How Long Should Your Marathon Training Plan Be? - Stephen Scullion - Olympic marathoner

Aug 13, 2025

Intro: This is a quick summary of How Long Should Your Marathon Training Plan Be? from Stephen Scullion - Olympic marathoner. It’s a great watch — we’re breaking it down so you can try the workout today. Be sure to check out the full video for all the details.

Key points

Marathon plans are usually 12‑16 weeks; beginners or those with recent fitness loss may need a bit longer, while well‑trained runners can succeed with 12‑14 weeks.
The buildup is split into four phases:
1. Base/early phase – build 5‑10 k fitness, easy runs, occasional 4‑5 k repeats.
2. Phase 2 – introduce tempo work and longer runs (e.g., 8‑10 k repeats).
3. Phase 3 – fine‑tune, keep key intervals (e.g., 3 × 8 k) but reduce volume to avoid over‑training.
4. Taper – 1‑2 weeks of reduced mileage, keeping a few short hard efforts to stay sharp.
Adjust the length of the early phase based on your recent marathon experience and current fitness level.
Use a race‑specific test (e.g., a marathon‑pace long tempo, a half‑marathon, or a 10 k) at the end of Phase 1 to gauge where to focus in Phase 3.

Workout example (early‑phase template, distances in kilometers):

Monday: Easy 6 k
Wednesday: 5 k repeat × 4 at slightly faster than 10 k pace, 2 min jog recovery
Friday: Easy 8 k
Sunday: Long run 14‑16 k, steady at comfortable marathon‑pace effort (Tailor paces to your current fitness; the goal is to build durability without excessive fatigue.)

Closing note: Try this phased approach and customize the paces in the Pacing app to match your own fitness. Happy training—your marathon day will thank you!