Shiprock Marathon training plan: course, start dates, and plan options
Shiprock, NMMay 1, 2027
The Shiprock Marathon never drops below about 4,988 feet and tops out near 5,563, so the entire race is run a mile above sea level with the Shiprock Pinnacle standing over it. It starts and finishes at the Shiprock Youth Center in Shiprock, New Mexico, at 7 a.m., and it is an out and back with 838 feet of climbing.
Answer a few questions, choose your plan, then create your account and subscribe to start training in Stride.
That altitude is the whole story. A sea level runner arriving fit will find their usual marathon pace costs noticeably more effort here, and no amount of training volume changes the air. The organizers describe a gentle long downhill slope on the return, which sounds like a gift and is actually the second thing you have to train for.
219 days to race day
Shiprock Marathon · May 1, 2027 · about 31 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 Shiprock Marathon 2027
Race day is May 1, 2027, which is 219 days from today. Counting back from that date, here is when each length of build starts.
- 30-week buildStart October 3, 2026
- 24-week buildStart November 14, 2026
- 18-week buildStart December 26, 2026
- 16-week buildStart January 9, 2027
- 12-week buildshortest Stride acceptsStart February 6, 2027
You have about 31 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 1, 2027.
Answer a few questions, choose your plan, then create your account and subscribe to start training in Stride.
Shiprock Marathon course facts
- Course
- Out and Back · Hilly · Road/Pavement
- Elevation gain / loss
- 838 ft gain, 838 ft loss
- Highest / lowest point
- 5,563 ft / 4,988 ft
- Marathon finishers
- 187 in 2026 (very small field)
- Boston qualifier
- Certified Boston qualifying course
- Finishers running a qualifying time
- 0.5% in 2026
- Typical race morning
- 46°F at the start, 46% humidity, clear
- Race day high / low
- 69°F / 37°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 Shiprock 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 Shiprock 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: out and back under the pinnacle
The Shiprock Marathon is an out and back road course from the Shiprock Youth Center in New Mexico, run on Navajo Route 13 and US 491 with the Shiprock Pinnacle in view. The route sits between roughly 4,988 and 5,563 feet, with 838 feet of climbing and the same amount of descent, and the organizers describe the return as a gentle long downhill slope.
The structure means you earn your elevation early and give it back late, which is a specific and slightly cruel arrangement. A gentle grade that feels free at mile 16 is still an eccentric load on quads that have already climbed to over 5,500 feet in thin dry air. Add the cutoffs: runners must be off N13 and onto US 491 by noon, and everyone must be finished by 2 p.m. From a 7 a.m. start that is a seven hour race with a hard intermediate checkpoint.
How to train for the Shiprock Marathon
Train for the Shiprock Marathon by preparing for the altitude you cannot replicate and the long descent you can. If you live near sea level, accept the altitude cost instead of fighting it: set a goal meaningfully slower than your flat-course equivalent, run the first half by effort rather than by watch, and arrive as late as your travel allows, since the first days at altitude are the worst ones to race in.
The trainable half is the descent. Build long gradual downhill running into your last eight weeks so the eccentric load is familiar, and finish long runs on a downgrade rather than a climb, because that is the shape of this race. Hydration deserves its own line: at around 46 percent humidity and over 5,000 feet, you lose more fluid than you feel, so practice drinking on schedule instead of by thirst. Stride matches you to one of 14 marathon plans built on the most proven training methodologies in the sport, maps every week from today to race day, and adjusts when travel or a missed week gets in the way.
Getting in
Entry to the Shiprock Marathon is open registration through RunSignUp with no lottery, and the race is put on by NavajoYES, with proceeds funding year-round outdoor adventure programs for Diné youth and families. The marathon starts at 7 a.m. and the half follows at 7:30, with a 5K the day before plus a relay, an Elder Run and the Natani Mile. Charity bibs with a fundraising commitment are available. Note the two cutoffs when you plan: off Navajo Route 13 and onto US 491 by noon, and finished by 2 p.m.
Where does the Shiprock Marathon get hard?
It gets hard twice: on the outbound climb toward the course high point near 5,563 feet, and then again on the long gradual descent home, which is gentle enough to feel free and steep enough to finish off quads that never practiced running downhill.
What is the weather like at the Shiprock Marathon?
