I measured 13 US marathon courses the same way and ranked them by total climbing, from Chicago’s 168 feet to NYC’s 878. Here is where each one’s climbs fall, how much of it comes after mile 20, and which ones finish lower than they start.
| Course | Climbing | After mile 20 | Net | Biggest climb | Climbs of 40 ft+ | Start → finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Chicago MarathonRace-day weather | 168 ft | 41 ft | +8 ft | none | 0 | 601 → 609 ft |
| 2. Houston MarathonRace-day weather | 206 ft | 79 ft | +1 ft | none | 0 | 42 → 44 ft |
| 3. Detroit MarathonRace-day weather | 419 ft | 35 ft | −4 ft | +137 ftmile 2.2 | 2 | 599 → 595 ft |
| 4. Honolulu MarathonRace-day weather | 450 ft | 151 ft | +2 ft | +109 ftmile 22.7 | 3 | 6 → 8 ft |
| 5. Grandma's MarathonRace-day weather | 462 ft | 111 ft | −116 ft | +55 ftmile 21.7 | 1 | 723 → 608 ft |
| 6. Columbus MarathonRace-day weather | 481 ft | 63 ft | −1 ft | +97 ftmile 17.6 | 4 | 710 → 709 ft |
| 7. California International MarathonRace-day weather | 530 ft | 42 ft | −336 ft | +44 ftmile 11.1 | 1 | 356 → 20 ft |
| 8. Twin Cities MarathonRace-day weather | 577 ft | 196 ft | +13 ft | +139 ftmile 20.8 | 2 | 838 → 852 ft |
| 9. Philadelphia MarathonRace-day weather | 706 ft | 134 ft | +10 ft | +98 ftmile 9.5 | 4 | 41 → 51 ft |
| 10. Boston MarathonRace-day weather | 717 ft | 159 ft | −449 ft | +92 ftmile 19.9 | 4 | 459 → 10 ft |
| 11. Marine Corps MarathonRace-day weather | 723 ft | 174 ft | +51 ft | +124 ftmile 1.7 | 5 | 22 → 73 ft |
| 12. LA MarathonRace-day weather | 872 ft | 220 ft | −232 ft | +129 ftmile 3.6 | 7 | 510 → 278 ft |
| 13. NYC MarathonRace-day weather | 878 ft | 203 ft | −30 ft | +148 ftmile 0.0 | 5 | 112 → 82 ft |
Download the table: marathon-course-elevation.csv.
Chicago and Houston are the only courses here without a single climb of 40 feet. If the goal is a fast time and the weather cooperates, those are the courses I’d point you to first.
Four finish well below where they start: Boston (449 feet), CIM (336 feet), LA (232 feet) and Grandma's (116 feet). A net drop is free time on paper, but it works your quads, and it says nothing about where the climbs fall.
The most climbing after mile 20 is LA’s, 220 feet. That’s the column I’d read first. The same hill costs far more at mile 22 than at mile 6.
The biggest single climb in the table is on the NYC Marathon: the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, +148 feet from the start.
I drew every course the same way. Each line follows the race’s own turns along OpenStreetMap streets (Boston’s is the route as mapped in OpenStreetMap), and its elevation comes from the USGS 3D Elevation Program, sampled every 50 m and smoothed over 250 m. Bare-earth elevation leaves bridges out, so the bridge decks are rebuilt, and Detroit’s stretch in Windsor uses Natural Resources Canada’s elevation model. Climbing is every foot of rise added up, start to finish, and a climb is a rise of 40 feet or more without a 1-foot dip. The lines are close but not surveyed, so a number here can differ a little from a race’s official profile. Each course guide has the map, the profile and the mile-by-mile table.
Elevation is one part of a fast course. Race-morning weather matters as much, and so do where the race falls in your season and how your legs handle hills. I help athletes pick the race and then build the plan around it. It starts with a free 20-minute call.
Book a free intro callRace-day weather and heat-adjusted pace for each: Boston Marathon, California International Marathon, Chicago Marathon, Columbus Marathon, Detroit Marathon, Grandma's Marathon, Honolulu Marathon, Houston Marathon, LA Marathon, Marine Corps Marathon, NYC Marathon, Philadelphia Marathon, Twin Cities Marathon. All race-day weather pages.
RunFitCoach is not affiliated with any of these races or their organizers. Course lines © OpenStreetMap contributors. Elevation from the USGS 3D Elevation Program, and Natural Resources Canada for Detroit’s Windsor stretch.
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