Race & Training Planner — Sixteen weeks to the start line, one long run at a time.
Sixteen weeks of long runs, the entry, shoes and fuel, the flights and the hotel by the start, fundraising deadlines — and race weekend hour by hour, from the expo to the finish.
- Free to start
- No sign-up to try
- Plan together
Everything in one plan
The training plan, the race entry, the fundraising page and the travel usually live in four places. Here they’re one.
Includes a training plan, a race day schedule and a map.
Idea board
Plan the weekend around the race.
A shakeout run by the Santa Monica Pier, the 4:00 pacer to hold you back, a carb-load dinner booked early, Griffith Observatory the day after. Keep each with a photo, a price and a note.
“Flying west the clock works for us: a 6:55 AM start in Los Angeles feels like 9:55 at home.”An idea passed on, on the board of the “Destination marathon” example
- Training, travel and race-weekend ideas on one board
- Track each one: considering, researching, shortlisted
- Pass on the ones that won’t work, without losing them
Idea board 1/2
Race budget
The entry is the small part.
The entry and a tune-up race, shoes, kit and fuel, flights, the taxis to and from the airport and the hotel by the start — with anything you already own taken out — and the fundraising target counted apart.
$2,785 · Travel and stay $2,255 · Gear and kit $335 · Registration $195The “Destination marathon” example’s budget
- Already own and borrowing cost nothing
- Flights priced by the distance
Race budget 1/2
Training & race weekend
From the first long run to the finish.
Every training session counted back from race day, the long run building to its peak with easier weeks and a taper, and fundraising checkpoints. Then the weekend away: fly out, the taxi from the airport to the hotel, check-in, the expo, kit laid out, race morning, the start, the finish and the flight home.
4:30 AM Race morning — up and out · 6:55 AM Race start — Dodger Stadium · 11:00 AM FinishRace day in the “Destination marathon” example
- Sixteen weeks dated back from race day
- Race weekend hour by hour, in pictures
The weekend away 1/2
Recommendations
What runners who’ve done it would tell you.
Hotels near the start line, running shops and sports massage near the race, gear and fuel for your goal, which training plan to follow and when the long run should peak, and how entry works for this race. Open one and it answers for your plan, with its own numbers and dates.
Whether this race takes a lottery, a qualifying time, or a charity place — and when each closesA guide in the “Destination marathon” example’s recommendations
- Hotels, shops and massage near the race
- Training plans and entry rules
A guide, answered 2/2
About the Race & Training Planner
Training apps coach the miles; nobody organizes everything around them. The Race & Training Planner is the project side of a race or competition: the registration window before it sells out, the weekly long-run milestones at exact 7-day cadence, the gear that has to be bought and broken in, the race-city hotel that books out months early, the fundraising deadlines if you run for charity, and the race-day run of show from alarm to celebration.
It works for the whole tail of events, not just running — swim meets, gymnastics meets, horse shows, dance competitions, martial arts tournaments. Set the event and the date, pick a goal (finish strong, beat a time, make the podium), and the plan back-schedules from race day. For meets and shows the budget is deliberately light: the value is the checklist, session times, and the timeline.
What you can do
- Weekly training milestones generated at exact 7-day cadence to race day
- A goal on the plan — finish strong, beat a time, or place — plus a fundraising target for charity places
- Registration, hotel, and bib-pickup deadlines with reminders
- Race-kit checklist, from shoes and gels to the night-before flat-lay
- Fundraising track with donations netted against the real cost
- Race-day schedule — wake-up, warm-up, start, meet point, celebration
Frequently asked questions
Does it coach my training?
No — deliberately. Free apps like Nike Run Club and Garmin Coach (and paid ones like Runna) prescribe the workouts. This planner tracks the weeks as milestones and owns everything around the training: deadlines, gear, travel, money, fundraising, and race day.
Which events does it cover?
Running (5K to marathon), triathlon, cycling events, obstacle races, multi-day treks — plus competition events like swim meets, gymnastics meets, horse shows, dance competitions, and martial arts tournaments. Each event type adjusts the checklist, gear, and timeline.
Can it handle a charity place?
Yes. Flip on "Raising money for charity?" and the plan adds a fundraising track — page-live deadline, halfway check, race-week final push, and thank-yous — with donations netted against the plan so you see what the race really costs after fundraising.
What does a race really cost?
A local race typically runs a few hundred dollars all-in; a destination marathon with flights, a race-weekend hotel, and full gear commonly lands between $1,000 and $2,000, and big-city majors more. The budget view itemizes it so nothing surprises you in race week.
How does the training timeline work?
Pick how many weeks you have and how many sessions a week, and the plan counts back from race day: every session on its day — the long run building to a peak, easier weeks along the way, then a taper into race week. It is a starting plan you can change, not medical advice; tick each session off as you go.
Related calculators
Other planning tools that pair well with the Race & Training Planner.
Photos by Dmitrii E. and Isaac Wendland on Unsplash.