First Marathon Training Plan: 18-Week Beginner's Guide

By Run Club Directory · Updated 27 October 2026

This first marathon training plan takes you from running 8–10 km to the finish line of your first marathon in 18 weeks. It's a marathon training plan for beginners in two versions (four runs a week, or three runs plus other exercise), and it covers how to train for a marathon as a beginner from the long run and taper to what to eat before a marathon, plus how running club marathon training groups can help.

So you're thinking about a marathon. Maybe a friend ran one and came home glowing. Maybe you've just finished your first half and wondered, quietly, "could I do double?" Or maybe a marathon is simply the thing you've always meant to do "one day".

This guide is for that day. It's written for people who already run a little, perhaps three times a week and up to 8–10 km, and want to get to the start line of their first marathon healthy and to the finish line smiling. It covers how to choose a race, how much fitness you need first, a week-by-week 18-week plan, the long run, strength work, staying injury-free, what to eat, kit, the taper and race day itself.

Everything here has been checked against published research and public health guidance, listed in the references at the bottom.

On this page 1. Is a first marathon right for you? 2. How to train for a marathon as a beginner 3. Your 18-week plan 4. The marathon long run 5. Marathon training with a running club 6. Strength and mobility 7. Injury prevention 8. Marathon nutrition 9. What to eat before a marathon 10. Kit and shoes 11. How to taper for a marathon 12. Race week and race day 13. Recovery afterwards 14. Download the plan 15. FAQ 16. References

Is a first marathon right for you? Choosing your race

A marathon is 42.2 km (26.2 miles). For most first-timers that's somewhere between four and six hours on your feet. That's a big ask of your legs, but it's also a big ask of your diary: the training takes about four months, with one long run a week that grows to three hours or more.

Before you enter, it's worth asking yourself three honest questions.

Can you give it the time? Most beginner plans, including ours, ask for three or four runs a week, with the weekend long run as the non-negotiable one. If the next four months include a house move, a new baby or a busy season at work, it might be kinder to yourself to pick a later race.

Are you running regularly now? You don't need to be fast. You do need a few months of steady running behind you (see the next section).

Do you want to? A marathon is far more enjoyable if it's your idea. If you'd rather get quicker at 10 km, that's a great goal too.

Choosing your first race

• Give yourself at least 18 weeks, plus a few weeks' buffer for life getting in the way.
• Flat and big, or small and scenic? Big city marathons have crowds that carry you along, but also busy starts, ballots and long waits. Smaller races are calmer and often easier to enter, but the last miles can be lonely. Hilly courses are slower; for a first marathon, flatter is friendlier.
• Spring or autumn? Spring races mean training through winter: dark evenings and cold long runs, but cool race days. Autumn races mean training through summer heat. Pick the season you'd rather train in.
• Ballot or open entry? Some of the best-known UK marathons are ballot-only, so have a back-up race in mind.
• Travel. A race close to home means your own bed and your own breakfast the night before, which is worth more than it sounds.

Browse UK marathons by date or our wider running events listings to find one that fits. If you'd like a stepping stone first, a half marathon around week 8–10 of your training works well. Our spring half marathons 2027 list is a good place to start.

Looking closer to home? See marathons in Greater London, West Yorkshire, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, and half marathons for a tune-up race.

How to train for a marathon as a beginner: base fitness first

The most common first-marathon mistake isn't the wrong plan. It's starting the plan before your body is ready for it. An 18-week plan builds on a base; it doesn't create one from nothing.

A quick readiness checklist

You're probably ready to start an 18-week plan if, for the last 4–6 weeks, you've:

• been running about three times a week, fairly consistently;
• been able to run 8–10 km at an easy, chatty pace;
• had no injury or pain that's stopped you running.

Starting from scratch

If you're not there yet, that's completely fine. It just means your marathon is a little further away. Build up first: the NHS's free Couch to 5K programme takes total beginners to 30 minutes of running over nine weeks. After that, give yourself a couple of months of gentle, regular running and a 10 km before starting a marathon plan. A beginner-friendly running club is a brilliant way to make that build-up sociable.

How many months do you need?

