Marathon Countdown & Race Week Planner (Free Tool)

Free personalised marathon planning tool

Enter your marathon date and get the decisions that matter now. The planner turns one race into a dated checklist for training, travel, pacing, fuel, race morning and packing. It changes as race day gets closer.

Build my plan How it works Connected tools How advice is chosen FAQ

Build your marathon plan

You only need your race date, expected finish time, basic travel details and the fuel target you intend to practise. If you came from the Marathon Finder, the race and date should already be filled in.

Start with the first three priorities. The longer countdown is there when you need it. You do not have to read every section today.

How the planner works

A runner who is 20 weeks away does not need the same advice as someone racing on Sunday. The planner first works out where you are in the countdown. It then brings the next decisions to the top.

• Early: choose a realistic plan, check the goal and make important travel bookings.
• Build: test likely shoes, begin fuel practice and turn the weekly schedule into a routine.
• Rehearsal: use selected long runs to practise breakfast, kit, pace and fuel together.
• Final weeks: stop major experiments, confirm logistics and follow the taper in your plan.
• Race week: use official instructions, pack tested kit and protect the routine.
• After the race: recover, record what happened and complete a useful debrief.

Your result also includes an even-pace reference, a fuel carrying estimate, a race-morning schedule, dated checkpoints and a packing list. Save it on your device, copy a share link, add the checkpoints to your calendar or print the plan.

How it connects to the Runner’s Toolkit

The planner does not show every calculator at once. It recommends a small number when they can help with the next decision. You can still browse the full Runner’s Toolkit whenever you want.

Choose the plan

Use the Custom Training Plan Creator when your race date or weekly schedule does not fit a fixed plan. The 20 Week Beginner Marathon Plan is the simpler choice for a first marathon when its starting point fits you. See all options on the Training Plans page.

Set training effort and check the goal

The Race Time Calculator can compare a marathon goal with a recent result. Use the Training Zones Calculator when your plan gives pace-based sessions. If weather and hills often change the pace, compare heart rate and pace zones before choosing which one to follow.

Test shoes and fuel

Use the Running Shoe Finder early enough to test a pair properly. The Shoe Mileage Tracker helps you decide whether a current pair should last through race day. The Marathon Fueling Calculator builds a more detailed gel, carb and electrolyte plan than the quick estimate on this page.

Prepare race pace and race-day kit

The Race Pace Calculator creates a full split plan and printable wristband. The Split Calculator is useful for simpler checkpoints. Close to race day, use the Running Outfit Calculator after the forecast becomes useful. Do not buy or introduce new race gear just because the date is close.

Review the race honestly

If the day did not go to plan, use the Marathon and Half Marathon Debrief. It separates pacing, fuel, conditions, training and goal choice so one difficult race does not become a vague conclusion about your ability.

How the advice is chosen

The tool is deliberately conservative. It does not write a new training schedule or prescribe a carbohydrate target. It organizes the race date, the target you enter and the decisions runners commonly need to settle before a marathon.

• The fuel estimate translates the carb target you selected into gels after subtracting carbs from drink, chews or food.
• The race-morning timeline works backwards from the start. Official transport, security, bag-drop and corral deadlines always replace its estimates.
• The pacing number is an even-pace reference. Course hills, weather, crowding and your training still matter.
• The countdown encourages testing before race week and removes late gear recommendations when there is no useful adaptation time left.

Sports nutrition guidance stresses that plans should be individual and practised, while research on tapering supports reducing training load before endurance competition rather than adding last-minute work. For deeper reading, see the joint Nutrition and Athletic Performance position paper and the 2023 systematic review of tapering in endurance athletes.

This tool provides general planning information. If you have a medical condition, a history of disordered eating, persistent pain or symptoms that concern you, get individual guidance from an appropriate qualified professional.

Marathon countdown planner FAQ

Is the marathon planner free?

Yes. It does not require an account, email address or payment.

Where is my plan saved?

If you press “Save on this device,” the answers are stored in that browser. RunningGearLab does not receive them. A copied share link contains the planner answers in the URL, so only share it with someone you trust.

Does the tool tell me how many carbs I should take?

No. You enter an hourly target. The tool only translates that target into a rough gel count after accounting for other carb sources. Practise the routine before race day and use individual sports-nutrition advice when needed.

Can I use it without a time goal?

Yes. Choose “Finish comfortably” and enter an expected finish time for the fuel calculation. The result will not turn that estimate into a target pace.

What happens when I choose a race in the Marathon Finder?

The race name and date can pass into this page automatically. You still add your own goal, travel, start-time and fuel details because those are personal.

Can I use the planner after the race?

Yes. A past date changes the result to recovery and review. It links to the race debrief instead of telling you to buy or test more gear.

Still choosing a race? Start with the Marathon Finder. Already registered? Compare the free training plans or build one with the Custom Training Plan Creator.