Marathon training plans

Tom Craggs, Road Running Manager at England Athletics has created some amazing 16 week marathon plans to help us achieve our marathon goals.

Beginner marathon plan

This plan is aimed at runners who are new to themarathon distance. You might be stepping upfrom 5, 10km or half marathon and you should feel happy running 30-45 minutes continuously at an easy pace, and longer with the aid of short recovery breaks. If you do not feel ready to run without stopping for the set time, consider mixing easy running with walking.

Improver marathon plan

This plan is aimed at runners who are looking to improve on a previous marathon time and are already confident to run for 90-105 minutes at an easy pace. If it’s your first marathon you may have previously completed several 10km-half marathon races and should be able to train 5 times a week.

Experienced marathon plan

This plan is aimed at experienced marathon runners likely looking for a time of 3 hours – 3:30 or faster and who can train 5-6 times a week. You’ll likely have experience completing interval training before, and have raced regularly over 10km-half marathon, or indeed a full marathon.