TARC Stone Cat Trail Festival Half Marathon or MountainOne Steel Rail Races (Adams) Half Marathon — which comes out ahead?

MountainOne Steel Rail Races (Adams) Half Marathon has the stronger available profile on flat grade share and course flatness.

Route comparison snapshot

TARC Stone Cat Trail Festival Half Marathon

Mapped route
Held
Elevation profile
Held
course flatness
1.7%
flat grade share
49.6%
lower ascent
262 m
climbing density
12.4 m/km
net elevation
0 m
maximum grade
17.5%

MountainOne Steel Rail Races (Adams) Half Marathon

Mapped route
Held
Elevation profile
Held
course flatness
0.5% Favoured
flat grade share
87.5% Favoured
lower ascent
114 m
climbing density
5.4 m/km
net elevation
-0 m
maximum grade
10.6%
Head-to-head comparison
MetricTARC Stone Cat Trail Festival Half MarathonMountainOne Steel Rail Races (Adams) Half Marathon
Flat grade share49.6%87.5%
GAP factor (% slower than flat)1.7%0.5%
Uphill share25.2%6.4%
Steep-up share5.5%1.6%
Downhill share25.2%6.2%
Total ascent (m)262 m114 m
Climbing density (m/km)12.4 m/km5.4 m/km
Longest climb length (m)560 m870 m
Longest climb gain (m)23 m11 m
Longest climb average grade4.1%1.2%
Total descent (m)262 m114 m
Net elevation (m)0 m-0 m
Max absolute grade17.5%10.6%
Start elevation (m)16 m243 m
Finish elevation (m)16 m242 m
Scenic score100/100100/100
Conditions80/10044/100

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
FactTARC Stone Cat Trail Festival Half MarathonMountainOne Steel Rail Races (Adams) Half Marathon
Schedule

Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2026-11-07 (legacy event-level date).

Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2026-05-17 (legacy event-level date).

LocationIpswich, MassachusettsAdams, Massachusetts
Actual distance21.1 km21.1 km
raceindex.org mapped route heldHeldHeld
raceindex.org elevation profile heldHeldHeld
Course typeLapsOut And Back
SurfaceTrail a mix of double track and single track with roots and rocks throughout, on a 12.5 Mile loop.Paved rail trail (10 Foot Wide paved former railroad bed)
TerrainTrailTrail
SceneryParkland, Coastal, Forest, Mountain, Waterfront, RiversideCountryside, Waterfront, Lakeside, Riverside, Mountain, Forest
AtmosphereCommunity, FestivalCommunity, Competitive, Destination
Total ascent262 m114 m
Climbing density12.4 m/km5.4 m/km
Total descent262 m114 m
Net elevation0 m-0 m
Max absolute grade17.5%10.6%
Flat grade share49.6%87.5%
GAP factor1.7%0.5%
Cutoff14:00:00Unavailable
Entry modelOpenOpen

Schedule

TARC Stone Cat Trail Festival Half Marathon

Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2026-11-07 (legacy event-level date).

MountainOne Steel Rail Races (Adams) Half Marathon

Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2026-05-17 (legacy event-level date).

Location

TARC Stone Cat Trail Festival Half Marathon
Ipswich, Massachusetts
MountainOne Steel Rail Races (Adams) Half Marathon
Adams, Massachusetts

Actual distance

TARC Stone Cat Trail Festival Half Marathon
21.1 km
MountainOne Steel Rail Races (Adams) Half Marathon
21.1 km

raceindex.org mapped route held

TARC Stone Cat Trail Festival Half Marathon
Held
MountainOne Steel Rail Races (Adams) Half Marathon
Held

raceindex.org elevation profile held

TARC Stone Cat Trail Festival Half Marathon
Held
MountainOne Steel Rail Races (Adams) Half Marathon
Held

Course type

TARC Stone Cat Trail Festival Half Marathon
Laps
MountainOne Steel Rail Races (Adams) Half Marathon
Out And Back

Surface

TARC Stone Cat Trail Festival Half Marathon
Trail a mix of double track and single track with roots and rocks throughout, on a 12.5 Mile loop.
MountainOne Steel Rail Races (Adams) Half Marathon
Paved rail trail (10 Foot Wide paved former railroad bed)

Terrain

TARC Stone Cat Trail Festival Half Marathon
Trail
MountainOne Steel Rail Races (Adams) Half Marathon
Trail

Scenery

TARC Stone Cat Trail Festival Half Marathon
Parkland, Coastal, Forest, Mountain, Waterfront, Riverside
MountainOne Steel Rail Races (Adams) Half Marathon
Countryside, Waterfront, Lakeside, Riverside, Mountain, Forest

Atmosphere

TARC Stone Cat Trail Festival Half Marathon
Community, Festival
MountainOne Steel Rail Races (Adams) Half Marathon
Community, Competitive, Destination

Total ascent

TARC Stone Cat Trail Festival Half Marathon
262 m
MountainOne Steel Rail Races (Adams) Half Marathon
114 m

Climbing density

TARC Stone Cat Trail Festival Half Marathon
12.4 m/km
MountainOne Steel Rail Races (Adams) Half Marathon
5.4 m/km

Total descent

TARC Stone Cat Trail Festival Half Marathon
262 m
MountainOne Steel Rail Races (Adams) Half Marathon
114 m

Net elevation

TARC Stone Cat Trail Festival Half Marathon
0 m
MountainOne Steel Rail Races (Adams) Half Marathon
-0 m

Max absolute grade

TARC Stone Cat Trail Festival Half Marathon
17.5%
MountainOne Steel Rail Races (Adams) Half Marathon
10.6%

Flat grade share

TARC Stone Cat Trail Festival Half Marathon
49.6%
MountainOne Steel Rail Races (Adams) Half Marathon
87.5%

GAP factor

TARC Stone Cat Trail Festival Half Marathon
1.7%
MountainOne Steel Rail Races (Adams) Half Marathon
0.5%

Cutoff

TARC Stone Cat Trail Festival Half Marathon
14:00:00
MountainOne Steel Rail Races (Adams) Half Marathon
Unavailable

Entry model

TARC Stone Cat Trail Festival Half Marathon
Open
MountainOne Steel Rail Races (Adams) 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, TARC Stone Cat Trail Festival Half Marathon or MountainOne Steel Rail Races (Adams) Half Marathon?

MountainOne Steel Rail Races (Adams) Half Marathon 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 →