Sub-4 hour marathon
Run 42.2 km in under 4 hours — 16 weeks, 5 running days a week.
16 weeksThe classic amateur marathon goal. Sixteen weeks, five days a week, peaking around 65 km. What separates this from a finish-only plan is marathon-pace work: substantial blocks at 5:37/km inside the long runs, so that the pace becomes automatic and you are not doing arithmetic at 30 km.
Before you start: A completed marathon in 4:05–4:30, or a half marathon under about 1:55.
The pace this goal requires
4:00:00 over 42.195 km is 5:41 per kilometre — the same pace as a sub-2 half marathon, held for twice as long. That comparison is the honest way to judge whether you are ready: sub-2 for the half should feel comfortable, not maximal. Full kilometre-by-kilometre splits for this target are on the split calculator.
The full 16-week schedule
Every session written out. Print this page — the navigation, banners and footer are all stripped from the printed version, leaving the table.
| Week | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | Long run |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rest | 20 min threshold at 5:20/km | Easy 8 km | 35 min steady at 6:00/km | Rest | Easy 8 km | Long run 18 km, easy | 18 km |
| 2 | Rest | 25 min threshold at 5:20/km | Easy 8 km | 40 min steady | Rest | Easy 8 km | Long run 20 km, easy | 20 km |
| 3 Long run: last 5 km at 5:37/km |
Rest | 4 × 1.6 km at 5:20/km, 2 min jog | Easy 9 km | 45 min steady | Rest | Easy 9 km | Long run 22 km, easy | 22 km |
| 4 Cutback week |
Rest | 20 min threshold | Easy 8 km | 35 min steady | Rest | Easy 8 km | Long run 16 km, easy | 16 km |
| 5 Long run: last 8 km at 5:37/km |
Rest | 2 × 15 min at 5:20/km | Easy 9 km | 50 min steady | Rest | Easy 9 km | Long run 24 km, easy | 24 km |
| 6 | Rest | 5 × 1.6 km at 5:15/km, 2 min jog | Easy 9 km | 50 min steady | Rest | Easy 9 km | Long run 26 km, easy | 26 km |
| 7 Cutback week |
Rest | 30 min threshold at 5:25/km | Easy 8 km | 40 min steady | Rest | Easy 8 km | Long run 20 km, easy | 20 km |
| 8 Long run: last 10 km at 5:37/km |
Rest | 3 × 3 km at 5:30/km, 3 min jog | Easy 10 km | 55 min steady | Rest | Easy 10 km | Long run 28 km, easy | 28 km |
| 9 | Rest | 2 × 20 min at 5:25/km | Easy 10 km | 60 min steady | Rest | Easy 10 km | Long run 30 km, easy | 30 km |
| 10 Cutback week |
Rest | 25 min threshold | Easy 8 km | 45 min steady | Rest | Easy 8 km | Long run 22 km, easy | 22 km |
| 11 Long run: 12 km at 5:37/km in the middle |
Rest | 6 × 1.6 km at 5:15/km | Easy 10 km | 60 min steady | Rest | Easy 10 km | Long run 32 km, easy | 32 km |
| 12 | Rest | 3 × 4 km at 5:37/km, 3 min jog | Easy 10 km | 50 min steady | Rest | Easy 10 km | Long run 26 km, easy | 26 km |
| 13 Longest run: last 15 km at 5:37/km |
Rest | 2 × 20 min at 5:25/km | Easy 9 km | 45 min steady | Rest | Easy 9 km | Long run 32 km, easy | 32 km |
| 14 Taper begins |
Rest | 30 min at 5:37/km | Easy 8 km | 40 min steady | Rest | Easy 8 km | Long run 22 km, easy | 22 km |
| 15 | Rest | 20 min at 5:37/km | Easy 6 km | 30 min easy | Rest | Easy 6 km | Long run 14 km, easy | 14 km |
| 16 Goal week |
Rest | 3 km at 5:37/km | Easy 5 km | 20 min easy with 4 × 20 s strides | Rest | Easy 5 km | Race: marathon | Race: marathon |
How to run this plan
- Marathon-pace blocks inside long runs are the core session. A 30 km run with 15 km at goal pace is worth more than a 35 km jog.
- Easy pace 6:40–7:10/km. It will feel absurdly slow. That is what makes the goal-pace work possible.
- Fuelling: target 40–60 g of carbohydrate per hour and rehearse it exactly as you will do it on race day.
- Sub-4 usually fails between 32 and 38 km, and it usually fails because of the first 10 km. Start slower than goal pace and let it come to you.
Strength work. Strength: 20 min of squats, lunges, single-leg calf raises, glute bridges and planks. This is the injury insurance. Add it on an easy day or straight after an easy run — never the day before a quality session.
The principle underneath the table
Roughly eighty per cent of the running in this plan is easy, and that ratio is not a compromise — it is the mechanism. Easy running builds the aerobic machinery that lets you absorb the hard sessions; hard running that is not paid for by easy running just accumulates fatigue. The most common way an amateur plan fails is that the easy days creep up to a moderate pace, the hard days consequently drift down to the same moderate pace, and the runner spends twelve weeks training one gear.
The second principle is the cutback week. Volume in this plan does not climb monotonically; every third or fourth week it drops. Adaptation happens during recovery, not during the session, and a plan without down weeks is a plan that banks fatigue until something gives.
The third is the taper. The last three weeks reduce volume sharply while keeping a small amount of intensity. It will feel wrong. Do it anyway — nothing you run in the final fortnight can make you fitter, and plenty of it can make you tired.
Questions
How long is the sub-4 hour marathon plan?
16 weeks, running 5 days a week. A completed marathon in 4:05–4:30, or a half marathon under about 1:55.
What if I miss a week?
One missed week: pick the plan up where you left off, do not try to catch up by doubling anything. Two or more: step back two weeks in the schedule and rebuild. The plan is a progression, and the progression is the part that works — skipping forward to stay 'on schedule' is how people get injured in week ten.
Can I move the days around?
Yes, with one rule: keep at least one easy or rest day between the quality sessions and the long run. The days of the week are arbitrary; the spacing is not.
Is run 42.2 km in under 4 hours realistic for me?
A completed marathon in 4:05–4:30, or a half marathon under about 1:55. If you are some way off that, the honest answer is that this plan will not bridge the gap in 16 weeks — build the base first and come back. Put a recent race into the race time predictor to see where you actually stand.
How do I train for this in Indian heat?
Move everything to before sunrise, run the quality sessions by effort rather than pace once it is above about 25°C, and accept that summer paces are slower than winter paces at identical fitness. In the north from November to January, check air quality before every session and take it indoors when readings are bad.
Other marathon plans
All twelve are listed on the training plans page.
Every time, pace and physiological figure on this site is computed from a published formula, and the formula is named and shown on the method page. Nothing here is predicted by a model you cannot check. Race details change — always confirm dates, routes and entry with the official organiser. Training guidance is general information, not individual coaching or medical advice.