Florence Marathon 2026: your final four weeks, workout by workout on your Garmin

A flat course, between 43 and 65 m above sea level

The profile published by the organizer stays between 43 and 65 m (141 to 213 ft) above sea level from start to finish: a flat course where you run by the clock rather than by effort. Start and finish are at the foot of the cathedral: the 2026 rules set the start in Piazza del Duomo, and the course map puts the finish on Via dei Pecori, right next to it.

The route shown on the official website passes through Cascine Park, along the Arno embankments, over the Ponte Vecchio, around Piazza Santa Croce and through Piazza della Signoria, with a pass inside the athletics stadium. The time limit is 6 hours, with two cut-offs: halfway in 3 hours and km 30 (mile 18.6) in 4:15.

Three workouts for this profile, in the final month

On a flat course, everything comes down to holding marathon pace evenly. There is time for three key sessions; ask your assistant to create them and send them to your watch:

• — Around November 8, three weeks out: a last 2-hour long run, with the final 40 minutes at marathon pace (76 to 80% of MAS).
• — Mid-November, pace blocks: 20 min easy, 3 × 2.5 miles at marathon pace with a 0.6-mile jog, 10 min cool-down.
• — On November 29, the race on your watch: target pace plus 10 to 15 seconds per mile for the first 2 miles, target pace to mile 22, then hold on without speeding up all the way to the cathedral.

Paces are set from your MAS or your goal time; between these sessions, the assistant adds easy runs and trims the volume each week until race day.

The final stretch on the calendar

Late-November race: a 12-week plan started in early September, with the end of summer for base-building and the autumn for race-specific work. The last four weeks fall in November, as the days get shorter: many sessions are run early in the morning or after dark.

A missed week is not made up: your assistant reviews the week on Garmin Connect (sessions done, sessions missed, training load), decides whether to repeat it or move on, and sends the workouts to your watch. If you're coming from far away, plan to arrive a few days early: the race expo is at the Stazione Leopolda on November 27 and 28. For the 2027 edition, Running Workout will set the full plan to the date as soon as it is announced.

Registration and race day

The marathon is sold out for its 42nd edition, which the rules cap at 13,000 participants. The start is at 8:30 a.m. in Piazza del Duomo; aid stations every 5 km (3.1 miles), with solid food from km 15 (mile 9.3), according to the organizer. The organizer also holds a 10K in the historic center, partly on the marathon course.

After the race, ask your assistant to analyze the activity: lap splits, heart rate, and how even your pace was from mile 18 to the finish.

Frequently asked questions