We all know training for a marathon is one of the most demanding challenges; months of time and money are invested to prepare for one specific race day. While you can control your preparation, how much would you pay to increase your odds of a fast time? Enter The Marathon Project, a new race created to give runners a chance to set a personal best on the flattest and fastest course, in a super-controlled environment—for C$750.
Ben Rosario, a U.S.-based marathon coach, initially launched The Marathon Project in Chandler, Ariz., in 2020, to help marathoners hit Olympic qualifying times during the pandemic. However, as in-person races returned, this event went on the back burner. Fast forward to October 2024: Rosario has quit his coaching job with NAZ Elite to revive The Marathon Project, which is set to take place on Dec. 20 and 21, 2025. This time, the race isn’t just for the pros.
Rosario has invited 1,000 of the world’s fastest amateurs (500 men, 500 women) for US$520. These participants, known as the Gold Wave, will be treated like pros, with amenities including pace groups, an indoor warmup area, bathrooms, a bag drop-off at the start and two big fluid stations on each 6.75-km loop.
The race will be held at Wild Horse Pass Resort in Chandler, on the same criterium-style course used by The Marathon Project in 2020. The 2020 event saw Canada’s Natasha Wodak run an Olympic standard time of 2:26:17, which earned her a spot on the Tokyo 2020 Olympic team.
Rosario’s motivation for bringing the race back is to capture all the excitement of the marathon and provide ordinary runners with “a greater chance to set PRs in beautiful weather on the flattest, fastest course you could imagine.”
Gold Wave registration is open only to men who have run under 2:45:00 and women who have run under 3:10:00 for the marathon, or under 1:17:30 (men) or 1:30:00 (women or non-binary) in the half-marathon after Jan. 1, 2021.
The race aims to be the deepest and fastest marathon in North America. The professional field will also be limited to 100 men and 100 women for US$209. Elite pace groups will target times from 2:06:00 to 2:35:00. The race encourages pros who have run under 2:20:00 (men) or 2:40:00 (women) to apply.
The cost of The Marathon Project is double the entry fee of the Boston Marathon, and triple the cost of the Valencia Marathon in Spain (currently the fastest marathon in the world, where 5,200 runners ran under sub-3 in 2024.) Yet, there isn’t a race out there that guarantees a personal best, as you still have to run 42.2 km.
Valencia Marathon sees record number of sub-three-hour finishers
If you didn’t get into Chicago next fall and are looking for an alternative, fast option in North America, applications for The Marathon Project are open. For those who find paying three-quarters of a grand too expensive for a desert marathon, there is also a 5K option, for a very affordable US$50.
