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About RaceIndexOur methodologyData coverageCyclingTriathlon

Most descent 5ks

The most descent 5ks, ranked from trusted raw-elevation route profiles across 97 qualifying races.

Ranking current as of

Which race ranks first — and why is it Mohawk Mountain Race (Cornwall)?

Mohawk Mountain Race (Cornwall) leads this ranking on total descent (424 m).

Compare Mohawk Mountain Race (Cornwall) vs Catalina Island Marathon

#RaceTotal descentAscentClimb densityNet elevationMax absolute gradeAs of
1Mohawk Mountain Race (Cornwall) 5K - connecticut424 m425 m85.0 m/km1 m40.0%
2Catalina Island Marathon 5K - california254 m254 m50.7 m/km0 m39.0%
3Sljemenski Maraton (Zagreb) 5K - croatia248 m245 m49.0 m/km-2 m38.6%
4Zagori Mountain Running (ZMR) 5K - greece222 m220 m44.0 m/km-2 m70.9%
5Lakeland Trails Coniston Marathon, Half, Mini-10k & 5k - north-west162 m162 m32.4 m/km-1 m19.1%
6La Jolla Half Marathon, 10K & 5K - california149 m47 m9.4 m/km-102 m12.6%
7Vienna City Marathon 5K - austria132 m141 m28.2 m/km9 m37.8%
8Sandia Mountain Shadows Trail Run 5K - new-mexico114 m103 m20.6 m/km-11 m15.7%
9Plitvički maraton (Plitvice Marathon) 5K - croatia103 m103 m20.6 m/km0 m6.9%
10Spring Dash (Coeur d'Alene) 5K - idaho103 m106 m21.3 m/km4 m22.5%
11St Albans Half Marathon 5K - east-of-england89 m84 m16.8 m/km-5 m8.9%
12Generali Genève Marathon 5K - switzerland86 m37 m7.4 m/km-49 m11.6%
13Grand-Prix von Bern 5K - switzerland78 m80 m17.1 m/km2 m17.8%
14OhioHealth Capital City Half & Quarter Marathon (Columbus) 5K - ohio73 m74 m14.9 m/km2 m20.3%
15The Race Half Marathon & 5K (Atlanta) - georgia72 m72 m14.3 m/km-0 m6.3%
16Double Decker Spring Run (Oxford, MS) 5K - mississippi71 m72 m14.3 m/km0 m10.1%
17Run Madtown Half Marathon, 10K & 5K - wisconsin70 m70 m14.1 m/km-0 m10.5%
18Norfolk Festival of Running (King's Lynn) 5K - east-of-england70 m69 m13.8 m/km-1 m9.8%
19Greene & Schultz Hoosier Half Marathon, 5 & 10K 5K - indiana69 m69 m13.7 m/km0 m15.8%
20Running with the Devil (Las Vegas) 5K - nevada68 m68 m13.5 m/km0 m4.9%
21SPAR Budapest Marathon 5K - hungary68 m70 m14.1 m/km2 m12.3%
22Soča Outdoor Festival 5K - slovenia67 m58 m11.2 m/km-9 m11.3%
23Midwest Financial Group Madison Mini Marathon 5K - wisconsin64 m63 m12.6 m/km-0 m11.4%
24Course de l'Escalade (Genève) 5K - switzerland64 m59 m12.3 m/km-4 m10.9%
25Run the Rainbow for Children's 5K - mississippi63 m63 m12.5 m/km-0 m7.4%
26Middlebury Maple Run 5K - vermont63 m63 m12.5 m/km-0 m10.8%
