The 2026 Mt. Wilson Trail Race Training Program will begin on Saturday, February 7, 2026, at 7:00 am in Kersting Court and will continue on Saturdays at 7:00 a.m. through May 16th, 2026. Not every session begins at Kersting Court so check the Training Program Schedule (see download below) to find out the starting location for a specific date. The MWTR Training Program is offered at no charge and no pre-registration is required. Participants are welcome to attend any of the Saturday sessions. Anyone ages 14 and over is welcome to participate. Join the program, become a better runner, and get stronger, even if you do not plan to run the MWTR.
Led by Coach Simon Cooper, this is a race specific 15-week training program consisting of leg and lung busting fun! There is also lots of group bonding and encouragement along the way.
MWTR TRAINING SCHEDULE (15 WEEKS)
MWTR 2026 – Training Weeks 1-15 (Download PDF)
BELOW ARE THE SATURDAY LOCATIONS & ACTIVITIES – START TIME 7:00 AM
FIRST DAY – SATURDAY, February 7th @ 7:00 am
| Saturday – 2/7/2026 – Day 1
KERSTING COURT @ 7:00 AM SIERRA MADRE |
| Training Program Begins – Day 1
● Introductions ● Program Overview ● Pre-Training Questions & Answers ● Three Mile Easy Run ● Balance, Agility, Plyometric Drills & Demonstrations Mount Wilson Trail Race Training Program Coach Simon Cooper, USATF, L1 |
WEEK 1 – February 8-14
| Saturday, 2/14 – Valentine’s Day
Hahamongna Watershed Park, 4550 Oak Grove Dr., Pasadena 91103 |
| FIELD TRIP SESSION – Time Trial #1 – On Trail
Meet at 7:00 am at the Hahamongna Watershed Park lower lot (by the softball field and disc golf course) -Warm up run -Dynamic warm up -3.1 mile time trial on trail for a recorded time. ● Cool down jog –Another new location for the time trial! The first of several field trip training sessions to keep things spicy! I am all about the spice! –Recorded time. We will revisit this time trial in 3 months to chart your progress |
WEEK 2 – February 15-21
| Saturday, 2/21 – Check Email and/or team FB page |
| New for 2026. Saturday sessions will be announced via Email and posted to the team FB page by the Thursday before the training session. We have had tons of last minute location changes over the last few years due to weather and trail issues so I will notify all of locations as we go through the program. Lots of training on the Mount Wilson Trail itself and several road sessions and a few field trip sessions to keep things fresh. Of course the classics will still be in the mix! |
WEEK 3 – February 22-28
| Saturday, February 28 – Check Email and/or team FB page |
WEEK 4 – March 1-7
| Saturday – March 7 – Check Email and/or team FB page |
WEEK 5 – March 8-14
| Saturday – March 14 – Check Email and/or team FB page |
WEEK 6 – March 15-21
Saturday, March 21 – Check Email and/or team FB page
WEEK 7 – March 22-28
| Saturday – March 28 – Check Email and/or team FB page |
WEEK 8 – March 29-April 4
| Saturday – April 4th – Derby Day 5K – Santa Anita Park Arcadia |
| Santa Anita Derby Day 5K Run – A long standing tradition for the program. A flat and fast beautiful and fun 5K highlighting some of Arcadia’s gems, including the Arboretum. We will not meet as a team. Find some teammates and warm up and run together and be sure to buy Coach a beer!
Derby Day 5K Registration Required – Team discount code will be provided. WEEK 9 – April 5-11 |
| Saturday – April 11 – Check Email and/or team FB page |
WEEK 10 – April 12-18
| Saturday – April 18 – Check Email and/or team FB page |
WEEK 11 – April 19-25
| Saturday – April 25 – Check Email and/or team FB page |
WEEK 12 – April 26-May 2
| Saturday – May 2nd – KERSTING COURT @ 7:00 AM SIERRA MADRE |
| MWTR Dress Rehearsal Day
We will run the full MWTR racecourse, not at race effort. This gets everyone a chance to try out their race shoes, clothes, hydration, nutrition, etc etc so you can get all dialed in for the MWTR in just 3 weeks. |
WEEK 13 – May 3-9
| Saturday – May 9 – Hahamongna Watershed Park – 4550 Oak Grove Dr., Pasadena 91103 |
| FIELD TRIP SESSION – Time Trial #2 – On Trail
Field trip session for our 2nd Time Trial will be on trail. Same course we did at the beginning of the program. Timed and charted results for the 3.1 mile dirt loop to see who, and by how much, everyone has improved. Prizes for runners with the highest % of improvement! |
WEEK 14 – May 10-16
| Saturday – May 16 – Check Email and/or team FB page |
WEEK 15 – May 17-23
SOFT TAPER WEEK
Saturday – May 23 – MWT RACE DAY
Have a great race, relax, and have fun! CONGRATULATIONS! 