Amsterdam, Netherlands · 42.195 km road marathon
Amsterdam Marathon 2026 training plan
Race day Sunday 18 October 2026 · 2 full weeks away
3-week final preparation: this week (from Mon 28 Sept) → race Sun 18 Oct 2026
Too close to the race for a full build: this keeps your fitness, rehearses race pace and tapers. It assumes you have already been training.
Assumes a runner now at: 35 km a week, longest recent run 18 km, 4 run days, a first marathon. Not you? Change it
Around 19.9 km a week at most; the long run reaches 16 km. The last weeks taper.
The longest run stays at 16 km, so race day covers the last 26.2 km for the first time: start slower than feels necessary, and for a first marathon a later race with a full build is the safer choice.
A typical week: week 1, from Mon 28 Sept
- SatLong run · 15.9 km
- SunRecovery run or hike · 4 km
Other days rest.
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Your goal
This close to the race the goals differ only in a quality session or two.Your 3-week final preparation (finish well)
Racing more than once? Add a second race in the season planner and see whether the two fit together.
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Week 1 · from Mon 28 Sept
Your longest runs, still at an easy effort — 19.9 km; long run 16 km
- Sat 3 OctLong run
- Sun 4 OctRecovery run or hike
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Calendar
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Adjust this planDefault starting point: 35 km/week; longest recent outing 18 km; 4 days/week; steady recent training; first marathon.
All 3 weeks
Use it for race-effort sessions and race day. Easy runs stay easy whatever the goal; the plan's efforts come from how you run now.
Plan assumptions and limits
- Road race: the plan is distance-driven and no vertical target is prescribed.
- Short-runway maintenance mode does not raise weekly load above the stated stable starting point.
- Generic planning guidance from race facts and stated training — not medical care or individual coaching.
- In 1 of the 3 weeks the running fits in fewer than your 4 days with every run at least 20 minutes, so those weeks use fewer days; the others are rest days, or easy cross-training if you like.
- Training distances and durations are approximate alternatives, not pace targets. Use current effort, not a hoped-for finish time. Repeat or shorten a week if recovery is poor; do not make up missed sessions.
Week 1: Your longest runs, still at an easy effort19.9 km; long run 16 km
- Long run
100 min (about 15.9 km). Use race-like terrain where practical, but keep the overall effort controlled. Practise eating and drinking on longer easy runs; easy pace is not a reason to skip fueling. For runs lasting 1 to 2.5 hours, 30 to 60 g of carbohydrate per hour is a useful starting range; beyond 2.5 hours, build toward 60 to 90 g per hour if you have practised it and tolerate it. Adjust fluid to your needs and the conditions.
- Recovery run or hike
25 min (about 4 km). Keep this genuinely easy, or substitute an easy hike.
Week 2: Reduce fatigue while retaining a small intensity reminder14.1 km; long run 7 km
- Rest
Rest or gentle mobility.
- Short race-effort reminder
25 min (about 3.9 km). Start with 10 minutes easy. Then 2 x 2 minutes at controlled race effort, with 1 minute easy between repeats. Finish with at least 10 minutes easy; any remaining time is easy.
- Easy run
20 min (about 3.1 km). Conversational aerobic running. Keep easy days easy enough to support the key work.
- Long run
45 min (about 7.1 km). Keep this comfortable and finish with plenty in reserve. Practise the fuel, hydration and kit you intend to use; treat amounts as rehearsal, not a universal prescription.
Week 3: Arrive rested; avoid last-minute fitness work12 km before the race
- Easy run
35 min (about 5.6 km). Keep this short and conversational. The goal is freshness, not fitness.
- Easy pre-race run
25 min (about 4 km). Run conversationally. If already familiar, include a few relaxed strides with full recovery; otherwise stay easy.
- Optional shakeout
15 min (about 2.4 km). Rest, or jog very easily if that reliably helps you feel better.
- Race day
Run the 42.2 km as planned: start controlled and use the fuelling and kit rehearsed in training. Afterwards: rest or walk for two or three days, then short easy runs only, with no hard running for about two weeks.
Sources and what is still provisional
Race facts checked 2026-09-25; review due 2026-10-05. The schedule was generated on 2026-10-02 from the confirmed date and distance; it is TrailSplits' own calculation and is not endorsed by the organizer. Independently prepared by TrailSplits.
- Marathon page
Start areas, the wave table, the six-hour limit and 17:00 closure, the kilometre cut-offs, aid stations, the stadium finish and the 2026 course map used for the reconstruction.
- Programme
The 18 October 2026 date, the weekend schedule and time limits, the 17:00 finish closure and the 30 to 31 October 2027 dates.
- Entry and expo pages
Sold-out status, resale and charity routes, fees, the expo hours at RAI Amsterdam and the absence of Sunday pickup.