When to start training for your 2027 race

From a reasonable base: 10 to 12 weeks for a 5 km or 10 km, about 16 for a half marathon, about 20 for a marathon, and about 24 for an ultra such as Two Oceans or Comrades, on top of a marathon already in the legs. The table above counts that back from each race to the Monday the block starts.

For the expected 13 June 2027 race, a full 24-week block starts on Monday 28 December 2026. Entry also needs a qualifying marathon first, so plan that race into the block.

For the expected 3 April 2027 ultra, a full 21-week block starts on Monday 9 November 2026. The half marathon needs about 16 weeks, so it starts later.

No. A plan built today counts back from race day and simply has fewer weeks. What changes is what it can do: six weeks out from a marathon no meaningful fitness can be added, so the block becomes about arriving healthy and pacing sensibly, and the plan says so rather than pretending otherwise.

With a distance you can finish well, not the biggest one you can name. A first 5 km or 10 km in the first half of the year, then a half marathon later, is a better 2027 than a marathon that ends in an injury in March.