Autumn is when the marathon world holds its breath. Three of the six World Marathon Majors land within six weeks of each other, and every weekend in between is packed with local races chasing the same cool-weather magic. Here’s the 2026 calendar — and how to use the weeks you have left.
The big three
BMW Berlin Marathon — Sunday, September 27, 2026. The fast one. Berlin’s pancake-flat course is where world records go to fall, and where regular runners go to set personal bests. Expect perfect racing temperatures and a course so quick that even the mid-pack runs negative splits. If you’re racing it: your goal pace should feel boring by now.
Bank of America Chicago Marathon — Sunday, October 11, 2026. Flat, loud, and gloriously well-organized. Chicago’s single-loop course through 29 neighborhoods has crowd support nearly the whole way. It’s many runners’ favorite first major — big-race energy without a brutal course.
TCS New York City Marathon — Sunday, November 1, 2026. The hard one, and the unforgettable one. Five boroughs, five bridges, and a finish in Central Park. Nobody sets their PB in New York; everybody remembers it anyway. Racing it well means respecting the hills — especially the quiet grind of the Queensboro Bridge at mile 15.
Registration for the majors runs through lotteries and charity programs many months ahead — if you missed 2026, entries for next year typically open in winter and early spring. Always confirm details on the official race sites.
Racing something closer to home?
The majors are the headline, but September through November is peak season everywhere. Local marathons, halves, and 10Ks fill every weekend of autumn — and after years of record demand, many sell out early. If your race is still open, enter now, not after your next long run goes well.
The last training block: sharpen, don’t cram
Whatever your race, the final six weeks follow the same rule: you can’t add fitness anymore, but you can add sharpness. This is where interval work earns its keep.
Three sessions that belong in a marathon build:
- Marathon-pace repeats: 4× (2 km at goal pace / 500 m easy jog). Goal pace has to feel automatic — this is where it becomes muscle memory.
- The classic 800s: 6–8× (800 m comfortably hard / 400 m jog). A time-tested sharpener that keeps your legs remembering how to turn over.
- Race-week tune-up: 5× (1:00 at race pace / 2:00 easy) a few days out. Just enough to stay springy while the taper does its work.
Build any of these in iRunning once and it runs the whole session for you — distance-based intervals with GPS, voice cues at every change, splits per rep afterwards. Come race week, load the tune-up on your Apple Watch and leave the phone at home.
Spectating instead?
The autumn majors are among the best free sporting events on earth. Pick a spot past halfway — mile 16 in Chicago, First Avenue in New York — where runners need the noise most. And be warned: marathon spectating is how a suspicious number of people end up on a start line the following year.
Wherever you’re running this autumn: trust the training, respect the taper, and enjoy the miles. They go fast.