Plans rarely guarantee a good marathon. But when runners have very different needs—from rebuilding confidence after surgery to chasing a qualifying time—a plan that fits their lives can make the work more manageable. At the 2026 TCS New York City Marathon, 18 Runner’s World+ members on the Race With Runner’s World+ team brought those varied ambitions to the start line. Two were running their first marathon; others wanted a new personal record or another World Marathon Major for their collection. More than 61,000 runners finished the race, and some team members used Runner’s World+’s training plans on the way to the Central Park finish.
Their results show what a plan can do when its demands suit the runner. The full training plan collection includes options for different distances and time goals, including plans used by members returning to the marathon, pursuing a sixth star, and setting a PR.
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Making Her Marathon Return
Runner: Erin Dewalt
Goal: Return strong to the marathon and get close to 3:30
Result: 3:26:18
Erin Dewalt, 46, hadn’t run a marathon since 2022. That race went badly: she finished in more than four hours and later described the day as a “disaster.” After four years away, she wanted to come back prepared—and enjoy the experience this time.
She chose the Break 3:45 plan, which matched her usual schedule of about four runs a week. Dewalt printed the calendar and put it on her fridge, checking off workouts and shifting them when life required it. The approach paid off in New York: she ran 3:26:18, beating the plan’s time target by nearly 20 minutes. “I was spot on [with hitting my goal],” she said after finishing. “I wanted to enjoy it and have fun but also run around three and a half hours.”
Securing the Sixth Star
Runner: Scott Shellabarger
Goal: Earn the Six Star Medal
Result: 3:21:27, his second-fastest marathon; Six Star Medal and Boston qualifying time
Scott Shellabarger had already tested the Break 3:15 plan at the Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati, his hometown. He ran a personal best of 3:18:33 there, then used the same plan again for New York in November. “I actually used it for the last marathon I ran, for the Flying Pig, and that’s where I got my PR at,” he said. “The training plans are fantastic.”
New York brought a different set of milestones. Shellabarger earned the Six Star Medal and ran a Boston Marathon qualifying time for his age group for 2028. His 3:21:27 missed the plan’s 3:15 target, but it was still his second-fastest marathon.
Finding Her Footing Again
Runner: Courtney Sobanski
Goal: Run a strong second marathon after foot surgery
Result: 4:19:09
For Courtney Sobanski, the challenge was fitting training around a hectic coaching schedule. A 3-Day plan gave her three key workouts each week, with easy runs or cross-training on other days treated as optional extra work. She managed to complete the plan while staying injury-free.
Sobanski finished New York in 4:19:09. Two years after foot surgery, the result meant she could see herself running strongly again. “I’m just overcome with emotion that I actually did it and I can [run marathons] again,” she told Runner’s World after the race.
Chasing Vibes
Ashley Osburn, 41, followed the Break 4:30 plan, which laid out each part of her training: intervals, hill work, tempo sessions and long runs. She found the workouts approachable and valued having two rest days each week to recover.
Osburn’s stated goal was simple: have fun. She finished the New York City Marathon in 4:59:05, missing her sub-4:30 target after fueling missteps. Still, she plans to try for that time again. “I will absolutely use [the training plan] again for my next marathon,” she said.
Ashley’s Training Plan
The runners in the Race With Runner’s World+ program arrived at the NYC finish line with different goals and training plans. What they shared was the lift of the crowds lining the route through all five boroughs. That support can shape a race even when the clock doesn’t deliver the result someone wanted. “The crowd support all the way through was just amazing,” Dewalt said.
Ashley Tysiac, Editor, Content Hype, is a former collegiate runner at UNC Asheville, where she studied mass communication. She has raced two marathons and covered events including the Paris Olympics, U.S. Olympic Trials and multiple World Marathon Majors.
