Prague Marathon 2027: twelve weeks to May 2, every workout sent to your Garmin

Your training, timed for May 2

The plan lasts 12 weeks, starting on Mon, February 8. With more time, it can start on January 11 with 4 lead-in weeks.

1. Weeks 1–3

   Base

   Feb 8 → Feb 28

   Settle volume, wake threshold up

2. Weeks 4–7

   Development

   Mar 1 → Mar 28

   Marathon pace comes in, long runs get longer

3. Weeks 8–10

   Specific

   Mar 29 → Apr 18

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

4. Weeks 11–12

   Taper

   Apr 19 → May 2

   Two weeks to arrive fresh

From Old Town Square over Charles Bridge and along the Vltava

The Vodafone Prague Marathon starts and finishes on Old Town Square (Staroměstské náměstí). Charles Bridge comes early, at mile 1.7; according to the organizer, it's the only race in the Czech Republic that crosses it.

On the 2026 course, the race then passed the Rudolfinum, ran out to Karlín (mile 5.8), came back through Old Town Square (mile 7.9), down Wenceslas Square, past the National Theatre and the Dancing House, over the Nusle Bridge (mile 11.2) and reached Vyšehrad at halfway. The way back crosses the Legion Bridge (mile 19.6), follows the Vltava again and goes through Karlín (mile 24) to the finish.

Three workouts for this course

Prague asks you to hold your pace over cobblestones and through the many turns of the historic center. Your AI assistant creates these workouts and sends them to your watch, with paces based on your MAS (maximal aerobic speed); you pick the terrain.

• — 3 × 2 miles at marathon pace (76 to 80% of MAS), 3 min recovery, on uneven ground if you have some nearby (cobbles, trail): Charles Bridge comes before mile 2.
• — A 45-minute fartlek: 10 × 1 min at 10K pace (90 to 92% of MAS), 1:30 easy jogging between each, to pick the pace back up after corners without going into the red.
• — A 2 h 15 long run, the last 40 minutes at marathon pace: the finale, from the Legion Bridge back to Old Town Square, comes on tired legs.

A build from February to late April

With the race on May 2, training starts on February 8, the first weeks in winter and the long runs in March and April. With more lead time, the plan runs up to 16 weeks, from Monday, January 11, 2027. Easter (March 28) falls at the end of week 7, and Saturday, May 1, the day before the race, is a public holiday in much of Europe, the Czech Republic included: book your trip early.

If a week falls apart, your assistant runs the weekly review: it compares the planned workouts with what your watch recorded, applies the plan's rule (repeat the week or carry on) and sends the next week. If you switch races, it shifts the whole calendar to the new date.

Entry and race day

Entries for the 32nd edition were open on October 27, 2026, but the marathon is capped at 12,000 runners, and the organizer says a third of the places went almost as soon as entries opened. Minimum age on race day: 18. The time limit is 7 hours from the starting signal, an average of about 15:41 min/mi.

Frequently asked questions