Madrid Marathon 2027: your 12-week plan for April 25, sent to your Garmin

Your training, timed for April 25

The plan lasts 12 weeks, starting on Mon, February 1. With more time, it can start on January 4 with 4 lead-in weeks.

1. Weeks 1–3

   Base

   Feb 1 → Feb 21

   Settle volume, wake threshold up

2. Weeks 4–7

   Development

   Feb 22 → Mar 21

   Marathon pace comes in, long runs get longer

3. Weeks 8–10

   Specific

   Mar 22 → Apr 11

   Long blocks at marathon pace, 2-hour-plus runs

4. Weeks 11–12

   Taper

   Apr 12 → Apr 25

   Two weeks to arrive fresh

A course that climbs at the start and at the finish

The Madrid Marathon is not flat. On the profile the organizer published for the 2024 course, you gain about 200 ft in the first 3 miles (from roughly 2,215 to 2,410 ft), drop to about 1,935 ft between the Casa de Campo park and Madrid Río, then climb back about 165 ft between mile 23.6 and the finish.

The 2027 map posted online follows the same pattern: start on Paseo de la Castellana, a northern loop via Plaza de Castilla and Cuatro Caminos, through the center past Callao and the Royal Palace, several miles in the Casa de Campo (roughly miles 15.5 to 20.5), then back via Madrid Río, Embajadores, Atocha and Paseo del Prado to the finish on Paseo de Recoletos. The half marathon starts with the marathon and finishes at Recoletos. The start time and finish closing time are still listed as "to be determined" in the 2027 rules.

Three workouts for a course that climbs early and late

On this profile, you run by effort more than by the clock: caution on the opening climb, evenness through the Casa de Campo, something left for the final climb. Three workouts to prepare, which your assistant builds and sends to your watch:

• — Hills, instead of a MAS session during the build phase (February-March): 8 × 1 min 30 s uphill at a hard effort, jog back down, for the climbs at the start and the finish.
• — Marathon pace on rolling terrain: 3 × 3.1 miles at marathon pace, 0.6 mile easy between, on a loop that goes up and down, to hold the effort rather than the exact pace.
• — Long run with an uphill finish: 2 hours with the last 20 minutes at marathon pace on a gentle incline, to rehearse the climb from mile 23.6 toward Atocha and the Prado.

February to late April, with Holy Week in the middle

The plan runs from February 1 to April 25: three base weeks, four build weeks to March 21, three marathon-specific weeks, then two taper weeks from April 12. Holy Week (March 21 to 28) opens the specific block, with its long runs finishing at marathon pace: if you go away, move the long run rather than dropping it.

A week that slips, an Easter trip: tell your assistant. It reads your Garmin activities, reviews the week and adjusts the rest of the plan without catching up; if needed, it moves the workouts in your Garmin calendar.

Bibs and race day

The organizer plans 17,000 bibs for the marathon and 30,000 for the half. Since May 2026, they have been allocated in phases: 2026 finishers first, then the 2026 waiting list, then the general public from May 14, until they run out; a waiting list then takes over released bibs. The online registration window runs until April 11, 2027. After the race, your assistant analyzes your watch's activity: pace on the climbs, through the Casa de Campo and over the last 2.5 miles.

Frequently asked questions