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

The Spring Lake Five Mile Run 5 Mile and Belmar 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

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%

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%
Head-to-head comparison
MetricThe Spring Lake Five Mile Run 5 MileBelmar Five Mile Run 5 Mile
Flat grade share96.5%93.6%
GAP factor (% slower than flat)-0.1%-0.1%
Uphill share1.6%2.0%
Steep-up share0.0%0.0%
Downhill share1.9%4.4%
Total ascent (m)18 m20 m
Climbing density (m/km)2.2 m/km2.5 m/km
Longest climb length (m)1,100 m480 m
Longest climb gain (m)7 m6 m
Longest climb average grade0.6%1.2%
Total descent (m)21 m24 m
Net elevation (m)-3 m-4 m
Max absolute grade2.2%7.3%
Start elevation (m)7 m7 m
Finish elevation (m)4 m3 m
Scenic scoreUnavailable74/100
ConditionsUnavailable45/100

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
FactThe Spring Lake Five Mile Run 5 MileBelmar Five Mile Run 5 Mile
Schedule

Exact race date not confirmed.

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

LocationSpring Lake, New JerseyBelmar, New Jersey
Actual distance8 km8 km
raceindex.org mapped route heldHeldHeld
raceindex.org elevation profile heldHeldHeld
Course typeLoopLoop
SurfacePaved roads.Unavailable
Elevation characterPancake FlatFlat
TerrainRoadRoad
SceneryCoastal, City, Lakeside, WaterfrontCoastal, City, Waterfront, Lakeside
AtmosphereCommunity, Charity, FestivalCommunity, Competitive
TechnicalityNon TechnicalNon Technical
Total ascent18 m20 m
Climbing density2.2 m/km2.5 m/km
Total descent21 m24 m
Net elevation-3 m-4 m
Max absolute grade2.2%7.3%
Flat grade share96.5%93.6%
GAP factor-0.1%-0.1%
CutoffUnavailable1:30:00
Field cap12,500Unavailable
Entry modelOpenOpen

Schedule

The Spring Lake Five Mile Run 5 Mile

Exact race date not confirmed.

Belmar Five Mile Run 5 Mile

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

Location

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

Actual distance

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

raceindex.org mapped route held

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

raceindex.org elevation profile held

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

Course type

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

Surface

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

Elevation character

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

Terrain

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

Scenery

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

Atmosphere

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

Technicality

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

Total ascent

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

Climbing density

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

Total descent

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

Net elevation

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

Max absolute grade

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

Flat grade share

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

GAP factor

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

Cutoff

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

Field cap

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

Entry model

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