As a rough guide: if you can already run 10 km comfortably, 18 weeks (about four months) is a sensible block. If you're starting from little or no running, think in terms of 9–12 months to marathon day, including the base-building. Official race plans can be as short as 16 weeks, but for most new runners a longer build-up is kinder. You'll often see three-month plans. They exist, but they suit people who already run a lot, not first-timers.

A word on health

Marathon running is safe for the vast majority of people. Research summarised for patients by the American Heart Association found cardiac arrest during marathons and half marathons to be very rare. The same article advises that people with previous heart problems or established cardiac risk factors should talk to their doctor before starting training, particularly if they've been inactive. If that's you, or you have any other health condition, please check in with your GP first.

Your 18-week first marathon training plan

Our plan comes in two versions, and both are in the download below.

• Finish strong: four runs a week. Best if you can find the time; it gives you the most comfortable finish.
• Time-short: three runs a week plus one session of other exercise (cycling, swimming, a cross-trainer, a brisk hilly walk). Built for busy working weeks.

Both plans run in four phases: base (weeks 1–6), build (weeks 7–12), peak (weeks 13–15) and taper (weeks 16–18). Every fourth week is an easier "cutback" week.

Week-by-week overview

Sunday long run (or race) for each week, copied unchanged from the downloadable plan. The full plan has every day's sessions.

Easy runs: the backbone

Most of your running, around three-quarters of it or more, should be easy. Easy means you could hold a full conversation. If you're breathing too hard to speak in sentences, slow down. Many well-known coaching books, such as Jack Daniels' Daniels' Running Formula and Pete Pfitzinger and Scott Douglas's Advanced Marathoning, build their marathon plans on a large base of easy running, with a small amount of harder work on top.

It feels too slow. That's the point. Easy running builds the heart, lungs, muscles and tendons you need for 42 km, without leaving you too tired to train the next day.

The weekly workout

Once a week (from week 3 in Finish strong), one run has a bit more effort: some "steady" running where you can speak in short sentences, or a few short spells of "comfortably hard" running where you can only manage a few words. It keeps you sharp and makes marathon pace feel easier. It's a small part of the week. Don't turn every run into a workout.

Cutback weeks

Weeks 4, 8 and 12 are lighter. Your body adapts to training when you rest, not when you run. Cutback weeks also give life a chance to catch up. Don't be tempted to "make up" the miles.

16 week or 18 week marathon plan?

You'll see both. Sixteen-week plans are popular with runners chasing a time. For a first marathon we prefer 18 weeks. The extra fortnight lets your body build gradually and gives you slack for a cold, a holiday or a busy week. Hal Higdon's well-known Novice 1 marathon programme also uses 18 weeks, with a long run building to a peak in week 15 followed by a taper.

Why "gradual" matters so much

An International Olympic Committee consensus statement on training load and injury found that athletes respond better to relatively small increases in training than to big jumps, and that rapid increases relative to what your body is prepared for are linked to injury. That's why the plan creeps up week by week and never doubles anything overnight.

Missed a week?

It happens. Miss a few days, and simply carry on. Miss a week, and repeat the previous week before moving on. Ill for longer, and drop back two weeks and rebuild. Never cram missed sessions into the following week.

The marathon long run: how far, how slow, how to build it

If the plan has a heart, it's the long run. It's where your legs learn to keep going, where you practise fuelling, and where you find out which socks rub.

Long-run pace

Slow. Slower than you think. Your long run should be at an easy, conversational effort, often slower than you'll eventually race (convert your pace to min/mile if your watch and plan disagree). You're training time on your feet, not speed. It's fine to take short walk breaks, especially on hills or at drink stops. Plenty of first-time marathoners use run–walk all the way round.

Progression

In our plans the long run starts at about 10 km and grows by one to four kilometres most weeks, dropping back in cutback weeks. It's the one session to protect: if you must skip something, skip a short midweek run, not the long one.

The longest run

The longest run in our plans is about 32 km (20 miles) in Finish strong and about 29 km (18 miles) in Time-short, done three weeks before race day. Many first-timers ask why it isn't 42 km. The answer is that the crowd, the taper and race-day adrenaline carry you through the rest, and running the full distance in training would need weeks of recovery you don't have.

Cap your long runs by time as well as distance: if a long run would take more than about three hours, stop at around the three-hour mark, even if that's short of the planned distance.

