Philadelphia Marathon 2026: your final weeks, workout by workout on your Garmin

Flat early, rolling through Fairmount Park, flat along the Schuylkill

The race starts and finishes by the Philadelphia Museum of Art: you set off at 22nd Street and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and finish facing the museum steps. In between, the course runs through the historic district, University City and Fairmount Park, then follows the Schuylkill River on Kelly Drive out to Manayunk and back.

The organizer's elevation chart is flat for the first 7 miles, climbs and rolls through Fairmount Park until about mile 15.5, then drops back to the river: the last 10 miles or so, on Kelly Drive and in Manayunk, are almost flat. The high point stays below 150 ft.

The finish stays open for 7 hours, and the official FAQ asks every participant to hold at least a 16-minute-per-mile pace for the whole course.

Three workouts for Fairmount Park and Kelly Drive

With less than a month left, your endurance is built: what remains is getting over the Fairmount Park hills without overspending, then holding pace on the long flat of Kelly Drive. Ask your assistant to create these three workouts and send them to your watch; it sets them from your MAS.

• — Short hills: 20 min easy, 8 × 45 s uphill at a strong effort (about 90% of MAS), jog back down, 10 min cool-down; no later than three weeks before race day.
• — Last hilly long run: 1 h 45 min with 3 × 15 min at marathon pace, the second block on rolling ground like Fairmount Park; two to three weeks before race day.
• — Race-week pace check: 35 min easy including 3 × 4 min at marathon pace, three or four days before the start.

Your assistant can also put the race itself on your watch for November 22, with your target pace.

The final weeks on the calendar

The race falls on the Sunday before Thanksgiving (Thursday, November 26), so book travel early. If you're coming from far away, arrive a few days ahead to settle in and pick up your bib. The last two weeks are your taper: less volume, a little marathon pace, nothing new.

A missed week at this stage isn't made up, it's absorbed: your assistant reads your activities on Garmin Connect, reviews the week and adjusts the remaining workouts without piling on more. After the race, it analyzes your activity lap by lap, pace and heart rate, including on the Fairmount Park hills. For the 2027 edition, Running Workout's 12-week marathon plan will lock onto the date as soon as it's announced.

Bibs and race day

The marathon, half marathon and 8K are sold out; for a guaranteed entry, official charity partners may still have bibs. Push-rim wheelchairs start at 6:55 a.m., runners and walkers at 7:00 a.m.

Frequently asked questions