Race morning usually starts around 46 degrees under clear skies with humidity near 46 percent and a light easterly breeze, and the average daily high climbs to about 69 against an average low of 37. That is a wide high desert swing across one morning, so dress for a cold start you will shed within three miles. The dry air matters more than the temperature: at that humidity and altitude, dehydration arrives before thirst does.
Is the Shiprock Marathon a good Boston qualifier?
The Shiprock Marathon is USATF certified and Boston eligible with no net drop, so the BAA's downhill index does not apply, but this is not a qualifying course. About 0.5 percent of 2026 finishers ran a Boston qualifying time, which on a field of 187 finishers is roughly one runner, after 2.4 percent in 2025 and 6 percent in 2024. Altitude and 838 feet of climbing are why. Come here for the race, not the time.
Is the Shiprock Marathon a good first marathon?
A good first marathon for the right person and a bad one for anybody chasing a time. Seven hours on the clock and a quiet field of 187 finishers in 2026 make for an unpressured day, and the setting is genuinely rare. But the altitude will slow a first-timer more than they expect, and the noon checkpoint at the US 491 turn is a real cutoff, so build in a margin.
Shiprock Marathon questions, answered.
How high is the Shiprock Marathon?
The whole course runs above 4,988 feet and reaches about 5,563 feet at its highest point, so you are a mile above sea level for the entire race. Sea level runners should expect their usual marathon pace to cost meaningfully more effort and plan a slower target accordingly.
Is the Shiprock Marathon a good Boston qualifier?
No. Only about 0.5 percent of 2026 finishers ran a qualifying time, roughly one runner in a field of 187, after 2.4 percent in 2025 and 6 percent in 2024. The course is certified and eligible, but altitude plus 838 feet of climbing makes fast times rare. Qualify somewhere else.
What are the cutoff times for the Shiprock Marathon?
Two of them. Runners must be off Navajo Route 13 and onto US 491 by noon, and every runner must finish by 2 p.m. With a 7 a.m. start that is a seven hour limit with an intermediate checkpoint partway through, so a slow first half can end your race before the finish line does.
Is the Shiprock Marathon worth traveling for?
If you want a small, quiet race with a view, yes. There were 187 finishers in 2026, up from 105 in 2022, so this is an intimate event rather than a big-city spectacle, run under the Shiprock Pinnacle with proceeds supporting outdoor programs for Diné youth and families through NavajoYES.
Where does the Shiprock Marathon get hard?
It gets hard twice: on the outbound climb toward the course high point near 5,563 feet, and then again on the long gradual descent home, which is gentle enough to feel free and steep enough to finish off quads that never practiced running downhill.
What is the weather like at the Shiprock Marathon?
Race morning usually starts around 46 degrees under clear skies with humidity near 46 percent and a light easterly breeze, and the average daily high climbs to about 69 against an average low of 37. That is a wide high desert swing across one morning, so dress for a cold start you will shed within three miles. The dry air matters more than the temperature: at that humidity and altitude, dehydration arrives before thirst does.
Is the Shiprock Marathon a good Boston qualifier?
The Shiprock Marathon is USATF certified and Boston eligible with no net drop, so the BAA's downhill index does not apply, but this is not a qualifying course. About 0.5 percent of 2026 finishers ran a Boston qualifying time, which on a field of 187 finishers is roughly one runner, after 2.4 percent in 2025 and 6 percent in 2024. Altitude and 838 feet of climbing are why. Come here for the race, not the time.
Is the Shiprock Marathon a good first marathon?
A good first marathon for the right person and a bad one for anybody chasing a time. Seven hours on the clock and a quiet field of 187 finishers in 2026 make for an unpressured day, and the setting is genuinely rare. But the altitude will slow a first-timer more than they expect, and the noon checkpoint at the US 491 turn is a real cutoff, so build in a margin.
When should I start training for the Shiprock Marathon 2027?
Race day is May 1, 2027. Counting back from that date, a 20-week build starts around December 12, 2026, a 16-week build around January 9, 2027, and a 12-week build around February 6, 2027. Already inside that window? Stride maps a plan from today to race day, whatever the runway.
How does Stride's Shiprock Marathon plan work?
Download the app, pick the Shiprock 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 1, 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 Shiprock 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.