Salt Lake City Marathon training plan: course, start dates, and plan options
Salt Lake City, UTApril 24, 2027
The Salt Lake City Marathon is filed as a downhill course and it does drop about 584 feet net, but you climb more than 900 feet along the way. That is the number that catches people out. It starts on the Olympic Legacy Bridge, built for the 2002 Winter Games, finishes downtown, and in between it is a good deal lumpier than 'net downhill' suggests.
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It is also growing quickly. 786 people finished the marathon in 2022 and 1,931 finished in 2026, which makes for a field big enough to run in company all day without the corral logistics of a major.
212 days to race day
Salt Lake City Marathon · April 24, 2027 · about 30 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 Salt Lake City Marathon 2027
Race day is April 24, 2027, which is 212 days from today. Counting back from that date, here is when each length of build starts.
- 30-week buildStart September 26, 2026
- 24-week buildStart November 7, 2026
- 18-week buildStart December 19, 2026
- 16-week buildStart January 2, 2027
- 12-week buildshortest Stride acceptsStart January 30, 2027
You have about 30 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 24, 2027.
Answer a few questions, choose your plan, then create your account and subscribe to start training in Stride.
Salt Lake City Marathon course facts
- Course
- Point to Point · Downhill · Road/Pavement
- Elevation gain / loss
- 911 ft gain, 1,495 ft loss
- Net elevation drop
- About 584 ft lower at the finish than the start
- Highest / lowest point
- 4,872 ft / 4,243 ft
- Marathon finishers
- 1,931 in 2026 (mid-size field)
- Boston qualifier
- Certified Boston qualifying course
- Finishers running a qualifying time
- 3.3% in 2026
- Typical race morning
- 44°F at the start, 63% humidity, partially cloudy
- Race day high / low
- 61°F / 39°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 Salt Lake City 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 Salt Lake City 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: net downhill with 900 feet of climbing in it
The Salt Lake City Marathon runs point to point between 4,872 and 4,243 feet, losing about 1,495 feet and gaining about 911, for a net drop near 584. It starts at the Olympic Legacy Bridge with the Wasatch Front in view and finishes in downtown Salt Lake City. The organizers sum the course up as 'where urban meets the mountains.'
They do not publish a mile-by-mile description, which is worth knowing before you build a pacing plan around a profile you have never seen. What the elevation figures do tell you is that this is a rolling course with a downhill bias rather than a chute. Nearly a thousand feet of gain has to sit somewhere, and on a point-to-point route from bench to valley floor that means the descent arrives in pieces with climbing in between.
Practically, treat the drop as something you collect rather than something you ride. Study the official course map when it goes up, and pace the first half on effort instead of on the assumption that gravity is doing the work.
How to train for Salt Lake City
Train for Salt Lake City as a rolling course, not a downhill one. The mistake is reading 'net 584-foot drop' and preparing only for eccentric quad loading, then meeting 911 feet of climbing with legs trained exclusively to brake. You need both: hill strength for the climbs and downhill durability for the longer descents that follow them.
Altitude is the second half of the problem and the quieter one. The entire course sits above 4,240 feet, which is high enough to cost a sea-level runner meaningful aerobic capacity and low enough that you will not notice until mile 20. If you live near sea level, either arrive within about a day of the start or come out two weeks ahead, and set an honest goal pace rather than the one your flat-course fitness promises.
The specific session for this race is a rolling long run with a downhill finish: 14 to 18 miles over undulating ground, ending with three or four miles of steady descent at goal effort. That sequence teaches your legs to descend well when they are already tired, which is exactly what a net-downhill course with real climbing in it asks of you.
Stride matches you to one of 14 marathon plans built on the most proven training methodologies in the sport, maps every week between today and race day, and reshuffles when a week falls apart. It is on the App Store.
Getting in
Registration for the Salt Lake City Marathon runs through the official race site. The finish line officially closes at 1:30 p.m., which gives marathoners 6.5 hours for an official time. The start is at the Olympic Legacy Bridge and the finish is in downtown Salt Lake City, so plan on a shuttle or a ride to the start rather than parking there and hoping. Because the course is point to point, sort out your post-race bag and your ride before race morning rather than after 26.2 miles at altitude.
Where does the Salt Lake City Marathon get hard?
