Milan Marathon 2027: your 12-week plan from January 11, ready on your Garmin

Your training, timed for April 4

The plan lasts 12 weeks, starting on Mon, January 11. With more time, it can start on December 14 with 4 lead-in weeks.

1. Weeks 1–3

   Base

   Jan 11 → Jan 31

   Settle volume, wake threshold up

2. Weeks 4–7

   Development

   Feb 1 → Feb 28

   Marathon pace comes in, long runs get longer

3. Weeks 8–10

   Specific

   Mar 1 → Mar 21

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

4. Weeks 11–12

   Taper

   Mar 22 → Apr 4

   Two weeks to arrive fresh

A point-to-point course, from Corso Sempione to Piazza del Duomo

In 2026, the 26.2-mile course was a point-to-point route, with no loop, starting on Corso Sempione and finishing in Piazza del Duomo, according to the official course page. For 2027, the organizer, RCS Sports & Events, says it is still working on the course details: check the course page before you settle your race strategy.

The organizer bills its race as the fastest marathon in Italy, so the training aims for an even pace, mile after mile. It will be the 25th edition, and bib pickup is at the Milano Running Festival, April 1 to 3, 2027.

Three workouts for this profile

For a city marathon billed as fast, everything rests on holding marathon pace for a long time. Three workouts to ask your assistant for; it creates them and sends them to your watch:

• — Short MAS intervals, in January: 15 min easy, 10 × 1 min at 100% of MAS with 1 min jog, 10 min cool-down, so that marathon pace feels easier.
• — Long run with a marathon-pace finish, around March 7, four weeks out: up to 2.5 hours, with the final 30 minutes at marathon pace.
• — Long marathon-pace blocks, in March: 20 min easy, 2 × 5 miles at marathon pace (76 to 80% of MAS) with a 0.6-mile jog, 10 min cool-down.

These sessions follow the logic of Running Workout's marathon plan; the assistant sets the paces from your MAS or your goal time.

A winter build-up, with Easter just before the race

Early-April race: training starts on Monday, January 11, right after the holidays, and runs through the heart of winter, with February long runs in the cold. For more margin, the plan can run 16 weeks, starting on Monday, December 14. Easter falls on Sunday, March 28, one week before the race, in the middle of the taper.

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 travel over Easter or arrive in Milan a few days before the race, tell the assistant your travel days: it moves the affected workouts in your Garmin calendar.

Registration and race day

Registration for the 2027 edition is open, according to the organizer. You must be 20, or turn 20 during 2027. You can register without a club license or medical certificate, but the documents required for your situation (FIDAL license, Runcard, medical certificate) must be added before bib pickup, or your registration stays incomplete. The 2027 start time has not been published yet.

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

Frequently asked questions