RAD Half Marathon & 10K (Asheville) or The Asheville Marathon & Half Half Marathon — which comes out ahead?

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

Route comparison snapshot

RAD Half Marathon & 10K (Asheville)

Mapped route
Held
Elevation profile
Held
course flatness
-0.9% Favoured
flat grade share
71.7% Favoured
lower ascent
135 m
climbing density
6.4 m/km
net elevation
-71 m
maximum grade
11.9%

The Asheville Marathon & Half Half Marathon

Mapped route
Held
Elevation profile
Held
course flatness
0.1%
flat grade share
44.6%
lower ascent
260 m
climbing density
12.3 m/km
net elevation
-61 m
maximum grade
12.1%
Head-to-head comparison
MetricRAD Half Marathon & 10K (Asheville)The Asheville Marathon & Half Half Marathon
Flat grade share71.7%44.6%
GAP factor (% slower than flat)-0.9%0.1%
Uphill share11.1%23.4%
Steep-up share1.9%4.3%
Downhill share17.1%31.9%
Total ascent (m)135 m260 m
Climbing density (m/km)6.4 m/km12.3 m/km
Longest climb length (m)460 m940 m
Longest climb gain (m)23 m42 m
Longest climb average grade5.1%4.5%
Total descent (m)206 m322 m
Net elevation (m)-71 m-61 m
Max absolute grade11.9%12.1%
Start elevation (m)672 m672 m
Finish elevation (m)601 m611 m
Scenic score61/10095/100
Conditions57/10087/100

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
FactRAD Half Marathon & 10K (Asheville)The Asheville Marathon & Half Half Marathon
Schedule

Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2026-06-14 (legacy event-level date).

Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2027-03-20 (legacy event-level date).

LocationAsheville, North CarolinaAsheville, North Carolina
Actual distance21.1 km21.1 km
raceindex.org mapped route heldHeldHeld
raceindex.org elevation profile heldHeldHeld
Course typePoint To PointPoint To Point
SurfaceMix of downtown city streets and paved greenway along the French Broad River.Road
Elevation characterNet DownhillUnavailable
TerrainRoad, MixedRoad
SceneryCity, Riverside, Waterfront, ParklandCity, Mountain, Riverside, Historic, Parkland
AtmosphereFestival, Community, CompetitiveDestination, Festival, Community
TechnicalityNon TechnicalUnavailable
Total ascent135 m260 m
Climbing density6.4 m/km12.3 m/km
Total descent206 m322 m
Net elevation-71 m-61 m
Max absolute grade11.9%12.1%
Flat grade share71.7%44.6%
GAP factor-0.9%0.1%
Cutoff3:30:006:30:00
Entry modelOpenOpen

Schedule

RAD Half Marathon & 10K (Asheville)

Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2026-06-14 (legacy event-level date).

The Asheville Marathon & Half Half Marathon

Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2027-03-20 (legacy event-level date).

Location

RAD Half Marathon & 10K (Asheville)
Asheville, North Carolina
The Asheville Marathon & Half Half Marathon
Asheville, North Carolina

Actual distance

RAD Half Marathon & 10K (Asheville)
21.1 km
The Asheville Marathon & Half Half Marathon
21.1 km

raceindex.org mapped route held

RAD Half Marathon & 10K (Asheville)
Held
The Asheville Marathon & Half Half Marathon
Held

raceindex.org elevation profile held

RAD Half Marathon & 10K (Asheville)
Held
The Asheville Marathon & Half Half Marathon
Held

Course type

RAD Half Marathon & 10K (Asheville)
Point To Point
The Asheville Marathon & Half Half Marathon
Point To Point

Surface

RAD Half Marathon & 10K (Asheville)
Mix of downtown city streets and paved greenway along the French Broad River.
The Asheville Marathon & Half Half Marathon
Road

Elevation character

RAD Half Marathon & 10K (Asheville)
Net Downhill
The Asheville Marathon & Half Half Marathon
Unavailable

Terrain

RAD Half Marathon & 10K (Asheville)
Road, Mixed
The Asheville Marathon & Half Half Marathon
Road

Scenery

RAD Half Marathon & 10K (Asheville)
City, Riverside, Waterfront, Parkland
The Asheville Marathon & Half Half Marathon
City, Mountain, Riverside, Historic, Parkland

Atmosphere

RAD Half Marathon & 10K (Asheville)
Festival, Community, Competitive
The Asheville Marathon & Half Half Marathon
Destination, Festival, Community

Technicality

RAD Half Marathon & 10K (Asheville)
Non Technical
The Asheville Marathon & Half Half Marathon
Unavailable

Total ascent

RAD Half Marathon & 10K (Asheville)
135 m
The Asheville Marathon & Half Half Marathon
260 m

Climbing density

RAD Half Marathon & 10K (Asheville)
6.4 m/km
The Asheville Marathon & Half Half Marathon
12.3 m/km

Total descent

RAD Half Marathon & 10K (Asheville)
206 m
The Asheville Marathon & Half Half Marathon
322 m

Net elevation

RAD Half Marathon & 10K (Asheville)
-71 m
The Asheville Marathon & Half Half Marathon
-61 m

Max absolute grade

RAD Half Marathon & 10K (Asheville)
11.9%
The Asheville Marathon & Half Half Marathon
12.1%

Flat grade share

RAD Half Marathon & 10K (Asheville)
71.7%
The Asheville Marathon & Half Half Marathon
44.6%

GAP factor

RAD Half Marathon & 10K (Asheville)
-0.9%
The Asheville Marathon & Half Half Marathon
0.1%

Cutoff

RAD Half Marathon & 10K (Asheville)
3:30:00
The Asheville Marathon & Half Half Marathon
6:30:00

Entry model

RAD Half Marathon & 10K (Asheville)
Open
The Asheville Marathon & Half Half Marathon
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, RAD Half Marathon & 10K (Asheville) or The Asheville Marathon & Half Half Marathon?

RAD Half Marathon & 10K (Asheville) 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 →