16 Week Marathon Training Plan

This page gives you a 16-week marathon training plan that is generated in your browser. It is free, needs no sign-up, and is preset to 16 weeks, so a full plan appears as soon as the page loads. Each week shows as seven day boxes from Monday to Sunday, with the run type, distance, and either a pace or an effort cue. Each week also shows its phase, whether it is a cutback week, and its total distance. The 16-week plan has 13 build weeks and a 3-week taper.

The plan is built from public rules, not copied from a coach or a book. You can change the number of runs per week, the level, the goal time, the race date, and the units. Nothing you type is uploaded or stored on a server.

How to use the 16-week marathon training plan tool

1. Check that Race is set to marathon and Plan length is 16 weeks. This page is preset to both.
2. Set Runs per week to 3, 4, 5, or 6 days.
3. Pick a Level: Beginner, Intermediate, or Advanced.
4. Optional: enter a Goal time. Every run then gets a pace range per mile or km, and a box of training paces appears above the weeks. Without a goal time, runs are described by effort, such as “easy, conversational effort.”
5. Optional: enter a Race date. Each run then gets its date, the race falls on that day, and week 1 starts on a Monday. Without a race date, the long run falls on Sunday.
6. Choose Units: miles or km.
7. Read the summary line, which shows the number of weeks and runs, the peak week distance, and the longest run.
8. Scroll through the weeks. Each one shows its phase (Base, Build, Race-specific, or Taper), any cutback week, and the week total.
9. Use the buttons. Print prints only the plan. Download PDF makes a text PDF of the whole plan in your browser. Add to calendar (.ics) creates one all-day event per run for Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, or Outlook. Copy link copies the address for the exact result.

Your settings are kept in the page address, so Copy link shares or bookmarks the plan you see. The miles/km switch changes every pace and distance, and your choice is remembered in this browser.

Is 16 weeks enough to train for a marathon?

Sixteen weeks can be enough if you already run regularly and want a plan that builds gradually. The tool uses 13 build weeks followed by a 3-week taper, and no week goes more than 10% above the largest earlier week. Weeks 4, 8, and 12 are cutback weeks at about 80% of the week before, so your body gets regular recovery. Long runs top out at 32 km (about 20 miles) for beginner and intermediate plans and 35 km for advanced plans.

If you are starting from little or no running, 16 weeks leaves less room to build. A longer plan may suit you better, since the marathon setting allows 12 to 24 weeks.

What happens in the last 3 weeks?

The last 3 weeks are the taper, when weekly distance drops so you reach the start line fresh. For a marathon the taper is 3 weeks, which in this plan means weeks 14 to 16. A 5K or 10K uses a 1-week taper, and a half marathon uses 2 weeks.

Before the taper, the plan moves through three phases. Base covers the first 40% of the build weeks and mixes easy runs, strides, and hill repeats. Build covers the next 40% and adds tempo runs and intervals. Race-specific covers the last 20%, with race-pace runs. For intermediate and advanced marathon plans, the end of the long run includes a race-pace segment.

Hard sessions, such as hills, tempo, intervals, and race pace, are never scheduled the day before or after the long run. Easy runs are at least 3 km.

What paces does a 16-week plan use?

The worked example for an intermediate runner with a 4:00:00 goal and 4 runs a week gives an easy pace of 10:32 to 11:54 per mile, a threshold pace of 8:30 per mile and a goal race pace of 9:09 per mile. Enter your own goal time to see paces for your target. The paces are calculated with the Daniels & Gilbert (1979) equations.

What does an advanced 16-week plan look like?

An advanced plan with 5 runs a week and a 3:15:00 goal gives 80 runs. Its peak week is 59 miles (95 km), and its longest run is 21.5 miles (35 km), which is the advanced cap.

Frequently asked questions

When should I start a 16 week marathon plan?

Count back 16 weeks from your race date. Enter that date in the Race date box, and the tool sets week 1 to start on a Monday. Without a race date, the plan starts next Monday, so enter a race date if you want the plan tied to an event.

How many runs a week does a 16 week plan need?

The tool offers 3, 4, 5, or 6 runs per week, so pick the number that fits your schedule. The summary line shows the total runs for your choice. As a worked example, an intermediate plan with 4 runs a week has 64 runs in total.

Can I get it as a PDF or in my calendar?

Yes. Download PDF makes a text PDF of the whole plan in your browser. Add to calendar (.ics) creates one all-day event per run for Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, or Outlook. Without a race date, the calendar plan starts next Monday.

Do I need to enter a goal time?

No. Without a goal time, each run is described by effort. With one, every run gets a pace range per mile or km, and a box of training paces appears above the weeks.

Is this plan medical advice?

No. Build up gradually, and ask a doctor before you start if you have a health condition.

Can I use the plan commercially, for example with runners I coach?

Yes. Plans, PDFs and calendar files you make here are free to use for any purpose, including handing them to runners you coach, with no credit needed. You may not copy the generator or the site itself; see the terms.

Related tools

• Marathon training plan: Use this for other marathon lengths, such as 12 or 20 weeks.
• Half marathon training plan: Use this if you are training for a half marathon instead.
• Beginner running plan: Use this if you are new to running and want a gentler starting point.
• Training pace calculator: Use this to get training paces from a recent race result.
• Boston qualifying times: Use this to check the 2027 Boston Marathon standard for your age group.
• Pace chart for this race: Use this to see split times for your goal race pace.
• Pace band: Use this to carry your target paces on race day.
• Methodology: formulas and plan rules: Use this to read how the plans and paces are calculated.