By Marnie Kunz,
Certified trainer and run coach

If you’d like to run a 4 hour marathon pace, this guide will go over everything you need to know, from training tips to speed workouts. If your marathon goal is to run your next marathon in 4 hours or less, these training strategies and training plans will help you cross the finish line in time. I have coached many runners to run a sub 4-hour marathon time, including for the NYC Marathon, Chicago Marathon, and more, and these are my top tips to help you slay your time and hit your peak on race day.

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Marathon 101: Distance and Pacing

A marathon is a hallmark long-distance running event, drawing runners from around the world to challenge themselves to run farther distances. A marathon is 26.2 miles - 42.195 kilometers - long. Becoming a marathon runner takes months of training and dedication to conquer the distance. Having a pacing strategy is important to help you stay on track in your race and with your training.

How Fast Is a 4 Hour Marathon Pace?

A 4-hour marathon pace demonstrates excellent fitness and endurance and is a common goal for marathon runners. If you want to run a 4-hour or sub-4-hour marathon, you will need to run at an average pace of 9:09 minutes per mile (5:41 minutes per km) or faster. This mile time assumes you are keeping a consistent pace throughout the whole race.

If you want a more detailed breakdown of what pace to run to reach your marathon goals, check out our Marathon Pace Chart for All Levels.

Training for a 4 Hour Marathon

To run at a 4 hour marathon pace, you’ll need to follow a training schedule that includes base runs, long runs, and speed workouts. A good 4-hour training plan will help you elevate your current fitness level to prepare you for conquering the marathon in 4 hours or less. Make sure your plan is created by a certified running coach so it incorporates solid training principles to minimize your risk of injury while improving your fitness level and endurance.

Visit the Runstreet Training Center for a Personalized Marathon Training Plan that takes into account your fitness level, goals, and training availability to create a customized training program to crush your next marathon.

Training Essentials

Before we delve into marathon training, first you’ll need a few essentials - a good pair of running shoes, moisture-wicking running clothes, and a GPS watch or running app. If you don’t have a fitness smartwatch, you can download any of these free running apps on your phone to track your runs.

If you’re not sure what kind of running shoes to get, check out my article on How to Find the Best Running Shoes. Visit your local running store to get fitted for shoes so you have a comfortable pair that suits your training conditions.

Marathon Training Plan for a 4-Hour Marathon

Training for a 4-hour marathon pace should include a program with the following elements to fully prepare you for the best race day:

Base Runs

Base runs are the bread and butter of a good marathon training plan, making up a lot of your running workouts. You’ll do these easy runs at a relaxed, conversational pace. If you are training by heart rate, base runs are Zone 2 training, which should fall within 60 to 70 percent of your max heart rate.

Runners I coach often start out with so much enthusiasm that they try to push the pace of base runs. It’s important to keep these lower-intensity workouts easy, at a relaxed pace. This helps build your stamina while giving your body time to recover from harder training sessions like long runs and speed workouts.

Long Runs

Long runs are crucial for hitting a 4 hour marathon pace. These weekly workouts improve your endurance, preparing you for race day. Your training plan will gradually add miles to your long runs to improve your fitness level while minimizing your risk of injuries.

You may want to do a half marathon as part of your long run training as this gives you a nice benchmark workout that will help build your confidence for the marathon and assess where you’re at with your training.

Speed Workouts

Speed work is what will help you hit your 4-hour marathon pace on race day. Your training plan should include speed workouts like intervals and tempo runs. Interval workouts involve short bursts of speed followed by slow jogging to recover. These speed training sessions prepare your body to run at your goal race pace and also train your mind to keep running even when fatigued.

Yasso 800s

An excellent interval training workout for marathon runners is called Yasso 800s. The Yasso 800 workout is designed to predict your marathon time and involves doing fast intervals of 800 meters (half a mile). If your goal is to run a 4-hour marathon pace, you should aim for 4 minutes for each 800-meter interval in your Yasso 800 workout.

Here is a sample Yasso 800 workout you can do:

Warm-up: Run for 10 minutes at a relaxed, easy pace. Do dynamic stretches.
Intervals: Run 800 meters (.5 of a mile or two laps on a standard running track) at your goal pace. For marathon runners, this will be your goal race time in minutes. (For a 4-hour marathon, run your 800s in 4 minutes). Do 10 intervals.
Recovery: Jog for the same amount of time as your interval but at a relaxed, recovery pace. Do a recovery jog for 4 minutes between each 800-meter interval.
Cooldown: Run for 10 mins at a relaxed, easy pace. Stretch.