The climbing is what surprises people rather than any one hill, and with roughly 911 feet of it tucked inside a course sold as a drop, the damage usually shows up over the last 6 miles.
What is the weather like at the Salt Lake City Marathon?
Late April in Salt Lake City averages around 44F at the start with 63 percent humidity and partly cloudy skies, warming to an average high of 61F. That is good racing weather, though dry mountain air means you will lose more fluid than the temperature suggests. Practice drinking on a schedule rather than by thirst, especially if you are coming from somewhere humid.
Is the Salt Lake City Marathon a good Boston qualifier?
Salt Lake City is a Boston-eligible course and its roughly 584-foot net drop does not reach the level that triggers the BAA's net-downhill adjustment. The qualifying rate is genuinely low, though: 3.3 percent of finishers ran qualifying times in 2026 and 2.9 percent in 2025. The field has more than doubled since 2022, and the 911 feet of climbing means the net drop does not hand out free time.
Is the Salt Lake City Marathon a good first marathon?
Yes, this is a sensible first marathon. The 6.5-hour limit is generous, late April in Salt Lake is reliably cool, and a field approaching 2,000 finishers gives you people to run with the whole way. The one caution is altitude: if you live at sea level, plan on a slower goal than your training paces suggest and do not chase the early downhill.
Salt Lake City Marathon questions, answered.
Is the Salt Lake City Marathon downhill?
Net downhill, but not simply downhill. The Salt Lake City Marathon drops about 584 feet net across 26.2 miles, and that figure hides roughly 911 feet of climbing against 1,495 feet of descent. Treat it as a rolling course with a downhill bias and train for both directions rather than only for braking.
How does altitude affect the Salt Lake City Marathon?
The whole course sits above 4,240 feet, which costs a sea-level runner real aerobic capacity without ever feeling dramatic. Most people notice it after mile 18 rather than at the start. Either arrive within about a day of the race or two weeks ahead, and set a goal pace slower than your flat sea-level fitness suggests.
Is the Salt Lake City Marathon a good Boston qualifier?
It is eligible and carries no net-downhill adjustment, but the rate is low: 3.3 percent of finishers ran qualifying times in 2026 and 2.9 percent in 2025. The field has grown from 786 finishers in 2022 to 1,931 in 2026, and the 911 feet of climbing offsets much of what the net drop appears to offer.
What is the time limit for the Salt Lake City Marathon?
6.5 hours. The organizers close the finish line at 1:30 p.m., and that is the deadline for an official time. It works out to roughly a 15-minute mile including whatever stops you take, which is a comfortable limit for a first marathon and generous by the standards of most road races.
Where does the Salt Lake City Marathon get hard?
The climbing is what surprises people rather than any one hill, and with roughly 911 feet of it tucked inside a course sold as a drop, the damage usually shows up over the last 6 miles.
What is the weather like at the Salt Lake City Marathon?
Late April in Salt Lake City averages around 44F at the start with 63 percent humidity and partly cloudy skies, warming to an average high of 61F. That is good racing weather, though dry mountain air means you will lose more fluid than the temperature suggests. Practice drinking on a schedule rather than by thirst, especially if you are coming from somewhere humid.
Is the Salt Lake City Marathon a good Boston qualifier?
Salt Lake City is a Boston-eligible course and its roughly 584-foot net drop does not reach the level that triggers the BAA's net-downhill adjustment. The qualifying rate is genuinely low, though: 3.3 percent of finishers ran qualifying times in 2026 and 2.9 percent in 2025. The field has more than doubled since 2022, and the 911 feet of climbing means the net drop does not hand out free time.
Is the Salt Lake City Marathon a good first marathon?
Yes, this is a sensible first marathon. The 6.5-hour limit is generous, late April in Salt Lake is reliably cool, and a field approaching 2,000 finishers gives you people to run with the whole way. The one caution is altitude: if you live at sea level, plan on a slower goal than your training paces suggest and do not chase the early downhill.
When should I start training for the Salt Lake City Marathon 2027?
Race day is April 24, 2027. Counting back from that date, a 20-week build starts around December 5, 2026, a 16-week build around January 2, 2027, and a 12-week build around January 30, 2027. Already inside that window? Stride maps a plan from today to race day, whatever the runway.
How does Stride's Salt Lake City Marathon plan work?
Download the app, pick the Salt Lake City 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 24, 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.
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.