Hansons Marathon Method
Cumulative fatigue training that spreads mileage across six days and caps the long run at 16 miles.
Marathoners who can run 6 days a week and prefer a 16 mile long run to a 22 mile Sunday
Checked against Luke Humphrey with Kevin and Keith Hanson’s own pages on August 3, 2026.
About Hansons Marathon Method
Hansons spreads mileage across six run days so the long run starts on tired legs, and caps that run at 16 miles. The book calls this cumulative fatigue, and frames the 16 miler as practice for the last 16 miles of a marathon rather than the first. Three SOS days anchor the week, the book's shorthand for Something of Substance: Tuesday intervals, Thursday tempo at marathon pace, Sunday long run. Classic schedules are free as PDFs, the book costs $19.95, and updated plans sell on Final Surge.
- Weekly volume stays high even though no single run exceeds 16 miles.
- The Thursday tempo at marathon pace builds from 5 to 10 miles across the plan.
- The method comes from the training of the Hansons-Brooks Distance Project.
- The classic Beginner plan peaks at 57.5 weekly miles, spread across six run days.
The plans
| Plan | Weeks | Run days | Peak week | Longest run | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beginner Marathon (classic) (Speedwork starts in week 6.) | 18 | Up to 6 | 57.5 miles | 16 miles | Beginner, Intermediate |
| Advanced Marathon (classic) (Starts at 38 miles in week 1.) | 18 | 6 | 61.5 miles | 16 miles | Advanced |
| Just Finish (Lower-mileage first marathon program, sold on Final Surge.) | 18 | — | About 40 miles | — | Beginner |
A dash means Luke Humphrey with Kevin and Keith Hanson does not publish that number.
Ways to get it
Free classic PDF schedules
Free
Beginner and Advanced marathon schedules, distributed by the Hansons Running Shop.
Book (Hansons Marathon Method, 2nd edition)
$19.95
Companion titles cover the half marathon and first marathons.
Online plans on Final Surge
$49.95 per plan, lifetime access
Beginner through Elite, 8 to 20 weeks, 40 to 110+ miles per week, plus Boston and New York specials.
Common questions
Why is the Hansons long run only 16 miles?
The method spreads mileage across six days so you start the long run already fatigued. The book frames the 16 miler as practicing the last 16 miles of the marathon, not the first 16, and total weekly volume stays high even though the single run is shorter.
Is the Hansons Beginner plan really for beginners?
It assumes you can build to six run days and a 57.5 mile peak week, which is more volume than most beginner plans. Runners starting from a small base often use the Just Finish program or a lower-mileage plan first.