16 Week Marathon Training Plan (Free, Personalized)

This 16-week marathon plan runs 4 days a week (Tue, Thu, Sat and a Sunday long run), peaks at 35 miles in week 13, builds the long run to 20 miles and tapers for 3 weeks. Easy running only, the right call for a first marathon. Use the table as is, print it, or generate the same plan around your own race date and run days.

The 16-week marathon plan, week by week

Totals are the sum of the week's runs, rounded to a whole mile; day distances are rounded to a tenth of a mile. Rest days show the default Tue/Thu/Sat/Sun pattern; the generator moves sessions to the days you pick.

Phases of the plan

• Base, 5 weeks. Base: easy running only, the long run grows a little each week and every fourth week steps back to absorb the work.
• Build, 5 weeks. Build: volume keeps rising; experienced runners add one tempo or interval session a week, beginners keep everything easy.
• Peak, 3 weeks. Peak: the longest runs of the plan and the highest weekly volume.
• Taper, 3 weeks. Taper: volume and the long run step down so you arrive at the start line fresh; race week ends with a short run.

Run types

• Easy run. Relaxed, conversational. Most of the plan.
• Long run. Steady and conversational, the one run that builds race endurance. Always on your long-run day.
• Tempo. 1 mile easy, the middle miles comfortably hard, 1 mile easy. Marathon and half plans, experienced runners only.
• Intervals. 5 × 400 m (6 × in the peak) with jog recovery; 5K and 10K plans.
• Rest. Days without a run. The generator respects the days you choose.

How the numbers are set

• Phases by share of plan length: Base = first 30 % of weeks, Build = next 30 %, Peak = the rest up to the taper, Taper = last 3 weeks (marathon), 2 (half), 1 (10K and 5K). A short plan still gets at least one Build and one Peak week
• Starting weekly volume = max(current weekly mileage you enter, run days × 4 mi for the marathon, × 3.5 for the half, × 2.5 for the 10K, × 2 for the 5K). Week 1 in a table can be a mile or two higher: no easy run is shorter than about 2 mi
• Target peak week for a first-timer: 35 mi (marathon), 25 mi (half), 20 mi (10K), 15 mi (5K); 25 % higher with some experience. Weekly growth (3 % to 15 %) is solved so the highest week before the taper hits the target. A plan too short for that peaks lower, as the table shows
• Every 4th week is a cutback week at 82 % of the previous week, but never in the taper or the two weeks before it
• Long run grows each week toward its cap (20 mi marathon, 14 mi half, 9 mi 10K, 6 mi 5K) by 4 % to 20 % a week and drops to 85 % on cutback weeks. In a short plan it can stay below the cap
• Taper: about 75 % of the peak week in the first taper week, then about 60 % and 45 % (marathon) or 50 % (half). The 5K and 10K taper lasts one week. The long run drops to 70 % and, in a longer taper, to about 60 % in race week. Low-mileage plans cut a little less

Marathon training facts behind the plan, with sources

Published research on intensity, heart rate and fueling, with the generator's own settings beside it. Sources checked on October 28, 2026.

How this plan differs

The 16-week marathon plan set against the beginner plan and the 15-week plan, its closest neighbours on the site. All numbers come from the engine that builds the table above.

• Length and phases. 16 weeks: 5 base, 5 build, 3 peak, 3 taper. Same length as the beginner plan; the 15-week plan is 1 week shorter (4 build, 3 peak).
• Starting point. Week 1 has 16 miles over 4 runs and a 6-mile Sunday run; the beginner plan opens at 12 miles and 6 on Sunday.
• Peak and total. The biggest week is 35 miles (week 13), and the plan adds up to 359 miles. beginner plan: 33 at week 13, 51 miles fewer in total; 15-week plan: 35 at week 12, 20 miles fewer in total. Sunday distance reaches the 20-mile ceiling in week 13.
• Hard sessions. None: all 64 runs are easy days or the Sunday run. beginner plan: no hard sessions; 15-week plan: no hard sessions.
• Taper. 26 → 21 → 16 miles over the last 3 weeks, with 5 miles on race-week Sunday; the 15-week plan tapers 26 → 21 → 16.

Frequently asked questions