Trail Marathons in September
September may be the best month for a trail marathon. September is the month of the Pikes Peak Marathon, up and back down a 14,115-foot Colorado summit with nearly 8,000 feet of climbing each way. The heat breaks, the high trails are still open, and you arrive carrying a full summer of miles.
Count back from race day
- Early March: start the 10-week primer
- Mid-May: start the 18-week plan
- Late August: peak week
- Mid-September: race day
Your training season. All summer, all build. Long days make long runs easy to fit, but heat makes them harder. Run early and let the plan's recovery weeks do their job.
Masters Athlete Insights
Summer builds drift into overreaching without anyone noticing. If your resting heart rate is up and your sleep is down, take the easy week early.
Start the 16-week 50K plan · Not 26 weeks out yet? Begin with the 10-week primer.
