Intermediate · Marathon
16-Week Intermediate Marathon Training Plan
Run a marathon PB off a bigger base and marathon-pace long runs.
- Event
- Marathon
- Level
- Intermediate
- Length
- 16 weeks
- Days / week
- 5
The full 16-week plan as a PDF, every session, styled like the app.
The full plan, week by week
Base, build, peak, then taper: periodised so you arrive on race day fit and fresh, not overtrained.
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Week 1
Base
Recovery Long Easy Easy Long
Key session Long Run 11.54 km
Weekly volume 4h 23m
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Week 2
Base
Recovery Long Easy Easy Long
Key session Long Run 13.66 km
Weekly volume 4h 46m
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Week 3
Base
Recovery Long Easy Easy Long
Key session Long Run 15.78 km
Weekly volume 5h 09m
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Week 4
Base
Recovery Long Easy Easy Long
Key session Long Run 17.89 km
Weekly volume 5h 30m
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Week 5
Base
Recovery Long Easy Easy Long
Key session Long Run 20.01 km
Weekly volume 5h 53m
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Week 6
Build
Recovery Threshold Long Easy Long
Key session Long Run 20.01 km
Weekly volume 5h 38m
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Week 7
Build
Recovery Threshold Long VO2max Long
Key session Long Run 21.85 km
Weekly volume 6h 06m
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Week 8
Build Recovery
Recovery Threshold Long Easy Long
Key session Long Run 18.88 km
Weekly volume 5h 18m
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Week 9
Build
Recovery Threshold Long VO2max Long
Key session Long Run 25.52 km
Weekly volume 6h 52m
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Week 10
Build
Recovery Threshold Long Tempo Long
Key session Long Run 25.48 km
Weekly volume 7h 04m
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Week 11
Build
Recovery Threshold Long Tempo Long
Key session Long Run 28.22 km
Weekly volume 7h 40m
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Week 12
Build Recovery
Recovery Threshold Long Tempo Long
Key session Long Run 24.33 km
Weekly volume 6h 37m
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Week 13
Build
Recovery Threshold Long Tempo Long
Key session Long Run 33.70 km
Weekly volume 8h 51m
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Week 14
Peak
Recovery VO2max Easy Tempo Long
Key session Long Run 31.02 km
Weekly volume 7h 26m
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Week 15
Taper
Recovery Threshold Easy Easy Long
Key session Long Run 16.20 km
Weekly volume 3h 57m
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Week 16
Race
Recovery Strides Recovery Recovery Race Day
Key session Race Day: Run 42.20 km
Weekly volume 6h 20m
Row shading shows each week's training volume against the peak week.
This outline is the skeleton. Gritup makes it yours.
A printed plan can't know that you were travelling last week, that your long run felt awful, or that your fitness jumped. Gritup takes this exact structure and makes it adaptive:
- Calibrated to you. Paces and zones set from your recent results, not a generic label.
- Adapts when life happens. Miss a session or a week and the plan rebuilds the path to race day.
- Fits your real schedule. Choose your training days, and the plan reshapes around them instead of the other way round.
- One app, every sport. Run, bike, swim, or combine them for triathlon, without juggling separate apps.
Get the adaptive version on your phone
Frequently asked
How many days a week is the 16-week intermediate marathon training plan?
This plan runs 5 days a week over 16 weeks, structured in base, build, peak, and taper phases. If 5 days doesn't fit your week, Gritup can rebuild the same goal around the days you actually have.
Is this marathon plan right for a intermediate athlete?
Yes, it's written for a intermediate athlete. It assumes you already have a training base and layers in threshold and race-specific work. In the app, the plan calibrates to your recent results rather than a one-size label.
What happens if I miss a session or get sick?
With a static plan you're on your own: shift the week and hope the balance still works. Gritup re-plans the remaining weeks around a missed session, an injury, or a busy stretch, so you always have a coherent plan to race day instead of a broken schedule.
Is this training plan really free?
Yes. The full week-by-week outline on this page is free to follow. Gritup itself is a subscription that turns this skeleton into an adaptive, personalised plan, with a free trial and no card required to start.
Marathon plan
Follow the outline. Or let Gritup run it for you.
Get this 16-week plan as an adaptive, personalised programme that adjusts to your fitness and your week, free for the first two weeks.