27St. Croix Crossing Half Marathon 5K - minnesota62 m2 m0.5 m/km-60 m5.5%
28Milton Keynes Marathon 5K - south-east61 m29 m5.8 m/km-32 m7.0%
29Διεθνής Ημιμαραθώνιος Κρήτης (Crete Half Marathon), Arkalochori 5K - greece61 m52 m10.4 m/km-9 m10.0%
30Flying Pig Marathon 5K - ohio59 m59 m11.9 m/km1 m9.3%
31Rochester Regional Health Flower City Half Marathon 5K - new-york58 m58 m11.5 m/km-0 m15.0%
32TCS Lidingöloppet 5K - sweden57 m61 m12.1 m/km4 m9.9%
33Chickamauga Battlefield Marathon 5K - georgia51 m51 m10.2 m/km-1 m6.3%
34Lake Tahoe Marathon 5K - nevada51 m49 m9.7 m/km-2 m6.8%
35Lake Monona 20K & 5K (Monona) - wisconsin50 m50 m10.1 m/km0 m7.8%
36Michelob Ultra El Paso Marathon 5K - texas50 m50 m10.0 m/km0 m16.2%
37Two Tunnels Railway Races 5K - south-west49 m51 m10.2 m/km2 m8.6%
38Spokane River Run 5K - washington49 m49 m9.7 m/km0 m16.3%
39Fayetteville Half Marathon 5K - arkansas47 m47 m9.3 m/km0 m10.4%
40PeaceHealth Appletree Marathon 5K - washington45 m45 m9.0 m/km0 m7.1%
41Phoenix 10k & Half Marathon 5K - arizona45 m45 m9.1 m/km0 m7.3%
42BTC Vulcan Run 10K (Birmingham) 5K - alabama44 m44 m8.8 m/km-0 m11.8%
43Going the Distance for Brain Injury Memorial Day Run (Kansas City) 5K - missouri43 m45 m9.0 m/km2 m4.8%
44Red Rock Canyon Marathon (Las Vegas) 5K - nevada42 m42 m8.5 m/km-0 m5.9%
45Omaha Marathon 5K - nebraska42 m42 m8.3 m/km-1 m8.9%
46Cisco Brewers Portsmouth 5K - new-hampshire42 m42 m8.4 m/km-0 m7.3%
47Montpellier Run Festival 5K - france41 m40 m7.9 m/km-2 m8.6%
48Athens Marathon. The Authentic 5K - greece41 m35 m7.1 m/km-6 m4.4%
49La Course 5K (Providence) - rhode-island41 m41 m8.2 m/km0 m6.0%
50Gravel Worlds Run Series (Lincoln) 5K - nebraska37 m37 m7.3 m/km0 m6.9%
51Wisconsin Lakeside Half Marathon & 5K (Monona) - wisconsin36 m36 m7.2 m/km-0 m7.5%
52Windermere Marathon (Spokane) 5K - washington35 m36 m7.1 m/km0 m4.8%
53Naptown Half Marathon & 10K/5K - maryland34 m35 m6.9 m/km0 m9.7%
54Montana Marathon (Billings) 5K - montana34 m8 m1.6 m/km-26 m3.4%
55Garmin New Forest Marathon 5K - south-east33 m31 m6.3 m/km-1 m6.1%
56University of Utah Health Salt Lake City Marathon 5K - utah32 m30 m6.1 m/km-2 m6.3%
57Cedar Rapids Marathon 5K - iowa32 m31 m6.2 m/km-0 m13.8%
58Vardaman Sweet Potato 5K Run - mississippi32 m32 m6.4 m/km0 m3.8%
59Bend Marathon and Half 5K - oregon32 m32 m6.4 m/km0 m7.4%
60Grand Forks 10 (GF10) 5K - north-dakota31 m33 m6.5 m/km2 m8.8%
61Brain Freezer 5K (Burlington) - vermont30 m30 m6.0 m/km-0 m5.4%
62Great Smoky Mountains Half Marathon 5K - tennessee30 m41 m8.2 m/km11 m6.8%
