Lake Tahoe Marathon 5K or The Original Las Vegas Marathon 5K — which comes out ahead?

Lake Tahoe Marathon 5K and The Original Las Vegas Marathon 5K split the available advantages, so the better choice depends on which metric matters most to the runner.

Route comparison snapshot

Lake Tahoe Marathon 5K

Mapped route
Held
Elevation profile
Held
course flatness
0.7%
flat grade share
57.0%
lower ascent
49 m
climbing density
9.7 m/km
net elevation
-2 m
maximum grade
6.8%

The Original Las Vegas Marathon 5K

Mapped route
Held
Elevation profile
Held
course flatness
0.3% Favoured
flat grade share
78.5% Favoured
lower ascent
28 m
climbing density
5.7 m/km
net elevation
-0 m
maximum grade
3.1%
Head-to-head comparison
MetricLake Tahoe Marathon 5KThe Original Las Vegas Marathon 5K
Flat grade share57.0%78.5%
GAP factor (% slower than flat)0.7%0.3%
Uphill share19.9%10.8%
Steep-up share1.0%0.0%
Downhill share23.1%10.8%
Total ascent (m)49 m28 m
Climbing density (m/km)9.7 m/km5.7 m/km
Longest climb length (m)710 m960 m
Longest climb gain (m)14 m17 m
Longest climb average grade2.0%1.8%
Total descent (m)51 m29 m
Net elevation (m)-2 m-0 m
Max absolute grade6.8%3.1%
Start elevation (m)1,906 m751 m
Finish elevation (m)1,904 m751 m
Scenic score93/10068/100
Conditions96/10055/100

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
FactLake Tahoe Marathon 5KThe Original Las Vegas Marathon 5K
Schedule

Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2026-10-16 (legacy event-level date).

Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2026-10-11 (legacy event-level date).

LocationIncline Village, NevadaHenderson, Nevada
Actual distance5 km5 km
raceindex.org mapped route heldHeldHeld
raceindex.org elevation profile heldHeldHeld
TerrainUnavailableRoad, Trail
SceneryCoastal, Lakeside, Mountain, ForestWaterfront, Countryside, Desert, Mountain
AtmosphereScenic Tour, Destination, FestivalCommunity, Destination
Total ascent49 m28 m
Climbing density9.7 m/km5.7 m/km
Total descent51 m29 m
Net elevation-2 m-0 m
Max absolute grade6.8%3.1%
Flat grade share57.0%78.5%
GAP factor0.7%0.3%
Entry modelOpenOpen

Schedule

Lake Tahoe Marathon 5K

Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2026-10-16 (legacy event-level date).

The Original Las Vegas Marathon 5K

Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2026-10-11 (legacy event-level date).

Location

Lake Tahoe Marathon 5K
Incline Village, Nevada
The Original Las Vegas Marathon 5K
Henderson, Nevada

Actual distance

Lake Tahoe Marathon 5K
5 km
The Original Las Vegas Marathon 5K
5 km

raceindex.org mapped route held

Lake Tahoe Marathon 5K
Held
The Original Las Vegas Marathon 5K
Held

raceindex.org elevation profile held

Lake Tahoe Marathon 5K
Held
The Original Las Vegas Marathon 5K
Held

Terrain

Lake Tahoe Marathon 5K
Unavailable
The Original Las Vegas Marathon 5K
Road, Trail

Scenery

Lake Tahoe Marathon 5K
Coastal, Lakeside, Mountain, Forest
The Original Las Vegas Marathon 5K
Waterfront, Countryside, Desert, Mountain

Atmosphere

Lake Tahoe Marathon 5K
Scenic Tour, Destination, Festival
The Original Las Vegas Marathon 5K
Community, Destination

Total ascent

Lake Tahoe Marathon 5K
49 m
The Original Las Vegas Marathon 5K
28 m

Climbing density

Lake Tahoe Marathon 5K
9.7 m/km
The Original Las Vegas Marathon 5K
5.7 m/km

Total descent

Lake Tahoe Marathon 5K
51 m
The Original Las Vegas Marathon 5K
29 m

Net elevation

Lake Tahoe Marathon 5K
-2 m
The Original Las Vegas Marathon 5K
-0 m

Max absolute grade

Lake Tahoe Marathon 5K
6.8%
The Original Las Vegas Marathon 5K
3.1%

Flat grade share

Lake Tahoe Marathon 5K
57.0%
The Original Las Vegas Marathon 5K
78.5%

GAP factor

Lake Tahoe Marathon 5K
0.7%
The Original Las Vegas Marathon 5K
0.3%

Entry model

Lake Tahoe Marathon 5K
Open
The Original Las Vegas 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, Lake Tahoe Marathon 5K or The Original Las Vegas Marathon 5K?

The Original Las Vegas Marathon 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 →