Marathon training with a running club

Here's the part most training guides skip: you don't have to do this alone. And you'll probably enjoy it more if you don't.

Lots of UK running clubs have a regular weekend long-run group, and many run marathon-training groups in the months before the big spring and autumn races. Running with others helps in ways a plan can't:

• The long run flies by. Two and a half hours chatting goes much faster than two and a half hours alone.
• You stick at it. It's harder to skip a cold Sunday run when people are waiting for you.
• You learn from people who've done it. Club members are full of practical wisdom on routes, gels, kit and what mile 20 really feels like.
• Safety. Long runs on dark winter mornings feel better in a group.

What a club long run looks like

Picture a typical Sunday: 8 am outside a leisure centre or café, a dozen or so runners in hi-vis, split into two or three pace groups. A run leader knows the route, someone carries spare gels, and the group regroups at the top of hills. Two hours later you're back, swapping stories over coffee, and the miles have gone by without you noticing. (An illustrative example; every club is different.)

Finding a club near you

Clubs welcome runners of all speeds, and many have dedicated beginner groups. Start with our running clubs for beginners page, or browse by town, for example running clubs in London, Manchester or Bristol. When you get in touch, ask whether they have a long-run group and what pace it goes at. Most clubs are happy for you to try a session or two first.

More towns: Leeds, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Cardiff, or browse all towns and cities.

Run a club? Is your club listed? Claim it so marathon first-timers can find your long-run group.

Strength and mobility

Strength training is one of the most useful things you can add to marathon training. It doesn't need a gym or much time.

What the research says

A systematic review and meta-analysis in the British Journal of Sports Medicine (Lauersen and colleagues, 2014) looked at exercise programmes to prevent sports injuries and found strength training to be effective, while stretching on its own showed no clear protective effect. A later review by the same lead author (2018) concluded that strength training reduced both acute and overuse injuries, with a dose–response effect: more strength training, more benefit.

Two short sessions a week

Aim for two sessions of about 20–30 minutes, on easy-run or rest days, not the day before your long run. A simple bodyweight routine might include:

• squats or sit-to-stands
• split squats or lunges
• calf raises (bent knee and straight knee)
• glute bridges
• side planks
• a dead-bug or bird-dog for the trunk

Start with one or two sets of 8–12 controlled reps, and add sets or a little weight as it gets easier. Good form matters more than load.

If you've never done strength work, start with one short bodyweight session a week and keep it easy in the peak weeks.

Mobility

A few minutes of gentle movement before you run (leg swings, walking lunges, ankle circles) and easy stretching afterwards if you enjoy it. Don't expect stretching to prevent injury on its own; think of it as feeling good rather than as protection.

Injury prevention and when to see a physio

Running injuries are common among people training for marathons, and most are "overuse" injuries: the result of doing a bit too much, a bit too soon. The good news is that much of the risk is within your control.

The basics

• Build gradually. Follow the plan; don't jump ahead because you feel good.
• Respect cutback weeks and rest days.
• Keep most running easy.
• Do your strength work (see above).
• Sleep and eat enough. Under-fuelling and poor sleep both make it harder to recover.
• Change one thing at a time. New shoes, new surface, more hills, more miles: introducing several at once is asking for trouble.

Niggle or injury?

A niggle is mild, feels better as you warm up and is gone within a day or so. It's a signal to take an extra easy day. An injury is pain that gets worse as you run, changes the way you run, lingers the next day, or keeps coming back. Don't run through that.

When to get help

Please stop running and seek advice if you have:

• pain that makes you limp or change your stride;
• pain in a bone that's sore to press, especially in the shin or foot;
• swelling, or pain that's still there after a few days' rest;
• pain at night or when resting.

Chest pain, unusual breathlessness, dizziness or palpitations while running need prompt medical attention: stop and get help. Call 999 in an emergency.

A physiotherapist can assess what's going on and give you a plan to keep training safely, sometimes with fewer missed weeks than you'd fear. The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy has public information on keeping active and healthy.

Coming back after a break

After illness or injury, return to easy running first, at a lower volume than before, and build back gradually. If you've missed more than two or three weeks, consider whether your race date is still realistic. There's no shame in deferring.

