Hilliest marathon courses
Ranked by total ascent over the official 42.195 km. Total climbing is a blunter instrument than it looks: a course that gains 300 m in one wall hurts differently from one that gains 300 m in fifty small rises, and grade-adjusted pace treats those very differently. Each course page carries the full profile and the hardest split, which is usually the number that actually decides your race.
The ranking
| # | Course | Location | Measure |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mexico City Marathon | Mexico City | 1,360 ft (410 m) of climbing |
| 2 | Athens Marathon | Athens | 1,260 ft (380 m) of climbing |
| 3 | Rome Marathon | Rome | 1,240 ft (380 m) of climbing |
| 4 | Austin Marathon | Austin, TX | 1,070 ft (330 m) of climbing |
| 5 | Charlotte Marathon | Charlotte, NC | 1,010 ft (310 m) of climbing |
| 6 | Vancouver Marathon | Vancouver, BC | 980 ft (300 m) of climbing |
| 7 | Sydney Marathon | Sydney, NSW | 970 ft (300 m) of climbing |
| 8 | Los Angeles Marathon | Los Angeles, CA | 940 ft (290 m) of climbing |
| 9 | Boston Marathon | Boston, MA | 770 ft (240 m) of climbing |
| 10 | Marine Corps Marathon | Arlington, VA | 770 ft (230 m) of climbing |
| 11 | New York City Marathon | New York, NY | 770 ft (230 m) of climbing |
| 12 | Dublin Marathon | Dublin | 760 ft (230 m) of climbing |
| 13 | Philadelphia Marathon | Philadelphia, PA | 740 ft (230 m) of climbing |
| 14 | Twin Cities Marathon | Minneapolis, MN | 680 ft (210 m) of climbing |
| 15 | California Marathon | Sacramento, CA | 590 ft (180 m) of climbing |
| 16 | Grandma's Marathon | Duluth, MN | 530 ft (160 m) of climbing |
| 17 | Paris Marathon | Paris | 520 ft (160 m) of climbing |
| 18 | Honolulu Marathon | Honolulu, HI | 440 ft (140 m) of climbing |
| 19 | London Marathon | London | 410 ft (120 m) of climbing |
| 20 | Toronto Marathon | Toronto, ON | 380 ft (120 m) of climbing |
Frequently asked questions
Hilliest marathon courses: which is number one?
Mexico City Marathon — 1,360 ft (410 m) of climbing. The full ranking covers 20 courses and is computed from each course's own elevation profile rather than from race organiser claims.
How are these rankings calculated?
From the elevation profile of each course, built from GPX traces and digital elevation models, clipped to the official 42.195 km. Elevation figures carry roughly ±5–10 m of DEM noise, so small differences between flat courses are measurement error rather than a meaningful gap.
Other course rankings
- Every marathon course compared — all of them in one sortable table.
- The flattest marathon courses — Courses ranked by total elevation gain, least first.
- Net-downhill marathon courses — Courses ranked by net elevation change, biggest drop first.
- The hardest marathon courses, ranked by difficulty — Every course rated 1–5 on climbing, descent and altitude.
- Marathons with the hardest finish — Courses whose toughest stretch lands after 30 km, ranked by how hard it bites.
- World Marathon Majors by elevation: flattest to hilliest — Every Major course, ranked flattest to hilliest.
- The biggest marathons by field size — Courses ranked by the number of runners on the start line.