The marathon taper: how to taper for running a marathon, week by week

A marathon taper is the last two to three weeks before race day, when you cut running volume, keep some marathon-pace work, and stop adding anything new. For most runners, three weeks is the sweet spot. The training is done. The taper is how you show up to the start of running a marathon fresh instead of carrying four months of fatigue on your back.

Below: why a taper works, how long it should be, how much to cut, a week-by-week marathon taper plan, and what to do with lifting, food and nerves along the way. If your build went sideways, get a plan built around your week and let it rebuild the last weeks around the race date.

Why the marathon taper works

A marathon build stacks months of long runs, quality sessions and big weeks. You end it fitter than you've ever been and more tired than you realize. The taper removes the tired part without losing the fit part.

The research is consistent on the basics. A meta-analysis of 27 studies in competitive athletes found the most effective taper lasted about two weeks, with training volume reduced by 41–60%, and without changing training intensity or frequency (Bosquet et al., 2007). An earlier review found that performance usually improved by about 3%, with a usual range of 0.5–6%, and that progressive tapers did better than sudden step cuts (Mujika & Padilla, 2003).

The taper is the last of the training phases: base, build, peak, taper. Any decent plan, from a marathon-only schedule to a hybrid training template that keeps lifting in the mix, ends with one. If yours just stops abruptly, or doesn't change at all until race week, it's skipping the part that turns training into a race.

How long to taper before running a marathon

Two to three weeks. Three suits most recreational marathoners, especially after a big build. Two can work for runners on lower mileage or coming off a shorter block.

The best recreational evidence is observational. An analysis of more than 158,000 recreational marathon runners found that strict tapers, where training volume steadily decreased each week, were associated with better performance than relaxed ones, and that longer tapers of up to three weeks did better than shorter ones (Smyth & Lawlor, 2021). Strict three-week tapers were associated with a median finish-time saving of 5 minutes 32 seconds, or 2.6%, compared with a minimal taper. Most runners in the data, 64%, used less disciplined tapers.

It's an association, not a trial. But it lines up with the lab research: commit to the taper and you tend to race better.

A marathon taper is longer than a half marathon taper, which usually runs 7 to 14 days, because a marathon build carries far more accumulated fatigue. Copying a half marathon taper for a marathon usually means racing tired.

How much to cut

The practical rules:

• ›Volume: down gradually across the taper, ending around half of your peak weekly volume or a bit less in race week, not counting the race itself. That fits the research above (Bosquet et al., 2007).
• ›Intensity: stays. Keep short efforts at marathon pace or a bit faster so your legs remember what race pace feels like.
• ›Frequency: stays the same or drops slightly. One review suggested reducing it by no more than about 20% (Mujika & Padilla, 2003). If you run five days a week, keep running four or five, just shorter.
• ›Long run: the last really long one about three weeks out. After that, each one is shorter.
• ›Nothing new. No new shoes, gels, workouts, or stretching routines.

A taper is not a lighter week in the middle of a block. A deload cuts everything a bit to set up more training; a taper cuts volume harder and keeps race-pace work, to set up one performance. Knowing how to deload matters during the build. Just don't stack a deload in front of the taper for extra freshness. You'll arrive undercooked.

A three-week marathon taper plan

This assumes you've been running five days a week and lifting twice. Adjust distances to your own training. The pattern matters more than the numbers.

Three weeks out

Volume: about three-quarters of your peak week.

Two weeks out

Volume: about two-thirds of peak.

That Thursday lifting session lands ten days out, which matches the usual rule for hybrid athletes: last heavy lower-body work about 7–10 days before the race.

Race week

Volume: about half of peak or a bit less, not counting the race.

Everything still happens. Nothing is hard. The only effort with any bite is short and early in the week.

What to do with the gym during a marathon taper

The hybrid trap is tapering the running and leaving the lifting untouched. Heavy squats in race week will cost you more than one extra easy run ever could.

• ›Three weeks out: lift normally, maybe trim a set.
• ›Two weeks out: last real lower-body session about 7–10 days before the race.
• ›Race week: light upper body, core and mobility only, early in the week. Or nothing.

You won't lose meaningful strength in two weeks of lighter lifting. You'll pick it back up after you've recovered from the race.

Fueling in the final days

General guidance, not a prescription. Carbohydrate loading for events longer than about 90 minutes is commonly described as 10–12 g of carbohydrate per kg of body weight per day for 36–48 hours before the race, according to the joint position stand from the American College of Sports Medicine, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and Dietitians of Canada (Thomas et al., 2016). In practice that means more rice, pasta, bread and potatoes, and a bit less fiber and fat so you're not carrying a brick on race morning. Practice it before a long run first.

During the race, events longer than about 2.5 hours may benefit from up to 90 g of carbohydrate per hour, with 30–60 g an hour a more common target for shorter efforts (Burke et al., 2011). Whatever amount you use, it should be the amount you trained with.

Why the marathon taper feels terrible

Expect to feel off. Heavy legs on easy runs, phantom aches, restlessness, and the deep conviction that you've lost fitness in four days. It's the most common taper experience and it means nothing.

What actually ruins a marathon taper:

• ›The guilt session. A hard workout five days out "to feel ready". You'll feel tired, not ready.
• ›Over-tapering. Barely running for three weeks. You'll feel flat and stale.
• ›The fitness test. A parkrun PR attempt in race week. Save it.
• ›Making up missed training. If you lost a week to illness in the build, the taper is not where you make it up. The taper can't create fitness that was never built, which is also why a marathon with no training is such a bad idea.
• ›New everything. New shoes, new gel, new breakfast. Race day is not the day for discoveries.

Race-day pacing

You'll be tapered, rested and full of carbohydrate, so the first miles will feel absurdly easy. That's the taper working, not a sign to go faster. Decide your opening pace now, while you're calm. Run by feel, or use marathon heart rate as a ceiling for the first half, not a target to chase.

If this is your first marathon, the taper matters even more. Someone who went from couch to 10K in 8 weeks a year or two ago has done something impressive by reaching a marathon start line at all; don't spend it in race week.

Where the taper fits in the bigger plan

A marathon build is a sequence of blocks: base, build, peak, then this. The longer phases before it are covered in marathon training blocks explained, and the general rules of tapering for a race apply to half marathons, Hyrox and lifting meets too.

How exrsz handles the marathon taper

exrsz builds your marathon plan around your race date, so the taper is on the calendar from the start, with running and lifting cut together. It adapts each week to how you actually trained, and if you miss sessions in the build it reshuffles them rather than cramming them into the taper.

FAQ

How long should a marathon taper be?

Two to three weeks for most runners. In data from more than 158,000 recreational marathoners, strict tapers of up to three weeks were associated with better finish times than shorter or looser ones (Smyth & Lawlor, 2021).

How much should I cut mileage during a marathon taper?

Cut gradually, ending at around half your peak weekly volume or a little less in race week. A meta-analysis of taper studies found volume reductions of 41–60%, with intensity and frequency kept, worked best (Bosquet et al., 2007).

When should my last long run be before a marathon?

About three weeks out for your last really long run. Two weeks out gets a medium-long easy run, and race week has no long run at all.

Should I still run fast during a marathon taper?

Yes, briefly. Keep short efforts at marathon pace or slightly faster, especially early in each week. Intensity is the part of training you keep; volume is the part you cut.

Should I lift weights during a marathon taper?

Lightly. Do your last real lower-body session about 7–10 days before the race, then stick to light upper body, core and mobility so your legs are fresh on race day.