Belmar Five Mile Run 5 Mile or The Spring Lake Five Mile Run 5 Mile — which comes out ahead?

Belmar Five Mile Run 5 Mile and The Spring Lake Five Mile Run 5 Mile split the available advantages, so the better choice depends on which metric matters most to the runner.

Route comparison snapshot

Belmar Five Mile Run 5 Mile

Mapped route
Held
Elevation profile
Held
course flatness
-0.1% Favoured
flat grade share
93.6%
lower ascent
20 m
climbing density
2.5 m/km
net elevation
-4 m
maximum grade
7.3%

The Spring Lake Five Mile Run 5 Mile

Mapped route
Held
Elevation profile
Held
course flatness
-0.1%
flat grade share
96.5% Favoured
lower ascent
18 m
climbing density
2.2 m/km
net elevation
-3 m
maximum grade
2.2%
Head-to-head comparison
MetricBelmar Five Mile Run 5 MileThe Spring Lake Five Mile Run 5 Mile
Flat grade share93.6%96.5%
GAP factor (% slower than flat)-0.1%-0.1%
Uphill share2.0%1.6%
Steep-up share0.0%0.0%
Downhill share4.4%1.9%
Total ascent (m)20 m18 m
Climbing density (m/km)2.5 m/km2.2 m/km
Longest climb length (m)480 m1,100 m
Longest climb gain (m)6 m7 m
Longest climb average grade1.2%0.6%
Total descent (m)24 m21 m
Net elevation (m)-4 m-3 m
Max absolute grade7.3%2.2%
Start elevation (m)7 m7 m
Finish elevation (m)3 m4 m
Scenic score74/100Unavailable
Conditions45/100Unavailable

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
FactBelmar Five Mile Run 5 MileThe Spring Lake Five Mile Run 5 Mile
Schedule

Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2026-09-05 (legacy event-level date).

Exact race date not confirmed.

LocationBelmar, New JerseySpring Lake, New Jersey
Actual distance8 km8 km
raceindex.org mapped route heldHeldHeld
raceindex.org elevation profile heldHeldHeld
Course typeLoopLoop
SurfaceUnavailablePaved roads.
Elevation characterFlatPancake Flat
TerrainRoadRoad
SceneryCoastal, City, Waterfront, LakesideCoastal, City, Lakeside, Waterfront
AtmosphereCommunity, CompetitiveCommunity, Charity, Festival
TechnicalityNon TechnicalNon Technical
Total ascent20 m18 m
Climbing density2.5 m/km2.2 m/km
Total descent24 m21 m
Net elevation-4 m-3 m
Max absolute grade7.3%2.2%
Flat grade share93.6%96.5%
GAP factor-0.1%-0.1%
Cutoff1:30:00Unavailable
Field capUnavailable12,500
Entry modelOpenOpen

Schedule

Belmar Five Mile Run 5 Mile

Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2026-09-05 (legacy event-level date).

The Spring Lake Five Mile Run 5 Mile

Exact race date not confirmed.

Location

Belmar Five Mile Run 5 Mile
Belmar, New Jersey
The Spring Lake Five Mile Run 5 Mile
Spring Lake, New Jersey

Actual distance

Belmar Five Mile Run 5 Mile
8 km
The Spring Lake Five Mile Run 5 Mile
8 km

raceindex.org mapped route held

Belmar Five Mile Run 5 Mile
Held
The Spring Lake Five Mile Run 5 Mile
Held

raceindex.org elevation profile held

Belmar Five Mile Run 5 Mile
Held
The Spring Lake Five Mile Run 5 Mile
Held

Course type

Belmar Five Mile Run 5 Mile
Loop
The Spring Lake Five Mile Run 5 Mile
Loop

Surface

Belmar Five Mile Run 5 Mile
Unavailable
The Spring Lake Five Mile Run 5 Mile
Paved roads.

Elevation character

Belmar Five Mile Run 5 Mile
Flat
The Spring Lake Five Mile Run 5 Mile
Pancake Flat

Terrain

Belmar Five Mile Run 5 Mile
Road
The Spring Lake Five Mile Run 5 Mile
Road

Scenery

Belmar Five Mile Run 5 Mile
Coastal, City, Waterfront, Lakeside
The Spring Lake Five Mile Run 5 Mile
Coastal, City, Lakeside, Waterfront

Atmosphere

Belmar Five Mile Run 5 Mile
Community, Competitive
The Spring Lake Five Mile Run 5 Mile
Community, Charity, Festival

Technicality

Belmar Five Mile Run 5 Mile
Non Technical
The Spring Lake Five Mile Run 5 Mile
Non Technical

Total ascent

Belmar Five Mile Run 5 Mile
20 m
The Spring Lake Five Mile Run 5 Mile
18 m

Climbing density

Belmar Five Mile Run 5 Mile
2.5 m/km
The Spring Lake Five Mile Run 5 Mile
2.2 m/km

Total descent

Belmar Five Mile Run 5 Mile
24 m
The Spring Lake Five Mile Run 5 Mile
21 m

Net elevation

Belmar Five Mile Run 5 Mile
-4 m
The Spring Lake Five Mile Run 5 Mile
-3 m

Max absolute grade

Belmar Five Mile Run 5 Mile
7.3%
The Spring Lake Five Mile Run 5 Mile
2.2%

Flat grade share

Belmar Five Mile Run 5 Mile
93.6%
The Spring Lake Five Mile Run 5 Mile
96.5%

GAP factor

Belmar Five Mile Run 5 Mile
-0.1%
The Spring Lake Five Mile Run 5 Mile
-0.1%

Cutoff

Belmar Five Mile Run 5 Mile
1:30:00
The Spring Lake Five Mile Run 5 Mile
Unavailable

Field cap

Belmar Five Mile Run 5 Mile
Unavailable
The Spring Lake Five Mile Run 5 Mile
12,500

Entry model

Belmar Five Mile Run 5 Mile
Open
The Spring Lake Five Mile Run 5 Mile
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, Belmar Five Mile Run 5 Mile or The Spring Lake Five Mile Run 5 Mile?

Belmar Five Mile Run 5 Mile 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 →