Marathon nutrition: what to eat in training

You don't need a special diet to train for a marathon. You do need to eat enough, and mostly well. Our meal plan download has sample days, and this section explains the thinking behind it.

This is general information, not medical or dietary advice. If you have a medical or dietary condition, are pregnant, or have a history of disordered eating, please check with your GP or a registered dietitian before changing how you eat.

Start with a normal, balanced plate

The NHS Eatwell Guide is a good everyday foundation: plenty of fruit and vegetables, starchy carbohydrates (ideally wholegrain), some protein, some dairy or alternatives, and plenty of fluids. Marathon training mostly means a bit more of the same, especially carbohydrate on bigger days.

Eat enough

A joint position paper from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Dietitians of Canada and the American College of Sports Medicine (2016) describes having enough energy available as the foundation of health and of any sports-nutrition plan. Its authors advise against practices that leave athletes chronically short of energy. In plain terms: a marathon block is not a good time to diet. If you're always tired, getting ill a lot, or your periods have changed, talk to your GP.

Carbs around long runs

Carbohydrate is your main fuel for long, steady running. Have a carb-based meal or snack a few hours before your long run, and a meal with carbohydrate and protein afterwards. On bigger training days, simply make the starchy part of your plate a bit larger.

Recovery meals

After long or harder runs, eat a proper meal or a substantial snack within a few hours, with some carbohydrate and some protein: beans on toast, a chicken or tofu wrap, yoghurt with fruit and granola. The International Society of Sports Nutrition's position stand on nutrient timing reviews the evidence on eating around exercise. For most first-timers, the practical point is simply not to leave long gaps without food after big sessions.

Supplements: keep it simple

An International Olympic Committee consensus statement (2018) concluded that only a few supplements have good evidence of a performance benefit, that responses vary between individuals, and that some products risk contamination. It also advised seeking expert professional advice before using them, for example from your GP or pharmacist, especially if you take any medication. For most first-time marathoners, food first is the sensible approach.

The British Dietetic Association has a public food fact sheet on sport and exercise.

What to eat before a marathon (and during it)

The golden rule: nothing new on race day. Everything below should be practised on long runs first.

The week before

Eat normally for most of race week. In the last two or three days, make carbohydrate a bigger part of each meal (rice, pasta, potatoes, bread, oats), and ease back a little on very high-fibre or very fatty foods if they tend to upset your stomach. "Carb-loading" for a first-timer doesn't mean eating enormous amounts; it means shifting the balance of your plate while running less.

The night before

A familiar, carb-based dinner, not too late, not too big and not too spicy. This isn't the night to try the restaurant's special.

Race-morning breakfast

Eat a breakfast you've tested before long runs, two to four hours before the start: porridge with banana and honey, toast or a bagel with jam, or whatever has worked for you. Sip water with it.

Gels and fuel during the race

For runs longer than about 90 minutes, most runners benefit from taking in some carbohydrate on the go: gels, chews, sports drink, or real food such as jelly sweets. Practise during your long runs from about week 6, so your stomach gets used to it. As a rough guide, aim for about 30–60 g of carbohydrate an hour (about one to two gels, or a handful of jelly sweets). Practise this on long runs, and only go higher if your stomach copes in training. Find out which drinks and gels your race provides, and either train with those or carry your own.

Hydration

The American College of Sports Medicine's position stand on exercise and fluid replacement (2007) recommends starting exercise well hydrated, and notes that sweat rates vary a lot between people, so fluid plans should be individual. It also emphasises that you should avoid drinking more than you're losing in sweat. Over-drinking can be dangerous, not just uncomfortable. Practical steps:

• Drink normally in the days before, and have a drink with breakfast.
• During long runs and the race, drink according to your plan and thirst, not at every single station "just because".
• On warm days, a sports drink with electrolytes can help.
• On hot days, slow down, and stop if you feel faint, confused or stop sweating. Get medical help.
• If you want to understand your own needs, weigh yourself before and after a long run: the position stand describes this as a way to estimate sweat loss.

Warning signs of over-drinking: feeling bloated, nauseous, confused or getting a headache while you're drinking a lot can be a sign of over-drinking (low blood sodium), which is a medical emergency. Tell the medical team straight away.