63Cajun Country Run 5K - louisiana30 m29 m5.9 m/km-0 m4.2%
64The Original Las Vegas Marathon 5K - nevada29 m28 m5.7 m/km-0 m3.1%
65Newport Rhode Races (Newport Spring Marathon & Half) 5K - rhode-island28 m28 m5.7 m/km-0 m9.6%
66Helsinki City Marathon 5K - finland27 m34 m6.7 m/km6 m6.4%
67NN Night Run Ostrava 5K - czechia27 m24 m4.8 m/km-3 m4.9%
68Courses de Strasbourg Eurométropole 5K - france26 m33 m6.7 m/km7 m8.7%
69Mercy Health Glass City Marathon 5K - ohio26 m23 m4.6 m/km-3 m7.0%
70Maine Coast Marathon 5K - maine26 m26 m5.2 m/km-1 m8.0%
71Sioux Falls Marathon 5K - south-dakota26 m24 m4.8 m/km-2 m4.1%
72Berlin Marathon 5K - germany26 m31 m6.1 m/km5 m7.1%
73Lundaloppet 5K - sweden26 m29 m5.8 m/km3 m5.5%
74Cleveland Marathon 5K - ohio25 m24 m4.8 m/km0 m8.0%
75Maui Oceanfront Marathon 5K - hawaii24 m23 m4.6 m/km-0 m4.2%
76Stormin' Norman Run 5K - oklahoma23 m23 m4.6 m/km-0 m6.3%
77The Fury Run (Stormin' Norman Run), Norman 5K - oklahoma23 m23 m4.6 m/km-0 m6.3%
78Trondheim Maraton 5K - norway23 m24 m4.7 m/km1 m4.8%
79Helvetia Half Marathon 5K - oregon23 m24 m4.8 m/km2 m3.7%
80City of Colleges Half Marathon 5K - arkansas22 m22 m4.4 m/km0 m2.9%
81Debrecen Maraton 5K - hungary22 m21 m4.3 m/km0 m3.5%
82Indiana Women's Running Festival (Indy Women's Half Marathon), Carmel 5K - indiana21 m21 m4.3 m/km-0 m3.5%
83Marshall University Marathon 5K - west-virginia21 m20 m3.8 m/km-1 m6.1%
84Paavo Nurmi Marathon 5K - finland21 m20 m4.1 m/km-1 m5.7%
85Energa Gdańsk Maraton 5K - poland21 m21 m4.2 m/km1 m8.0%
86Lift Bridge Road Races 5K - minnesota21 m40 m8.1 m/km20 m13.1%
87Idaho Falls Marathon 5K - idaho19 m19 m3.8 m/km0 m6.0%
88Tirol läuft (Innsbruck) 5K - austria18 m16 m3.1 m/km-2 m5.5%
89Novant Health Wilmington Marathon 5K - north-carolina17 m17 m3.4 m/km0 m3.2%
90Buffalo Stampede Half Marathon (Kearney) 5K - nebraska15 m16 m3.1 m/km-0 m4.2%
91The Woodlands Marathon 5K - texas15 m15 m2.9 m/km-0 m4.6%
92OTC Butte to Butte (Eugene) 5K - oregon14 m14 m2.8 m/km-0 m2.7%
93Southampton Marathon 5K - south-east12 m26 m5.2 m/km14 m4.3%
94TBK Bank Quad Cities Marathon 5K - iowa8 m8 m1.6 m/km0 m2.1%
95Martian Invasion of Races 5K - michigan7 m7 m1.5 m/km0 m1.7%
96Mississippi River Marathon 5K - mississippi4 m4 m0.8 m/km0 m2.4%
97Kia Fjällmaraton (Fjällmaratonveckan), Årefjällen 5K - sweden1 m1,005 m201.0 m/km1,003 m64.1%
2
Catalina Island Marathon 5Kcalifornia
Total descent
254 m
Ascent
254 m
Climb density
50.7 m/km
Net elevation
0 m
Max absolute grade
39.0%

