San Francisco Marathon 2027 race week

San Francisco, USA · Jul 25, 2027

Race week has four jobs: get your bib, keep your legs fresh, run one short shakeout, and start rested. Below is the day-by-day plan for the San Francisco Marathon, plus the heart-shaped 3-5K to run through San Francisco the morning before the start.

Your race-week plan

  1. Thursday Jul 22 — Travel & expo. Land, collect your bib, and stay off your feet once the expo is done. Walking San Francisco for six hours is the classic race-week mistake.
  2. Friday Jul 23 — Easy legs. A short 20-30 minute jog or nothing at all. Eat normally, hydrate, and get your kit laid out early.
  3. Saturday Jul 24 — Shakeout heart. The one run that matters this week: 3-5K easy through San Francisco, shaped like a heart. Loose legs, calm head, and something to post the night before.
  4. Sunday Jul 25 — Race day. Everything is already done. Run the race you trained for.

Shakeout runs in San Francisco

Brands, stores, and run clubs announce free race-week shakeouts a few weeks out, and verified meeting points appear on this page when they do. You can also build your own heart-shaped route through San Francisco, export the GPX for Garmin, Coros, or Apple Watch, and invite whoever else is racing.

Race-week questions

When should I do my shakeout run before the San Francisco Marathon?

The day before the race, Saturday Jul 24, morning if you can. Keep it to 3-5K at conversational pace, then stay off your feet.

What should I run the day before the San Francisco Marathon?

A short easy loop through San Francisco. CityHeart builds a heart-shaped 3-5K on real streets, exports it as GPX for Garmin, Coros, or Apple Watch, and it shows up as GPS art on Strava after your run.