16-week marathon training plan — beginner
A free 16-week marathon plan for beginner runners: 3 runs a week, peaking at 52 km, with cutback weeks and a real taper.
| Week | Phase | Sessions | Long run | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | base |
| Long run16km | Total29km |
| Week 2 | base |
| Long run18km | Total32km |
| Week 3 | base |
| Long run19km | Total35km |
| Week 4 | cutback |
| Long run13km | Total24km |
| Week 5 | build |
| Long run21km | Total37km |
| Week 6 | build |
| Long run22km | Total40km |
| Week 7 | build |
| Long run24km | Total43km |
| Week 8 | cutback |
| Long run17km | Total31km |
| Week 9 | build |
| Long run26km | Total47km |
| Week 10 | build |
| Long run27km | Total48km |
| Week 11 | peak |
| Long run29km | Total52km |
| Week 12 | peak |
| Long run29km | Total52km |
| Week 13 | taper |
| Long run19km | Total35km |
| Week 14 | taper |
| Long run12km | Total21km |
| Week 15 | taper |
| Long run8km | Total15km |
| Week 16 | race |
| Long run42.2km | Total50.2km |
Who this plan is for
This is the beginner version — it assumes you can run 5 km without stopping and want to finish comfortably. It runs 16 weeks, 3 days a week, and peaks at 52 km in the hardest week.
If that sounds like too much or too little, the same marathon block exists at other levels and lengths — the related plans below are the same engine with different inputs.
How the plan is built
Cutback weeks. Roughly every fourth week drops to about 70% of the previous long run. Adaptation happens during the easier week, not the hard one.
Progression is capped at 20%. No week's long run climbs more than a fifth above the last progressive week. Where a shorter plan cannot reach the usual peak inside that limit, it arrives at a lower peak rather than taking an unsafe step.
A real taper. The closing weeks come down hard, and race week carries almost nothing — two short shakeouts totalling 8 km before the start line.
This plan, but it adapts
7-day free trial, then $12.99/mo.
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Fair questions
How many miles a week is this marathon plan?
It peaks at 52 km (about 32 miles) in the hardest week, and totals roughly 591 km across the 16 weeks.
What is the longest run in a 16-week marathon plan?
29 km. Past roughly 32 km the recovery cost outgrows the aerobic return for most amateur runners, so the long run is capped rather than pushed toward race distance.
Is 16 weeks long enough to train for a marathon?
For a beginner runner, yes — provided you are starting from the base this plan assumes. If you are not, the longer version of this plan is the more forgiving choice, mainly because it absorbs missed weeks better.
Is this plan free?
Yes. Every week is on this page. The subscription is for the app, which adapts the plan around the sessions you actually complete.