Note that Yasso 800s include 10 fast intervals, and it can take some weeks of speed training sessions to build up to doing all 10 fast intervals.

Tempo Run

Another excellent form of speed training for a 4-hour marathon pace is tempo training. Tempo runs are steady-state effort runs at a “comfortably hard” pace, close to your 10K race pace. Starting out, you may do a 20-minute or 2-mile tempo run, and over time will build up to doing up to 6 or 7 miles for your tempo running sessions.

A good starting point for a tempo run is 20 minutes for the tempo run, plus a warm-up and cooldown. If you are training for a long race, you can gradually increase your tempo run duration.

Whatever distance you decide on for your tempo run, make sure you do your dynamic stretches and at least 10 minutes of slow running for a warm-up before the tempo run. Follow your run with 10 minutes of relaxed pace running to cool down and post-run stretching.

Strength Training

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Strength training is an often overlooked area for marathon runners, but it can help you run faster and reduce your risk of getting running injuries. I recommend doing at least two strength training sessions per week to become a stronger marathon runner. You can do bodyweight exercises if you don’t have any equipment, or add dumbbells for more intensity.

Here is a sample full-body strength training workout for runners:

Warm up with 5 minutes of walking or running
Push-ups - 10
Squats - 10
Side lunges - 10
Seated dips - 10
Planks - 30 seconds

Do 2 to 3 sets of each exercise to complete this full-body circuit.

Nutrition

Running a 4 hour marathon pace requires optimal nutrition throughout your training. Add minimally processed foods to your diet, with plenty of colors and textures in the form of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Carbohydrates are especially important for marathon runners, and eating complex carbs will help you have sustained energy on long runs. Foods that are rich in complex carbs include oats, sweet potatoes, brown rice, quinoa, lentils, and whole wheat bread.

Related Post: Carb Loading for Runners

Protein is also essential for muscle recovery and building, so include lean protein foods in your diet, such as lentils, nuts, lean meats, Greek yogurt, eggs, tofu, and protein shakes.

In addition to eating nutritiously in daily life, you’ll also need some fueling on your long runs. For any runs over an hour, you’ll need to take some energy gels or other fuels to replenish glycogen stored in your body that gets used up during endurance sports. Experiment with different sports drink options and energy gels on your long runs until you find the best fueling strategy that works for you.

Hydration is also crucial, especially for long runs and when running in heat or humidity. Bring a drink with electrolytes on your long runs so you can replenish the fluid you’re losing through sweat and prevent dehydration and muscle cramps.

Cross Training

Cross training for marathon runners means doing any exercises that aren’t running. Doing cross training exercises givesyour body a break from the pounding of running while helping to maintain or improve your fitness level. Since running already has a lot of impact on your joints, I recommend low-impact cross-training exercises.

These are some great low-impact cross training workouts for runners:

Yoga
Pilates
Walking
Cycling
Swimming

Doing one cross training session per week can improve your fitness level and cut down on your risk of injuries. Cross training also gives your mind a break from running, making you less likely to overtrain or get burned out.

Rest and Recovery

Recovery runs and rest days are just as important for marathon training as hard workout days. Most runners need at least one complete rest day per week and one active recovery day. Active recovery can include low-intensity cross-training workouts like gentle yoga or walking, or it may mean short, slow recovery runs.

Recovery is one of the best ways to prevent injuries and allows your body to make fitness improvements more quickly and easily during training.

Tapering

In the final weeks before your marathon, your plan should include tapering, which means reducing your mileage in preparation for race day. A good taper will help you hit your fitness peak on marathon day, maximizing your chance of running a 4 hour marathon pace or faster.

Best Marathon Training Plan for a 4-Hour Marathon

Your best bet for an all-inclusive training plan to run a 4-hour marathon is to get a Customized Marathon Training Plan. A custom plan allows me, your run coach, to assess your fitness level and training goals and design a plan that fits your schedule and unique training needs. Make your next marathon your best one yet by investing in a professional, personalized training program with the support you need to cross the finish line strong.

Got a race coming up? Follow and tag @Runstreet on Instagram to share your training progress and get cheered on.

Happy running to you!

Marnie Kunz is a NASM-certified trainer and USATF- and RRCA-certified running coach based in Brooklyn, NY. Marnie likes helping people get and stay active to enjoy a better quality of life. When she’s not doing fitness things, Marnie enjoys exploring with her dog, a mischievous rescue Akita.

How to Run a 4 Hour Marathon Pace - Tips from a Coach