St. Luke's D&L Marathon: Pacing & Race-Day Strategy
A gentle net-downhill point-to-point down the Lehigh Valley, and a quiet PR specialist.
Last updated
- Where:
- Allentown to Easton, Pennsylvania
- When:
- Sunday, November 15, 2026
- Course:
- Net downhill · point-to-point
- Best run as:
- Even pace
Heads up: Formerly the VIA Marathon, run by the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor. It moved from September to November; same D&L towpath, new name and date.
Course & elevation
The St. Luke’s D&L Marathon runs point-to-point from Allentown to Easton, shedding a few hundred feet net as it follows the Lehigh River, much of it on the smooth, traffic-free D&L towpath. The descent is gentle and steady rather than steep, so it feels fast without pounding your quads. A few short rolls break up the riverside miles, but nothing that earns the name of a hill.
- Start → Finish
- 380 → 255 ft
- Net
- −125 ft
- Total gain
- ≈ 125 ft
The certified route
Point to point along the D&L Trail, from Parkview Dr through Allentown, following Little Lehigh Creek and crossing the Lehigh River, to Larry Holmes Dr.
- Start
- On the D&L Trail, 230 ft north of Parkview Dr (GPS 40 35 46.93, -75 29 56.55).
- Finish
- On Larry Holmes Dr, 30.1 ft north of the Pedestrian Crossing sign and 36.7 ft northeast of the 25 MPH sign.
Underfoot
Mostly gravel, about 70 percent, with about 30 percent paved.
Through, in order
Allentown
What you pass
- Miles 1 to 7: the D&L Trail along Little Lehigh Creek
- Mile 8: the Hamilton St bridge over the Lehigh River
- Mile 19: the canal lock house ruins
Worth knowing
- Several mile marks have no physical marker; their locations are given by GPS coordinates.
Transcribed from the USATF certificate for St. Luke's D&L Marathon (PA19029NP), measured 5 September 2019. Where the certificate is silent, so are we.
Key moments
- Mile 1–5Road miles out of Allentown that ease downward. Relax and let the grade carry you.
- Mile 8–22The Lehigh River towpath: flat, shaded, and remote; lock into goal pace.
- Mile 24–26.2A short rise back to roads before the finish in Easton.
Pacing strategy
Run even effort and the gentle descent will reward you with a slightly negative split. The towpath is quiet and lonely, so be ready to do your own pacing work without crowd energy through the middle.
Pacing by goal time
Checkpoint splits for four common goals at St. Luke's D&L Marathon. These are effort-even rather than pace-even: the paces shift with the course profile, so climbs are slower and descents faster by the amount the grade actually costs. For any other goal time, use the planner below.
| Checkpoint | Sub-3:00 | Sub-3:30 | Sub-4:00 | Sub-4:30 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mile 3.1 | 20:326:51/mi | 23:587:59/mi | 27:239:08/mi | 30:4910:16/mi |
| Mile 6.2 | 41:076:52/mi | 47:588:00/mi | 54:499:09/mi | 1:01:4010:18/mi |
| Mile 9.3 | 1:01:426:52/mi | 1:11:598:00/mi | 1:22:169:09/mi | 1:32:3310:18/mi |
| Mile 12.4 | 1:22:206:53/mi | 1:36:038:02/mi | 1:49:469:11/mi | 2:03:3010:19/mi |
| Mile 15.5 | 1:42:566:53/mi | 2:00:068:02/mi | 2:17:159:10/mi | 2:34:2510:19/mi |
| Mile 18.6 | 2:03:336:52/mi | 2:24:098:00/mi | 2:44:449:09/mi | 3:05:2010:18/mi |
| Mile 21.7 | 2:24:116:52/mi | 2:48:138:01/mi | 3:12:149:09/mi | 3:36:1610:18/mi |
| Mile 24.9 | 2:44:466:52/mi | 3:12:148:00/mi | 3:39:429:09/mi | 4:07:0910:18/mi |
| Finish | 2:58:306:52/mi | 3:28:158:00/mi | 3:58:009:09/mi | 4:27:4510:18/mi |
Splits assume even effort and are adjusted for this course's climbs and descents, which cost more than they give back. A model, not a promise: wind and heat move real splits around. See how the pacing model works.
Plan your mile splits
Turn your goal time into a mile-by-mile plan for St. Luke's D&L Marathon, built from this course's elevation. The even pace approach comes pre-selected, and grade-adjusted pacing evens out your effort across the climbs and descents.
Plan St. Luke's D&L Marathon splitsFueling & hydration
Aid stations come roughly every two miles, but the remote towpath sections make it worth carrying your own gels as backup. Fuel on a fixed 30–40 minute schedule so the unhurried river miles don’t lull you into skipping one.
Weather
Mid-November in the Lehigh Valley is typically cold at the start, often in the 30s, with crisp, dry air that makes for fast racing once the sun is up.
Is St. Luke's D&L Marathon a good Boston qualifier?
Yes. The course drops 125 ft net, comfortably inside the 1,500 ft threshold where Boston's downhill adjustment begins, so a time here is submitted as run.
This drop is our estimate rather than a figure from the course's certificate. If it sits near a threshold, confirm with the organizer.
Compare every course, how the downhill bands work, or work out your own target.
Dial in your pacing & fueling
New to how training builds toward a race like this? Start with Anatomy of a Running Plan, find your zones with the pace calculator, and plan race-day nutrition with the fueling calculator.
Related marathon guides
- Philadelphia MarathonPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania · Nov 22, 2026Another flat course
- Pittsburgh MarathonPittsburgh, Pennsylvania · May 2, 2027Another flat course
- 26.2 with DONNAJacksonville Beach, Florida · Feb 7, 2027Another flat course
- Eversource Hartford MarathonHartford, Connecticut · Oct 10, 2026Another flat course
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