CTC Marathon and Half-Marathon Training Program 2026 — Charlottesville, VA

Thank you for your interest! We have reached our 175 participant limit. Since 1996, the Charlottesville Track Club has guided over 5000 runners to a safe completion of a fall marathon or half-marathon of their choice. The program is designed to properly prepare runners of all abilities to complete their first long-distance race or to improve on a previous effort. Each participant receives a personalized program tailored to match their individual needs, abilities, and specific goals. The program is supervised by Coach & Coordinator Mark Lorenzoni, who has 45 years of experience, and each individual will be able to consult with this coach (for specific and personal concerns) throughout the training program. How It Works: 1. Sign up on this page and you will receive a confirmation email along with the questionnaire you will need to fill out at the beginning of your training. 2. Fill out and submit your questionnaire - this is required for participation in the program! 3. Join the group orientation meeting with Coach Mark on Saturday, June 13th (time and location TBA). If you can not join the meeting, it will be recorded and the video will be available afterward! 4. If you have not run a recent race, run your two-mile time trial (see more below). 5. After running your time trial and filling out your questionnaire, which is required , you'll receive instructions on how to get your specific training program. 5. Join the group for the long Saturday runs starting on July 11th, and enjoy your training program! Find more information about CTC here Want to join CTC? Sign up here ___________________________________________________________________________________ The Details WHEN : The program kicks off on June 13th with an orientation meeting. Group long runs start on July 11th and go through early November. WHERE : The group meets every Saturday for a “long” run at one of six different scenic and low-traffic locations (we rotate each week) in the City and County (at 6:15 in the morning to beat the heat). WHO : Anyone can participate, but the Marathon program has a minimum requirement of a recent (within 4-7 weeks of the start of the program) long run of at least 3-4 miles. The Half-Marathon program has a minimum requirement of a recent long run of 1-2 miles. Last year 175 folks participated in the program and they each were able to select a fall marathon or half-marathon of their choice (last year 20 different marathons and 10 different half-marathons were selected by the individual participants). The finishing race paces ranged from 6:30/mile to 13 minutes/mile. COST : $60; $50 for Charlottesville Track Club members COACH : Mark Lorenzoni has served as the Coach & Coordinator (on a volunteer basis) since the program started in 1996. PROGRAM ASSISTANCE : Virginia Knight will once again serve as volunteer e-mail coordinator and Molly Ring will serve as our volunteer website designer. A HUGE thanks to these hardworking volunteers who will once again be in charge of setting up the fuel stations for our Saturday group runs: Donna Boyd, Beth Cox, Kate Kaminski, Marti Naro, Ryan Ross, Larry Saunders, Karen Taylor, and Ancolien Tate. ___________________________________________________________________________________ Important Things to Know 1. What is required? If you have not run a recent race, the two-mile time trial is required. If you ran the Charlottesville 10 Miler, for example that time can count. Everyone is also required to submit the questionnaire. 2. When is our first group get-together? We will have an orientation/kick-off meeting on Saturday June 13th. We have not set the exact time or location but will let you know. If you are unable to join us for the meeting, a recording will be available afterward. We will then start our group long runs on Saturday, July 11th. 3. What gear will I need to have to train this summer? You will need a good pair of running shoes (to be replaced every 300 miles); proper technical clothing, including wicking (non-cotton) socks, appropriate for the heat and humidity; a hand-held water bottle carrier or water backpack; nutrition (to be explained in detail); your training log; and a foam roller to be used on daily basis. 4. Which is the best fall race for me? There are countless wonderful fall marathons and half-marathons in our region, but this list of regional events are the ones our previous participants and I, as the coach, have had the best success with over the years: September - Lehigh Valley - Erie - Philadelphia Half - Hokie Half October - Wineglass - Crawling Crab - Chessie Trail - Hartford - Bay State Marathon - Peak to Creek - High Bridge November - Richmond - Philadelphia - Norfolk Harbor December - Rehoboth Seashore 5. Where and when will we be meeting for group runs together? We will be meeting early every Saturday morning (see schedule), for a group long run. Courses will vary (we have 6 different locations) and all are scenic and relatively auto-free. These Saturday gr