London Marathon Training Plan 2026 | 17-Week Marathon Training Programme

Searching for a London Marathon training plan or London Marathon training programme for 2026? This structured 17-week plan is built specifically for the London Marathon - one of the six Abbott World Marathon Majors and one of the most iconic running events in the world. Whether you are aiming to finish, hit a personal best, or qualify for a Good for Age time, this plan delivers structured, progressive preparation across four training blocks.

Four blocks, each three weeks long and separated by a recovery week, build your aerobic base, develop your lactate threshold, extend your long run capacity, and sharpen your race-pace fitness in the final weeks before the start line on the Mall. TSS builds week-on-week within every block, and every session has a clear purpose explained.

Written by Tom Cooling at Horsepower Coaching - coaches to IRONMAN Wales winners (2023 and 2025), 70.3 World Championship podium athletes (2024), XTRI Norseman World Championship podium finishers, XTRI Celtman podium finishers, Haute Route podium athletes and UCI Continental Professional cyclists. For more information visit www.horsepowercoaching.co.uk.

Weekly volume progresses from an average of 6 hours in Block 1 to 9 hours in Block 4. Long runs are scheduled on Saturdays with supporting sessions across the week. Monday is your active recovery day and Thursday is a full rest day.

The London Marathon course is largely flat but the final miles down the Embankment and into the Mall demand strong late-race pacing and resilience. This plan develops the fatigue resistance and race-pace confidence to run strongly to the finish.

The final week in this plan is labelled Target Event. Arrange your plan so that week aligns with your London Marathon date. This plan is self-guided and unsupported.

Keywords: London Marathon training plan 2026, London Marathon training programme, marathon training plan London, 26.2 mile training plan, Abbott World Marathon Major training, London Marathon preparation 2026, marathon programme for beginners to intermediate runners.