Catalina Island Marathon 10K or La Jolla Half Marathon, 10K & 5K — which comes out ahead?

La Jolla Half Marathon, 10K & 5K has the stronger available profile on flat grade share, course flatness and conditions.

Route comparison snapshot

Catalina Island Marathon 10K

Mapped route
Held
Elevation profile
Held
course flatness
13.2%
flat grade share
16.5%
lower ascent
398 m
climbing density
39.8 m/km
net elevation
0 m
maximum grade
39.0%

La Jolla Half Marathon, 10K & 5K

Mapped route
Held
Elevation profile
Held
course flatness
-4.5% Favoured
flat grade share
56.0% Favoured
lower ascent
76 m
climbing density
7.6 m/km
net elevation
-121 m
maximum grade
12.4%
Head-to-head comparison
MetricCatalina Island Marathon 10KLa Jolla Half Marathon, 10K & 5K
Flat grade share16.5%56.0%
GAP factor (% slower than flat)13.2%-4.5%
Uphill share40.1%11.3%
Steep-up share25.3%1.8%
Downhill share43.4%32.6%
Total ascent (m)398 m76 m
Climbing density (m/km)39.8 m/km7.6 m/km
Longest climb length (m)2,270 m630 m
Longest climb gain (m)134 m25 m
Longest climb average grade5.9%4.0%
Total descent (m)398 m197 m
Net elevation (m)0 m-121 m
Max absolute grade39.0%12.4%
Start elevation (m)9 m132 m
Finish elevation (m)9 m10 m
Scenic score100/10073/100
Conditions75/10076/100

Only metrics available for at least one side are shown. A ✓ marks the better value for each metric (higher-is-better aware). Scores are out of 100 when available. Ascent, climbing density, max absolute grade and median finish describe course or field context and are not marked as better or worse.

Race facts that change the decision

Race facts comparison
FactCatalina Island Marathon 10KLa Jolla Half Marathon, 10K & 5K
Schedule

Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2027-03-13 (legacy event-level date).

Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2027-05-15 (legacy event-level date).

LocationAvalon, CaliforniaLa Jolla, San Diego, California
Actual distance10 km10 km
raceindex.org mapped route heldHeldHeld
raceindex.org elevation profile heldHeldHeld
Course typeLoopUnavailable
Elevation characterUnavailableNet Downhill
TerrainRoadRoad
SceneryCity, Coastal, Waterfront, Island, Mountain, CountrysideForest, Coastal, Waterfront, Parkland, City
AtmosphereWilderness, Destination, Scenic TourScenic Tour, Destination, Competitive
Total ascent398 m76 m
Climbing density39.8 m/km7.6 m/km
Total descent398 m197 m
Net elevation0 m-121 m
Max absolute grade39.0%12.4%
Flat grade share16.5%56.0%
GAP factor13.2%-4.5%
Cutoff3:15:00Unavailable
Entry modelOpenOpen

Schedule

Catalina Island Marathon 10K

Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2027-03-13 (legacy event-level date).

La Jolla Half Marathon, 10K & 5K

Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2027-05-15 (legacy event-level date).

Location

Catalina Island Marathon 10K
Avalon, California
La Jolla Half Marathon, 10K & 5K
La Jolla, San Diego, California

Actual distance

Catalina Island Marathon 10K
10 km
La Jolla Half Marathon, 10K & 5K
10 km

raceindex.org mapped route held

Catalina Island Marathon 10K
Held
La Jolla Half Marathon, 10K & 5K
Held

raceindex.org elevation profile held

Catalina Island Marathon 10K
Held
La Jolla Half Marathon, 10K & 5K
Held

Course type

Catalina Island Marathon 10K
Loop
La Jolla Half Marathon, 10K & 5K
Unavailable

Elevation character

Catalina Island Marathon 10K
Unavailable
La Jolla Half Marathon, 10K & 5K
Net Downhill

Terrain

Catalina Island Marathon 10K
Road
La Jolla Half Marathon, 10K & 5K
Road

Scenery

Catalina Island Marathon 10K
City, Coastal, Waterfront, Island, Mountain, Countryside
La Jolla Half Marathon, 10K & 5K
Forest, Coastal, Waterfront, Parkland, City

Atmosphere

Catalina Island Marathon 10K
Wilderness, Destination, Scenic Tour
La Jolla Half Marathon, 10K & 5K
Scenic Tour, Destination, Competitive

Total ascent

Catalina Island Marathon 10K
398 m
La Jolla Half Marathon, 10K & 5K
76 m

Climbing density

Catalina Island Marathon 10K
39.8 m/km
La Jolla Half Marathon, 10K & 5K
7.6 m/km

Total descent

Catalina Island Marathon 10K
398 m
La Jolla Half Marathon, 10K & 5K
197 m

Net elevation

Catalina Island Marathon 10K
0 m
La Jolla Half Marathon, 10K & 5K
-121 m

Max absolute grade

Catalina Island Marathon 10K
39.0%
La Jolla Half Marathon, 10K & 5K
12.4%

Flat grade share

Catalina Island Marathon 10K
16.5%
La Jolla Half Marathon, 10K & 5K
56.0%

GAP factor

Catalina Island Marathon 10K
13.2%
La Jolla Half Marathon, 10K & 5K
-4.5%

Cutoff

Catalina Island Marathon 10K
3:15:00
La Jolla Half Marathon, 10K & 5K
Unavailable

Entry model

Catalina Island Marathon 10K
Open
La Jolla Half Marathon, 10K & 5K
Open

Facts are shown only when they exist in the sourced race record; Not held means no sourced value is held for that race.

Common questions

Which is flatter, Catalina Island Marathon 10K or La Jolla Half Marathon, 10K & 5K?

La Jolla Half Marathon, 10K & 5K has the lower GAP factor, making it the flatter course on our route model and more favourable on gradient alone.

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How figures are calculated →