REVEL Mt Charleston Marathon training plan: course, start dates, and plan options
Las Vegas, NVApril 3, 2027
REVEL Mt Charleston starts in the pine forests of Kyle Canyon on Mt Charleston and finishes down in Las Vegas, a descent that no amount of general marathon fitness prepares you for. The organizers call it "incredibly fast" and "one of the fastest courses in the nation. Gentle downhill all the way." They're right, and that's precisely the problem.
Answer a few questions, choose your plan, then create your account and subscribe to start training in Stride.
A sustained downhill marathon punishes you in a different way. Your quads work eccentrically for hours, braking on every single footstrike rather than pushing, and untrained quads simply stop cooperating somewhere around mile 18 no matter how good your engine is. Runners who chase a personal best here without downhill-specific training walk the last 8 miles.
191 days to race day
REVEL Mt Charleston Marathon · April 3, 2027 · about 27 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 REVEL Mt Charleston Marathon 2027
Race day is April 3, 2027, which is 191 days from today. Counting back from that date, here is when each length of build starts.
- 30-week buildWindow has passed
- 24-week buildStart October 17, 2026
- 18-week buildStart November 28, 2026
- 16-week buildStart December 12, 2026
- 12-week buildshortest Stride acceptsStart January 9, 2027
You have about 27 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 April 3, 2027.
Answer a few questions, choose your plan, then create your account and subscribe to start training in Stride.
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 REVEL Mt Charleston 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 REVEL Mt Charleston 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: Kyle Canyon down to the desert floor
REVEL Mt Charleston is a downhill point-to-point marathon that starts in the forests of Kyle Canyon on Mt Charleston, inside the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, and descends toward Las Vegas, Nevada. The organizers describe a smooth downhill slope and call it the fastest marathon in Nevada. There's no verified figure for the total drop, so none is printed here.
The shape of the day is worth understanding even without that number. You board a bus in the dark, ride up a canyon road, stand around at mountain elevation in cold air, then start running downhill immediately and keep descending toward a desert floor that is much warmer than where you started. The early miles feel effortless. That feeling is the trap, because the damage to your quads is being done at exactly the moment you can't feel it.
How to train for REVEL Mt Charleston
Train for REVEL Mt Charleston by running downhill on purpose, starting at least 10 weeks out. Eccentric quad damage is trainable and the adaptation is specific: only descending produces it. Hill repeats up a climb do nothing for this problem, and neither does adding mileage on flat ground.
Build it gradually, because downhill running is also how people get hurt in the last month of a build. Start with short stretches of moderate descent inside easy runs. Progress to running downhill sections at goal marathon pace. Then put a long descent into the back half of a long run, so your quads meet it already tired. Two or three of those in the final block change what mile 20 feels like.
The elevation and temperature split needs its own rehearsal. You start high and cold and finish low and warm, so practice a layering setup you can shed while moving rather than one you dump at the gun, and drink early in training runs even when the first miles feel cool.
Getting in
Entry runs through the REVEL series' own site, and the real constraints are transport and timing rather than availability. The race is point-to-point down a canyon road, so everyone rides a bus to the start well before dawn, and the start area has nothing beyond what the race trucks up there. Book lodging in Las Vegas near the finish rather than near the mountain. Confirm the current year's start time, cutoff and pricing with the organizers, because none of those are published in a form worth repeating here.
Where does the REVEL Mt Charleston Marathon get hard?
Somewhere around mile 18 to 20, when hours of eccentric braking finally show up in your quads and your pace collapses even though your breathing is still fine.
What is the weather like at the REVEL Mt Charleston Marathon?
The start sits thousands of feet above the finish, so any published temperature for the Las Vegas area tells you nothing useful about the start line and no start-line number is given here. Expect a genuinely cold pre-dawn wait at the top and a much warmer second half as you descend. Train with a throwaway layer system you can shed on the move, and practice taking fluid early even when you don't feel hot yet.
Is the REVEL Mt Charleston Marathon a good Boston qualifier?
REVEL Mt Charleston has a reputation as a productive Boston qualifier, which is exactly why you should check the rules before entering for that reason. The BAA applies a net downhill adjustment to steeply dropping courses for Boston registration from 2027 onward, and a mountain-to-desert descent is the kind of course that rule targets. Confirm the current ruling for this race with the BAA rather than assuming.
Is the REVEL Mt Charleston Marathon a good first marathon?
Not a good first marathon. A long sustained descent punishes inexperience harder than any flat course, because the opening miles feel easy at paces you can't hold and the entire bill arrives at once in your quads. As a first-timer you also have no baseline for telling whether your legs are handling the descent or quietly falling apart.
REVEL Mt Charleston Marathon questions, answered.
Is REVEL Mt Charleston a downhill marathon?
Yes, substantially. The course runs from the forests of Kyle Canyon on Mt Charleston down toward Las Vegas, and the organizers describe it as a smooth downhill slope and the fastest marathon in Nevada. That makes it quick on paper and brutal on quads, which is where most runners actually come undone.
How do you train for a downhill marathon like Mt Charleston?
By running downhill, repeatedly, for at least 10 weeks. Eccentric quad strength only comes from descending. Start with short moderate descents inside easy runs, progress to downhill running at goal pace, then put a long descent in the back half of a long run so your legs meet it already fatigued.
Is REVEL Mt Charleston a good Boston qualifier?
It has that reputation, but check the rules before you enter for that reason. The BAA applies a net downhill adjustment to steeply dropping courses for Boston registration from 2027 onward, and a canyon descent of this kind is what that rule was written for. Ask the BAA for the current ruling.
What is the start line like at REVEL Mt Charleston?
Cold, high and dark. You board a bus before dawn and ride up into the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, then wait at mountain elevation for the gun. The finish, down near Las Vegas, is far warmer. Plan layers you can shed while running rather than dropping everything the moment you start.
Where does the REVEL Mt Charleston Marathon get hard?
Somewhere around mile 18 to 20, when hours of eccentric braking finally show up in your quads and your pace collapses even though your breathing is still fine.
What is the weather like at the REVEL Mt Charleston Marathon?
The start sits thousands of feet above the finish, so any published temperature for the Las Vegas area tells you nothing useful about the start line and no start-line number is given here. Expect a genuinely cold pre-dawn wait at the top and a much warmer second half as you descend. Train with a throwaway layer system you can shed on the move, and practice taking fluid early even when you don't feel hot yet.
Is the REVEL Mt Charleston Marathon a good Boston qualifier?
REVEL Mt Charleston has a reputation as a productive Boston qualifier, which is exactly why you should check the rules before entering for that reason. The BAA applies a net downhill adjustment to steeply dropping courses for Boston registration from 2027 onward, and a mountain-to-desert descent is the kind of course that rule targets. Confirm the current ruling for this race with the BAA rather than assuming.
Is the REVEL Mt Charleston Marathon a good first marathon?
Not a good first marathon. A long sustained descent punishes inexperience harder than any flat course, because the opening miles feel easy at paces you can't hold and the entire bill arrives at once in your quads. As a first-timer you also have no baseline for telling whether your legs are handling the descent or quietly falling apart.
When should I start training for the REVEL Mt Charleston Marathon 2027?
Race day is April 3, 2027. Counting back from that date, a 20-week build starts around November 14, 2026, a 16-week build around December 12, 2026, and a 12-week build around January 9, 2027. Already inside that window? Stride maps a plan from today to race day, whatever the runway.
How does Stride's REVEL Mt Charleston Marathon plan work?
Download the app, pick the REVEL Mt Charleston 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 April 3, 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 REVEL Mt Charleston 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.