As of

7
Vienna City Marathon 5Kaustria
Total descent
132 m
Ascent
141 m
Climb density
28.2 m/km
Net elevation
9 m
Max absolute grade
37.8%

As of

11
St Albans Half Marathon 5Keast-of-england
Total descent
89 m
Ascent
84 m
Climb density
16.8 m/km
Net elevation
-5 m
Max absolute grade
8.9%

As of

12
Generali Genève Marathon 5Kswitzerland
Total descent
86 m
Ascent
37 m
Climb density
7.4 m/km
Net elevation
-49 m
Max absolute grade
11.6%

As of

13
Grand-Prix von Bern 5Kswitzerland
Total descent
78 m
Ascent
80 m
Climb density
17.1 m/km
Net elevation
2 m
Max absolute grade
17.8%

As of

21
SPAR Budapest Marathon 5Khungary
Total descent
68 m
Ascent
70 m
Climb density
14.1 m/km
Net elevation
2 m
Max absolute grade
12.3%

As of

22
Soča Outdoor Festival 5Kslovenia
Total descent
67 m
Ascent
58 m
Climb density
11.2 m/km
Net elevation
-9 m
Max absolute grade
11.3%

As of

26
Middlebury Maple Run 5Kvermont
Total descent
63 m
Ascent
63 m
Climb density
12.5 m/km
Net elevation
-0 m
Max absolute grade
10.8%

As of

28
Milton Keynes Marathon 5Ksouth-east
Total descent
61 m
Ascent
29 m
Climb density
5.8 m/km
Net elevation
-32 m
Max absolute grade
7.0%

As of

30
Flying Pig Marathon 5Kohio
Total descent
59 m
Ascent
59 m
Climb density
11.9 m/km
Net elevation
1 m
Max absolute grade
9.3%

As of

32
TCS Lidingöloppet 5Ksweden
Total descent
57 m
Ascent
61 m
Climb density
12.1 m/km
Net elevation
4 m
Max absolute grade
9.9%

As of

34
Lake Tahoe Marathon 5Knevada
Total descent
51 m
Ascent
49 m
Climb density
9.7 m/km
Net elevation
-2 m
Max absolute grade
6.8%

As of

37
Two Tunnels Railway Races 5Ksouth-west
Total descent
49 m
Ascent
51 m
Climb density
10.2 m/km
Net elevation
2 m
Max absolute grade
8.6%

As of

38
Spokane River Run 5Kwashington
Total descent
49 m
Ascent
49 m
Climb density
9.7 m/km
Net elevation
0 m
Max absolute grade
16.3%

As of

45
Omaha Marathon 5Knebraska
Total descent
42 m
Ascent
42 m
Climb density
8.3 m/km
Net elevation
-1 m
Max absolute grade
8.9%

As of

46
Cisco Brewers Portsmouth 5Knew-hampshire
Total descent
42 m
Ascent
42 m
Climb density
8.4 m/km
Net elevation
-0 m
Max absolute grade
7.3%

As of

47
Montpellier Run Festival 5Kfrance
Total descent
41 m
Ascent
40 m
Climb density
7.9 m/km
Net elevation
-2 m
Max absolute grade
8.6%

As of

49
La Course 5K (Providence)rhode-island
Total descent
41 m
Ascent
41 m
Climb density
8.2 m/km
Net elevation
0 m
Max absolute grade
6.0%

As of

57
Cedar Rapids Marathon 5Kiowa
Total descent
32 m
Ascent
31 m
Climb density
6.2 m/km
Net elevation
-0 m
Max absolute grade
13.8%

As of

58
Vardaman Sweet Potato 5K Runmississippi
Total descent
32 m
Ascent
32 m
Climb density
6.4 m/km
Net elevation
0 m
Max absolute grade
3.8%

As of

59
Bend Marathon and Half 5Koregon
Total descent
32 m
Ascent
32 m
Climb density
6.4 m/km
Net elevation
0 m
Max absolute grade
7.4%

As of

60
Grand Forks 10 (GF10) 5Knorth-dakota
Total descent
31 m
Ascent
33 m
Climb density
6.5 m/km
Net elevation
2 m
Max absolute grade
8.8%

As of

63
Cajun Country Run 5Klouisiana
Total descent
30 m
Ascent
29 m
Climb density
5.9 m/km
Net elevation
-0 m
Max absolute grade
4.2%

As of

66
Helsinki City Marathon 5Kfinland
Total descent
27 m
Ascent
34 m
Climb density
6.7 m/km
Net elevation
6 m
Max absolute grade
6.4%

As of

67
NN Night Run Ostrava 5Kczechia
Total descent
27 m
Ascent
24 m
Climb density
4.8 m/km
Net elevation
-3 m
Max absolute grade
4.9%

As of

70
Maine Coast Marathon 5Kmaine
Total descent
26 m
Ascent
26 m
Climb density
5.2 m/km
Net elevation
-1 m
Max absolute grade
8.0%