Kit and shoes

You don't need much kit to run a marathon, but the few things you do need are worth getting right, and worth testing long before race day.

Getting the right shoes

Comfort matters more than anything else. Go to a running shop if you can, try several pairs and run in them. Many shops will watch you run. Buy your race shoes well before race day, and run several long runs in them. Most runners rotate shoes once mileage builds.

Socks, chafing and the little things

• Technical (non-cotton) socks that you've tested on long runs.
• Anti-chafe balm for feet, thighs, underarms and, for many men, nipples. Trust us.
• A running belt or vest for gels, phone and keys.
• A watch or app is useful but not essential. Effort matters more than numbers.

Weather kit

Winter training needs layers, gloves, a hat and something bright or reflective for dark mornings and evenings. Summer needs a cap, sun cream and a plan for water. On race day, wear an old jumper or bin bag at the start that you can discard (many races donate discarded clothing).

How to taper for a marathon

The taper is the final stretch where you run less so you arrive at the start fresh. For many people it's the hardest part. You'll feel restless, maybe sluggish, and convinced you're losing fitness. You're not.

How long is a marathon taper?

Our plans use a three-week taper after the longest run in week 15, as do many beginner programmes, including Hal Higdon's Novice 1.

• Week 16: total running drops to around three-quarters of peak; long run about 24 km (Finish strong) or 22 km (Time-short).
• Week 17: around half of peak; long run about 16 km.
• Week 18 (race week): a few short, easy runs, with a little marathon-pace running early in the week to remind your legs.

Taper tips

• Keep running, just less. Stopping completely tends to leave you feeling flat.
• Keep a little bit of pace in the runs, so your legs remember how it feels.
• Sleep. It's the best performance booster there is.
• Stick with what you know (more on that in what to eat before a marathon).
• Expect phantom aches. They're very common in the taper and usually disappear by race day.

Race week and race day

Race-week checklist

• Read the race information: start time, start pen, bag drop, course map, drinks and gel stations.
• Plan travel to the start, with time to spare.
• Lay out your kit the night before: shoes, socks, the clothes you've tested, race number pinned on, gels, anti-chafe, a throwaway layer.
• Check the weather and adjust (cap or sun cream; extra layer at the start).
• Get to bed at a sensible time two nights before. The last night's sleep is often poor with nerves, and that's fine.

Race morning

Eat your tested breakfast, sip fluids, use the loos early (the queues get long), and get to your start pen in good time. Keep warm until the start.

Pacing the first half

The biggest race-day mistake is going off too fast. Adrenaline and crowds make race pace feel easy for the first few miles; that's a trap. Aim to run the first half at a pace that feels properly comfortable, like a long run where you could still talk. Our pace calculator and race time predictor can help you set a realistic target from a recent race (or convert between min/km and min/mile), but for a first marathon, "finish feeling good" is the best target of all.

The last 10 km

This is where marathons are made. Keep fuelling, take walk breaks if you need them, break the distance into chunks ("just get to the next drink station"), and soak up the crowd. If something feels genuinely wrong (chest pain, dizziness, confusion), stop and find the medical team. There's always another race.

Then cross the line, collect your medal, and keep walking.

Recovery afterwards

The first few days

Keep moving gently after the finish. Eat and drink something soon, have a proper meal later, and expect to be stiff and sore for a few days, especially going downstairs. Short walks help.

When to run again

Many first-timers take a week or so off running, with walking instead, then ease back in with a couple of weeks of short, easy runs before anything harder. Listen to your body: pain that's sharp, swollen, or still there after a week isn't normal post-race soreness. See your GP or a physio.

What's next?

Take a few weeks to enjoy it. Then maybe a spring half, a new 5 km best, or simply carrying on with your club's long-run group. Plenty of people who start a marathon "to tick it off" end up running another. To hear about upcoming races and new clubs near you, get our directory updates.

Download the plan

Both versions of the 18-week plan ("Finish strong" and "Time-short") and our sample meal plan, ready to print and stick on the fridge. They're free to download, with no sign-up needed. The week-by-week overview above stays on this page too.

• Download the 18-week first marathon training plan (PDF)
• Download the sample marathon meal plan (PDF)

To hear about upcoming races and new clubs near you, get our directory updates.