La Jolla Half Marathon, 10K & 5K or St. Croix Crossing Half Marathon 5K — which comes out ahead?

La Jolla Half Marathon, 10K & 5K and St. Croix Crossing Half Marathon 5K split the available advantages, so the better choice depends on which metric matters most to the runner.

Route comparison snapshot

La Jolla Half Marathon, 10K & 5K

Mapped route
Held
Elevation profile
Held
course flatness
-7.4% Favoured
flat grade share
39.7%
lower ascent
47 m
climbing density
9.4 m/km
net elevation
-102 m
maximum grade
12.6%

St. Croix Crossing Half Marathon 5K

Mapped route
Held
Elevation profile
Held
course flatness
-6.0%
flat grade share
55.9% Favoured
lower ascent
2 m
climbing density
0.5 m/km
net elevation
-60 m
maximum grade
5.5%
Head-to-head comparison
MetricLa Jolla Half Marathon, 10K & 5KSt. Croix Crossing Half Marathon 5K
Flat grade share39.7%55.9%
GAP factor (% slower than flat)-7.4%-6.0%
Uphill share15.7%0.0%
Steep-up share5.5%0.0%
Downhill share44.6%44.1%
Total ascent (m)47 m2 m
Climbing density (m/km)9.4 m/km0.5 m/km
Longest climb length (m)630 m150 m
Longest climb gain (m)25 m1 m
Longest climb average grade4.0%0.8%
Total descent (m)149 m62 m
Net elevation (m)-102 m-60 m
Max absolute grade12.6%5.5%
Start elevation (m)112 m267 m
Finish elevation (m)10 m207 m
Scenic score53/10080/100
Conditions76/10026/100

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
FactLa Jolla Half Marathon, 10K & 5KSt. Croix Crossing Half Marathon 5K
Schedule

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

Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2026-07-25 (legacy event-level date).

LocationLa Jolla, San Diego, CaliforniaStillwater, Minnesota
Actual distance5 km5 km
raceindex.org mapped route heldHeldHeld
raceindex.org elevation profile heldHeldHeld
Elevation characterNet DownhillUnavailable
TerrainRoadUnavailable
SceneryCoastal, Waterfront, Parkland, CityRiverside, City, Historic, Waterfront, Countryside, Forest
AtmosphereScenic Tour, Destination, CompetitiveScenic Tour, Destination
Total ascent47 m2 m
Climbing density9.4 m/km0.5 m/km
Total descent149 m62 m
Net elevation-102 m-60 m
Max absolute grade12.6%5.5%
Flat grade share39.7%55.9%
GAP factor-7.4%-6.0%
Entry modelOpenOpen

Schedule

La Jolla Half Marathon, 10K & 5K

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

St. Croix Crossing Half Marathon 5K

Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2026-07-25 (legacy event-level date).

Location

La Jolla Half Marathon, 10K & 5K
La Jolla, San Diego, California
St. Croix Crossing Half Marathon 5K
Stillwater, Minnesota

Actual distance

La Jolla Half Marathon, 10K & 5K
5 km
St. Croix Crossing Half Marathon 5K
5 km

raceindex.org mapped route held

La Jolla Half Marathon, 10K & 5K
Held
St. Croix Crossing Half Marathon 5K
Held

raceindex.org elevation profile held

La Jolla Half Marathon, 10K & 5K
Held
St. Croix Crossing Half Marathon 5K
Held

Elevation character

La Jolla Half Marathon, 10K & 5K
Net Downhill
St. Croix Crossing Half Marathon 5K
Unavailable

Terrain

La Jolla Half Marathon, 10K & 5K
Road
St. Croix Crossing Half Marathon 5K
Unavailable

Scenery

La Jolla Half Marathon, 10K & 5K
Coastal, Waterfront, Parkland, City
St. Croix Crossing Half Marathon 5K
Riverside, City, Historic, Waterfront, Countryside, Forest

Atmosphere

La Jolla Half Marathon, 10K & 5K
Scenic Tour, Destination, Competitive
St. Croix Crossing Half Marathon 5K
Scenic Tour, Destination

Total ascent

La Jolla Half Marathon, 10K & 5K
47 m
St. Croix Crossing Half Marathon 5K
2 m

Climbing density

La Jolla Half Marathon, 10K & 5K
9.4 m/km
St. Croix Crossing Half Marathon 5K
0.5 m/km

Total descent

La Jolla Half Marathon, 10K & 5K
149 m
St. Croix Crossing Half Marathon 5K
62 m

Net elevation

La Jolla Half Marathon, 10K & 5K
-102 m
St. Croix Crossing Half Marathon 5K
-60 m

Max absolute grade

La Jolla Half Marathon, 10K & 5K
12.6%
St. Croix Crossing Half Marathon 5K
5.5%

Flat grade share

La Jolla Half Marathon, 10K & 5K
39.7%
St. Croix Crossing Half Marathon 5K
55.9%

GAP factor

La Jolla Half Marathon, 10K & 5K
-7.4%
St. Croix Crossing Half Marathon 5K
-6.0%

Entry model

La Jolla Half Marathon, 10K & 5K
Open
St. Croix Crossing Half Marathon 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, La Jolla Half Marathon, 10K & 5K or St. Croix Crossing Half Marathon 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 →