Mississippi River Marathon 5K or St. Croix Crossing Half Marathon 5K — which comes out ahead?

Mississippi River Marathon 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

Mississippi River Marathon 5K

Mapped route
Held
Elevation profile
Held
course flatness
0.1%
flat grade share
98.6% Favoured
lower ascent
4 m
climbing density
0.8 m/km
net elevation
0 m
maximum grade
2.4%

St. Croix Crossing Half Marathon 5K

Mapped route
Held
Elevation profile
Held
course flatness
-6.0% Favoured
flat grade share
55.9%
lower ascent
2 m
climbing density
0.5 m/km
net elevation
-60 m
maximum grade
5.5%
Head-to-head comparison
MetricMississippi River Marathon 5KSt. Croix Crossing Half Marathon 5K
Flat grade share98.6%55.9%
GAP factor (% slower than flat)0.1%-6.0%
Uphill share0.8%0.0%
Steep-up share0.0%0.0%
Downhill share0.6%44.1%
Total ascent (m)4 m2 m
Climbing density (m/km)0.8 m/km0.5 m/km
Longest climb length (m)130 m150 m
Longest climb gain (m)2 m1 m
Longest climb average grade1.3%0.8%
Total descent (m)4 m62 m
Net elevation (m)0 m-60 m
Max absolute grade2.4%5.5%
Start elevation (m)39 m267 m
Finish elevation (m)39 m207 m
Scenic scoreUnavailable80/100
ConditionsUnavailable26/100

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
FactMississippi River Marathon 5KSt. Croix Crossing Half Marathon 5K
Schedule

Exact race date not confirmed.

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

LocationGreenville, MississippiStillwater, Minnesota
Actual distance5 km5 km
raceindex.org mapped route heldHeldHeld
raceindex.org elevation profile heldHeldHeld
SceneryCountryside, Lakeside, Riverside, City, Historic, WaterfrontRiverside, City, Historic, Waterfront, Countryside, Forest
AtmosphereCommunity, DestinationScenic Tour, Destination
Total ascent4 m2 m
Climbing density0.8 m/km0.5 m/km
Total descent4 m62 m
Net elevation0 m-60 m
Max absolute grade2.4%5.5%
Flat grade share98.6%55.9%
GAP factor0.1%-6.0%
Entry modelOpenOpen

Schedule

Mississippi River Marathon 5K

Exact race date not confirmed.

St. Croix Crossing Half Marathon 5K

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

Location

Mississippi River Marathon 5K
Greenville, Mississippi
St. Croix Crossing Half Marathon 5K
Stillwater, Minnesota

Actual distance

Mississippi River Marathon 5K
5 km
St. Croix Crossing Half Marathon 5K
5 km

raceindex.org mapped route held

Mississippi River Marathon 5K
Held
St. Croix Crossing Half Marathon 5K
Held

raceindex.org elevation profile held

Mississippi River Marathon 5K
Held
St. Croix Crossing Half Marathon 5K
Held

Scenery

Mississippi River Marathon 5K
Countryside, Lakeside, Riverside, City, Historic, Waterfront
St. Croix Crossing Half Marathon 5K
Riverside, City, Historic, Waterfront, Countryside, Forest

Atmosphere

Mississippi River Marathon 5K
Community, Destination
St. Croix Crossing Half Marathon 5K
Scenic Tour, Destination

Total ascent

Mississippi River Marathon 5K
4 m
St. Croix Crossing Half Marathon 5K
2 m

Climbing density

Mississippi River Marathon 5K
0.8 m/km
St. Croix Crossing Half Marathon 5K
0.5 m/km

Total descent

Mississippi River Marathon 5K
4 m
St. Croix Crossing Half Marathon 5K
62 m

Net elevation

Mississippi River Marathon 5K
0 m
St. Croix Crossing Half Marathon 5K
-60 m

Max absolute grade

Mississippi River Marathon 5K
2.4%
St. Croix Crossing Half Marathon 5K
5.5%

Flat grade share

Mississippi River Marathon 5K
98.6%
St. Croix Crossing Half Marathon 5K
55.9%

GAP factor

Mississippi River Marathon 5K
0.1%
St. Croix Crossing Half Marathon 5K
-6.0%

Entry model

Mississippi River Marathon 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, Mississippi River Marathon 5K or St. Croix Crossing Half Marathon 5K?

St. Croix Crossing Half Marathon 5K has the lower GAP factor, making it the flatter course on our route model and more favourable on gradient alone.

Read the full pages

How figures are calculated →