As of

71
Sioux Falls Marathon 5Ksouth-dakota
Total descent
26 m
Ascent
24 m
Climb density
4.8 m/km
Net elevation
-2 m
Max absolute grade
4.1%

As of

72
Berlin Marathon 5Kgermany
Total descent
26 m
Ascent
31 m
Climb density
6.1 m/km
Net elevation
5 m
Max absolute grade
7.1%

As of

73
Lundaloppet 5Ksweden
Total descent
26 m
Ascent
29 m
Climb density
5.8 m/km
Net elevation
3 m
Max absolute grade
5.5%

As of

74
Cleveland Marathon 5Kohio
Total descent
25 m
Ascent
24 m
Climb density
4.8 m/km
Net elevation
0 m
Max absolute grade
8.0%

As of

75
Maui Oceanfront Marathon 5Khawaii
Total descent
24 m
Ascent
23 m
Climb density
4.6 m/km
Net elevation
-0 m
Max absolute grade
4.2%

As of

76
Stormin' Norman Run 5Koklahoma
Total descent
23 m
Ascent
23 m
Climb density
4.6 m/km
Net elevation
-0 m
Max absolute grade
6.3%

As of

78
Trondheim Maraton 5Knorway
Total descent
23 m
Ascent
24 m
Climb density
4.7 m/km
Net elevation
1 m
Max absolute grade
4.8%

As of

79
Helvetia Half Marathon 5Koregon
Total descent
23 m
Ascent
24 m
Climb density
4.8 m/km
Net elevation
2 m
Max absolute grade
3.7%

As of

81
Debrecen Maraton 5Khungary
Total descent
22 m
Ascent
21 m
Climb density
4.3 m/km
Net elevation
0 m
Max absolute grade
3.5%

As of

84
Paavo Nurmi Marathon 5Kfinland
Total descent
21 m
Ascent
20 m
Climb density
4.1 m/km
Net elevation
-1 m
Max absolute grade
5.7%

As of

85
Energa Gdańsk Maraton 5Kpoland
Total descent
21 m
Ascent
21 m
Climb density
4.2 m/km
Net elevation
1 m
Max absolute grade
8.0%

As of

86
Lift Bridge Road Races 5Kminnesota
Total descent
21 m
Ascent
40 m
Climb density
8.1 m/km
Net elevation
20 m
Max absolute grade
13.1%

As of

87
Idaho Falls Marathon 5Kidaho
Total descent
19 m
Ascent
19 m
Climb density
3.8 m/km
Net elevation
0 m
Max absolute grade
6.0%

As of

88
Tirol läuft (Innsbruck) 5Kaustria
Total descent
18 m
Ascent
16 m
Climb density
3.1 m/km
Net elevation
-2 m
Max absolute grade
5.5%

As of

91
The Woodlands Marathon 5Ktexas
Total descent
15 m
Ascent
15 m
Climb density
2.9 m/km
Net elevation
-0 m
Max absolute grade
4.6%

As of

93
Southampton Marathon 5Ksouth-east
Total descent
12 m
Ascent
26 m
Climb density
5.2 m/km
Net elevation
14 m
Max absolute grade
4.3%

As of

97 qualifying races in this ranking; use the distance catalogue to search the full distance list. Scores are out of 100 when present; route, elevation and cost figures are shown in their natural units.

How we ranked these

Races are ranked by Total descent. Score metrics use methodology scoring-methodology-v1.0. Elevation rankings use only trusted raw-elevation course profiles. A ranking is only published when at least five races qualify, so the table is never padded with thin data.

See exactly how each figure is calculated →

Route maps for this ranking

How we calculated this

Published facts and derived model outputs on this page are tied to stored sources or a published, version-locked methodology. We show the provenance so runners, coaches and organisers can check it. Data on this page is current as of .

Derived numbers use scoring-methodology-v1.0.

Sources used on this page (99)

Read the full methodology →

Common questions

What is the most descent 5ks?

Mohawk Mountain Race (Cornwall) 5K ranks first by total descent, from 97 qualifying races compared under our published methodology.