Boston Marathon pace plan
Your plan for 4:00:00
Average 5:41/kmTarget paces keep the effort even: slower on the climbs, quicker on the descents.
Section by section
- km 0–6.5 · +13 m / −96 m
Down out of Hopkinton
5:34/kmThrough 6.5 km at 0:36:11
The road drops sharply from the start, so these kilometres come quicker at an easy effort. Keep your stride short, ignore the surge around you and treat the speed as a gift from the slope, not a target.
- km 6.5–19.5 · +49 m / −57 m
Framingham and Natick
5:42/kmThrough 19.5 km at 1:50:23
Gently rolling road through the small towns. Settle into goal effort, let the little rises and dips take care of themselves and use this calm stretch to drink and fuel.
- km 19.5–25.6 · +15 m / −45 m
Wellesley to the Lower Falls dip
5:39/kmThrough 25.6 km at 2:24:52
The noise through Wellesley can lift your effort without you noticing, so check in with your breathing. Run the short, steep drop near 25 km under control; the climbing starts straight after it.
- km 25.6–33.5 · +82 m / −28 m
The Newton hills
5:50/kmThrough 33.5 km at 3:11:00
A series of climbs ending with Heartbreak Hill. Let the watch drift slower on each rise, keep the effort level and recover on the short flats between them instead of chasing lost seconds.
- km 33.5–42.2 · +23 m / −81 m
Downhill into Boston
5:38/kmThrough 42.2 km at 4:00:00 · finish
From Boston College the road mostly falls towards the city. Stay tall, keep your cadence quick and let the slope help; save the hard push for the final turns towards the finish line.
Show all splits
| km | Pace | Elev. | Elapsed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5:21 | −33 m | 0:05:21 |
| 2 | 5:37 | −8 m | 0:10:58 |
| 3 | 5:44 | −1 m | 0:16:42 |
| 4 | 5:38 | −7 m | 0:22:20 |
| 5 | 5:28 | −22 m | 0:27:48 |
| 6 | 5:32 | −14 m | 0:33:20 |
| 7 | 5:50 | +7 m | 0:39:10 |
| 8 | 5:43 | −1 m | 0:44:53 |
| 9 | 5:38 | −4 m | 0:50:31 |
| 10 | 5:36 | −9 m | 0:56:07 |
| 11 | 5:43 | +1 m | 1:01:50 |
| 12 | 5:39 | −3 m | 1:07:29 |
| 13 | 5:47 | +4 m | 1:13:16 |
| 14 | 5:38 | −5 m | 1:18:54 |
| 15 | 5:43 | +1 m | 1:24:37 |
| 16 | 5:48 | +6 m | 1:30:25 |
| 17 | 5:47 | +5 m | 1:36:12 |
| 18 | 5:48 | +6 m | 1:42:00 |
| 19 | 5:31 | −16 m | 1:47:31 |
| 20 | 5:43 | 0 m | 1:53:14 |
| 21 | 5:38 | −5 m | 1:58:52 |
| 22 | 5:41 | −2 m | 2:04:33 |
| 23 | 5:45 | +3 m | 2:10:18 |
| 24 | 5:47 | +6 m | 2:16:05 |
| 25 | 5:35 | −12 m | 2:21:40 |
| 26 | 5:37 | −13 m | 2:27:17 |
| 27 | 5:52 | +8 m | 2:33:09 |
| 28 | 5:38 | −5 m | 2:38:47 |
| 29 | 6:01 | +18 m | 2:44:48 |
| 30 | 5:38 | −6 m | 2:50:26 |
| 31 | 5:42 | −3 m | 2:56:08 |
| 32 | 5:50 | +7 m | 3:01:58 |
| 33 | 6:04 | +19 m | 3:08:02 |
| 34 | 5:43 | −3 m | 3:13:45 |
| 35 | 5:34 | −12 m | 3:19:19 |
| 36 | 5:31 | −17 m | 3:24:50 |
| 37 | 5:43 | 0 m | 3:30:33 |
| 38 | 5:36 | −10 m | 3:36:09 |
| 39 | 5:31 | −15 m | 3:41:40 |
| 40 | 5:43 | −1 m | 3:47:23 |
| 41 | 5:44 | +2 m | 3:53:07 |
| 42 | 5:47 | +5 m | 3:58:54 |
| 42.2 | 5:38 | 0 m | 4:00:00 |
About the Boston Marathon course
The Boston Marathon is the oldest annual marathon in the world, first run in 1897 and held on Patriots' Day, the third Monday in April. Most runners earn their place with a qualifying time. The course is point to point, starting in the small town of Hopkinton and finishing on Boylston Street in central Boston, and it runs east through Ashland, Framingham, Natick, Wellesley, Newton and Brookline. Overall it loses about 125 metres, but the descent is far from even. The first six kilometres drop steeply, which tempts many runners into a pace they cannot hold. The middle of the race rolls gently, with the famous noise of Wellesley around halfway. Then, after a short, steep dip to the Charles River at the Lower Falls, the course climbs through the Newton hills between roughly 26 and 34 km. The last of these, Heartbreak Hill, comes just before Boston College. From there the road runs mostly downhill through Brookline to the finish. This plan spreads your goal time by effort: it lets the early downhill kilometres come a little quicker, slows you on the Newton climbs and gives that time back on the final descent, so the effort stays steady from Hopkinton to Boylston Street.
FAQs
Is the Boston Marathon a fast course?
It is net downhill, but it is not an easy course. In the effort model behind this plan the climbs and descents almost cancel out, adding only about 15 seconds for a 3:30 runner compared with a flat course. What the model does not capture is the pounding of the early descent, which tires the legs before the hills arrive.
How hard is Heartbreak Hill?
On its own it is modest: it rises about 25 to 30 metres over roughly a kilometre. It feels hard because it is the last of several climbs in Newton and comes at around 32 to 33 km, when most runners are already tired.
Should I bank time on the downhill start?
No. The plan already lets the first 6 km come a few seconds per kilometre quicker at an easy effort. Running them harder spends energy and loads your quads, and both cost far more time in the Newton hills and on the final descent.
Where should I start pushing?
Not before the top of Heartbreak Hill. Once you are past Boston College the road falls towards the city, and the last few kilometres are the place to use whatever you have saved.