad Cities Marathon · September 26, 2027 · about 52 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 Quad Cities Marathon 2027
Race day is September 26, 2027, which is 367 days from today. Counting back from that date, here is when each length of build starts.
- 30-week buildStart February 28, 2027
- 24-week buildStart April 11, 2027
- 18-week buildStart May 23, 2027
- 16-week buildStart June 6, 2027
- 12-week buildshortest Stride acceptsStart July 4, 2027
You have about 52 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 September 26, 2027.
Answer a few questions, choose your plan, then create your account and subscribe to start training in Stride.
Quad Cities Marathon course facts
- Course
- Mostly Loop · Mostly Flat · Road/Pavement
- Elevation gain / loss
- 518 ft gain, 518 ft loss
- Highest / lowest point
- 689 ft / 558 ft
- Marathon finishers
- 540 in 2025 (small field)
- Boston qualifier
- Certified Boston qualifying course
- Finishers running a qualifying time
- 4.6% in 2025
- Typical race morning
- 59°F at the start, 84% humidity, clear
- Race day high / low
- 73°F / 49°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 Quad Cities 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 Quad Cities 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: three bridges, two states, one island
The Quad Cities Marathon starts at 7:00 a.m. in downtown Moline, Illinois near John Deere Commons and stays close to the Mississippi River the whole way. The organizers describe the event as covering four cities, three bridges, two states and one island, with Arsenal Island on the route and the course crossing into Iowa and back.
The organizers call the course fairly fast and a great Boston qualifier, and the elevation supports that. The course lives inside a band of about 130 feet, and gain and loss come out even at roughly 520 feet each. Nothing here is a climb in the way a hilly race means a climb.
The bridges are the exception, and they are harder than their size suggests. A bridge ramp is short and steep, so the effort spike is sharp, and there is nowhere on a river crossing to hide from wind. Whatever is blowing down the Mississippi that morning, you meet it three times with no buildings and no trees in the way.
How to train for the Quad Cities Marathon
Train for the Quad Cities Marathon as a flat race with three sharp interruptions. Total climbing is only about 520 feet, but the bridge crossings deliver it in short steep bursts, so the workout that matters is getting back to goal pace immediately after a hard 30 to 60 second effort, not grinding out a long hill.
In practice: on two of your long runs, find an overpass or a parking garage ramp, run over it hard three times, and hold marathon pace for a mile after each one. That is the exact demand of the race. Everything else is flat course work, which means pacing discipline and enough strength to keep your form when the terrain never changes.
Add wind work. Open water crossings and riverfront paths give you no shelter, and late September in the upper Midwest can produce a stiff breeze. Run the back half of some long runs into the wind, and learn how much slower your goal effort reads when you are pushing air.
Getting in
Entry is not competitive. Around 540 people finished the marathon in 2025 and the number has held between roughly 450 and 570 in recent years, so the race does not sell out. Registration runs through the race's own site. Several shorter events run the same morning, so the start area in downtown Moline is busier than the marathon field alone.
Where does the Quad Cities Marathon get hard?
The bridge crossings in the back half, where a short steep ramp spikes your effort on legs that have had no grade change to break the rhythm for twenty miles.
What is the weather like at the Quad Cities Marathon?
Late September mornings on the river usually start near 59F with humidity around 84% under clear skies, warming to an average high of 73F. That is a warm finish for anyone out past four hours, and the humidity at the start is high enough that you will be sweating in the first few miles. Put your long runs in the warm part of the morning rather than at dawn.
Is the Quad Cities Marathon a good Boston qualifier?
The course is USATF certified and Boston eligible, and the organizers call it a great Boston qualifier. The recent record is decent rather than remarkable: 4.6% of finishers ran a qualifying time in 2025, 5% in 2024 and 9.2% in 2022. The flat profile helps you. Wind on the bridges and a warming late morning take some of it back.
Is the Quad Cities Marathon a good first marathon?
It is a reasonable first marathon. The course is flat, the field is small enough to feel relaxed at around 540 finishers in 2025, and the river gives you something to look at. One thing to check before entering: the race does not publish a course time limit anywhere online, so confirm it with the organizers if you expect to be out past five hours.
Quad Cities Marathon questions, answered.
Is the Quad Cities Marathon flat?
Mostly. The Quad Cities Marathon runs inside a band of about 130 feet with roughly 520 feet of total climbing, and the organizers call the course fairly fast. The exceptions are the three bridge crossings over the Mississippi River, which are short, steep and completely exposed to whatever wind is on the water.
How many bridges does the Quad Cities Marathon cross?
Three. The race describes itself as covering four cities, three bridges, two states and one island along the Mississippi River, with a section on Arsenal Island and a crossing into Iowa. Those bridge ramps are the only real climbing on an otherwise flat course, so train for short sharp efforts.
Is the Quad Cities Marathon a good Boston qualifier?
It is a fair one. The course is USATF certified and Boston eligible, and 4.6% of finishers ran a qualifying time in 2025, with 9.2% doing so back in 2022. The flat profile is in your favor. Wind off the river and a warming September late morning are the variables that matter.
How big is the Quad Cities Marathon?
Small. About 540 runners finished the marathon in 2025, and the field has stayed between roughly 450 and 570 in recent years. Expect a relaxed start, short lines and long quiet stretches along the river. Practice holding goal pace on your own before race day, because you will be doing plenty of it.
Where does the Quad Cities Marathon get hard?
The bridge crossings in the back half, where a short steep ramp spikes your effort on legs that have had no grade change to break the rhythm for twenty miles.
What is the weather like at the Quad Cities Marathon?
Late September mornings on the river usually start near 59F with humidity around 84% under clear skies, warming to an average high of 73F. That is a warm finish for anyone out past four hours, and the humidity at the start is high enough that you will be sweating in the first few miles. Put your long runs in the warm part of the morning rather than at dawn.
Is the Quad Cities Marathon a good Boston qualifier?
The course is USATF certified and Boston eligible, and the organizers call it a great Boston qualifier. The recent record is decent rather than remarkable: 4.6% of finishers ran a qualifying time in 2025, 5% in 2024 and 9.2% in 2022. The flat profile helps you. Wind on the bridges and a warming late morning take some of it back.
Is the Quad Cities Marathon a good first marathon?
It is a reasonable first marathon. The course is flat, the field is small enough to feel relaxed at around 540 finishers in 2025, and the river gives you something to look at. One thing to check before entering: the race does not publish a course time limit anywhere online, so confirm it with the organizers if you expect to be out past five hours.
When should I start training for the Quad Cities Marathon 2027?
Race day is September 26, 2027. Counting back from that date, a 20-week build starts around May 9, 2027, a 16-week build around June 6, 2027, and a 12-week build around July 4, 2027. Already inside that window? Stride maps a plan from today to race day, whatever the runway.
How does Stride's Quad Cities Marathon plan work?
Download the app, pick the Quad Cities 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 September 26, 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 Quad Cities 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.