When will you run your first marathon?
The short answer
Most first-time marathoners need 16–20 weeks of structured training, four to five runs a week, peaking with one 30+ km long run. Pick your race, work backwards, and you've got your start date.
On this page
The honest commitment: 16–20 weeks, 4–5 runs a week
Marathon training is a season of your life, not a fortnight. If you can't carve out 6–8 hours a week for the peak weeks, push the race back rather than half-train and get hurt.
Building from a 10K base
Don't start a 16-week plan from a 5K base. Run a 10K race, hold 30km/week for a month, then start the marathon block. Future-you will thank present-you.
How to calculate your marathon-ready date (worked example: 18 weeks)
18 weeks before a late-September race = mid-May start. Long run grows from 16 km to 32 km, peaks 3 weeks before race day, taper for 2 weeks.
The long run is the whole game
Run it slow. Embarrassingly slow. You're training fat oxidation, not speed. One 32 km run in training is worth more than four heroic 8 km runs.
Training builds the marathon. Race day collects it.
Major Australian marathons by date
Melbourne (October), Gold Coast (July), Sydney (September), Perth (June). Pick yours and the calendar gives you week one.
Race-week tapering and the start-line nerves
Cut volume by 40–50% in the final two weeks. You'll feel sluggish and convinced you're losing fitness. You're not — you're recovering. Trust the taper.
Try the calculator
Pick your race. We'll show you when to start. Bring a buddy for the long runs.
