Madison Marathon (Madison, Wisconsin) Half Marathon or Madison Marathon (Madison, Wisconsin) 10K — which comes out ahead?

Madison Marathon (Madison, Wisconsin) Half Marathon and Madison Marathon (Madison, Wisconsin) 10K split the available advantages, so the better choice depends on which metric matters most to the runner.

Route comparison snapshot

Madison Marathon (Madison, Wisconsin) Half Marathon

Mapped route
Held
Elevation profile
Held
course flatness
0.6% Favoured
flat grade share
81.6%
lower ascent
112 m
climbing density
5.3 m/km
net elevation
6 m
maximum grade
8.7%

Madison Marathon (Madison, Wisconsin) 10K

Mapped route
Held
Elevation profile
Held
course flatness
0.6%
flat grade share
86.0% Favoured
lower ascent
43 m
climbing density
4.3 m/km
net elevation
4 m
maximum grade
6.2%
Head-to-head comparison
MetricMadison Marathon (Madison, Wisconsin) Half MarathonMadison Marathon (Madison, Wisconsin) 10K
Flat grade share81.6%86.0% ✓
GAP factor (% slower than flat)0.6% ✓0.6%
Uphill share9.5%7.3%
Steep-up share0.6%0.6%
Downhill share8.9%6.8%
Total ascent (m)112 m43 m
Climbing density (m/km)5.3 m/km4.3 m/km
Longest climb length (m)1,300 m620 m
Longest climb gain (m)20 m19 m
Longest climb average grade1.6%3.0%
Total descent (m)106 m38 m
Net elevation (m)6 m4 m
Max absolute grade8.7%6.2%
Start elevation (m)274 m276 m
Finish elevation (m)280 m280 m
Scenic score73/10073/100
Conditions73/10073/100

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.

Same-distance comparisons are most meaningful; cross-distance metrics are contextual.

Race facts that change the decision

Race facts comparison
FactMadison Marathon (Madison, Wisconsin) Half MarathonMadison Marathon (Madison, Wisconsin) 10K
Schedule

Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2026-11-15 (legacy event-level date).

Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2026-11-15 (legacy event-level date).

LocationMadison, WisconsinMadison, Wisconsin
Actual distance21.1 km10 km
raceindex.org mapped route heldHeldHeld
raceindex.org elevation profile heldHeldHeld
SceneryCity, Lakeside, Parkland, Forest, HistoricCity, Lakeside, Parkland, Forest, Historic
AtmosphereScenic Tour, CommunityScenic Tour, Community
Total ascent112 m43 m
Climbing density5.3 m/km4.3 m/km
Total descent106 m38 m
Net elevation6 m4 m
Max absolute grade8.7%6.2%
Flat grade share81.6%86.0%
GAP factor0.6%0.6%
Cutoff3:30:002:00:00
Entry modelOpenOpen

Schedule

Madison Marathon (Madison, Wisconsin) Half Marathon

Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2026-11-15 (legacy event-level date).

Madison Marathon (Madison, Wisconsin) 10K

Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2026-11-15 (legacy event-level date).

Location

Madison Marathon (Madison, Wisconsin) Half Marathon
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison Marathon (Madison, Wisconsin) 10K
Madison, Wisconsin

Actual distance

Madison Marathon (Madison, Wisconsin) Half Marathon
21.1 km
Madison Marathon (Madison, Wisconsin) 10K
10 km

raceindex.org mapped route held

Madison Marathon (Madison, Wisconsin) Half Marathon
Held
Madison Marathon (Madison, Wisconsin) 10K
Held

raceindex.org elevation profile held

Madison Marathon (Madison, Wisconsin) Half Marathon
Held
Madison Marathon (Madison, Wisconsin) 10K
Held

Scenery

Madison Marathon (Madison, Wisconsin) Half Marathon
City, Lakeside, Parkland, Forest, Historic
Madison Marathon (Madison, Wisconsin) 10K
City, Lakeside, Parkland, Forest, Historic

Atmosphere

Madison Marathon (Madison, Wisconsin) Half Marathon
Scenic Tour, Community
Madison Marathon (Madison, Wisconsin) 10K
Scenic Tour, Community

Total ascent

Madison Marathon (Madison, Wisconsin) Half Marathon
112 m
Madison Marathon (Madison, Wisconsin) 10K
43 m

Climbing density

Madison Marathon (Madison, Wisconsin) Half Marathon
5.3 m/km
Madison Marathon (Madison, Wisconsin) 10K
4.3 m/km

Total descent

Madison Marathon (Madison, Wisconsin) Half Marathon
106 m
Madison Marathon (Madison, Wisconsin) 10K
38 m

Net elevation

Madison Marathon (Madison, Wisconsin) Half Marathon
6 m
Madison Marathon (Madison, Wisconsin) 10K
4 m

Max absolute grade

Madison Marathon (Madison, Wisconsin) Half Marathon
8.7%
Madison Marathon (Madison, Wisconsin) 10K
6.2%

Flat grade share

Madison Marathon (Madison, Wisconsin) Half Marathon
81.6%
Madison Marathon (Madison, Wisconsin) 10K
86.0%

GAP factor

Madison Marathon (Madison, Wisconsin) Half Marathon
0.6%
Madison Marathon (Madison, Wisconsin) 10K
0.6%

Cutoff

Madison Marathon (Madison, Wisconsin) Half Marathon
3:30:00
Madison Marathon (Madison, Wisconsin) 10K
2:00:00

Entry model

Madison Marathon (Madison, Wisconsin) Half Marathon
Open
Madison Marathon (Madison, Wisconsin) 10K
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, Madison Marathon (Madison, Wisconsin) Half Marathon or Madison Marathon (Madison, Wisconsin) 10K?

Madison Marathon (Madison, Wisconsin) Half Marathon 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 →