The Woodlands Marathon Half Marathon or Novant Health Wilmington Marathon Half Marathon — which comes out ahead?

The Woodlands Marathon Half Marathon and Novant Health Wilmington Marathon Half Marathon split the available advantages, so the better choice depends on which metric matters most to the runner.

Route comparison snapshot

The Woodlands Marathon Half Marathon

Mapped route
Held
Elevation profile
Held
course flatness
0.0% Favoured
flat grade share
97.9% Favoured
lower ascent
52 m
climbing density
2.5 m/km
net elevation
-3 m
maximum grade
3.5%

Novant Health Wilmington Marathon Half Marathon

Mapped route
Held
Elevation profile
Held
course flatness
0.1%
flat grade share
97.6%
lower ascent
46 m
climbing density
2.2 m/km
net elevation
-0 m
maximum grade
4.6%
Head-to-head comparison
MetricThe Woodlands Marathon Half MarathonNovant Health Wilmington Marathon Half Marathon
Flat grade share97.9%97.6%
GAP factor (% slower than flat)0.0%0.1%
Uphill share1.1%1.1%
Steep-up share0.0%0.0%
Downhill share1.0%1.3%
Total ascent (m)52 m46 m
Climbing density (m/km)2.5 m/km2.2 m/km
Longest climb length (m)1,510 m2,230 m
Longest climb gain (m)15 m8 m
Longest climb average grade1.0%0.3%
Total descent (m)55 m47 m
Net elevation (m)-3 m-0 m
Max absolute grade3.5%4.6%
Start elevation (m)44 m2 m
Finish elevation (m)41 m2 m
Scenic score70/10095/100
Conditions67/10083/100

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
FactThe Woodlands Marathon Half MarathonNovant Health Wilmington Marathon Half Marathon
Schedule

Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2027-02-27 (legacy event-level date).

Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2027-02-27 (legacy event-level date).

LocationThe Woodlands, TexasWilmington, North Carolina
Actual distance21.1 km21.1 km
raceindex.org mapped route heldHeldHeld
raceindex.org elevation profile heldHeldHeld
Course typeLoopPoint To Point
Elevation characterUnavailablePancake Flat
TerrainRoadRoad, Beach
SceneryParkland, Forest, City, Waterfront, LakesideCoastal, Riverside, Waterfront, City, Historic, Lakeside
AtmosphereCommunity, Festival, DestinationCommunity, Competitive, Scenic Tour
TechnicalityUnavailableNon Technical
Total ascent52 m46 m
Climbing density2.5 m/km2.2 m/km
Total descent55 m47 m
Net elevation-3 m-0 m
Max absolute grade3.5%4.6%
Flat grade share97.9%97.6%
GAP factor0.0%0.1%
Cutoff6:40:003:15:00
Entry modelOpenOpen

Schedule

The Woodlands Marathon Half Marathon

Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2027-02-27 (legacy event-level date).

Novant Health Wilmington Marathon Half Marathon

Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2027-02-27 (legacy event-level date).

Location

The Woodlands Marathon Half Marathon
The Woodlands, Texas
Novant Health Wilmington Marathon Half Marathon
Wilmington, North Carolina

Actual distance

The Woodlands Marathon Half Marathon
21.1 km
Novant Health Wilmington Marathon Half Marathon
21.1 km

raceindex.org mapped route held

The Woodlands Marathon Half Marathon
Held
Novant Health Wilmington Marathon Half Marathon
Held

raceindex.org elevation profile held

The Woodlands Marathon Half Marathon
Held
Novant Health Wilmington Marathon Half Marathon
Held

Course type

The Woodlands Marathon Half Marathon
Loop
Novant Health Wilmington Marathon Half Marathon
Point To Point

Elevation character

The Woodlands Marathon Half Marathon
Unavailable
Novant Health Wilmington Marathon Half Marathon
Pancake Flat

Terrain

The Woodlands Marathon Half Marathon
Road
Novant Health Wilmington Marathon Half Marathon
Road, Beach

Scenery

The Woodlands Marathon Half Marathon
Parkland, Forest, City, Waterfront, Lakeside
Novant Health Wilmington Marathon Half Marathon
Coastal, Riverside, Waterfront, City, Historic, Lakeside

Atmosphere

The Woodlands Marathon Half Marathon
Community, Festival, Destination
Novant Health Wilmington Marathon Half Marathon
Community, Competitive, Scenic Tour

Technicality

The Woodlands Marathon Half Marathon
Unavailable
Novant Health Wilmington Marathon Half Marathon
Non Technical

Total ascent

The Woodlands Marathon Half Marathon
52 m
Novant Health Wilmington Marathon Half Marathon
46 m

Climbing density

The Woodlands Marathon Half Marathon
2.5 m/km
Novant Health Wilmington Marathon Half Marathon
2.2 m/km

Total descent

The Woodlands Marathon Half Marathon
55 m
Novant Health Wilmington Marathon Half Marathon
47 m

Net elevation

The Woodlands Marathon Half Marathon
-3 m
Novant Health Wilmington Marathon Half Marathon
-0 m

Max absolute grade

The Woodlands Marathon Half Marathon
3.5%
Novant Health Wilmington Marathon Half Marathon
4.6%

Flat grade share

The Woodlands Marathon Half Marathon
97.9%
Novant Health Wilmington Marathon Half Marathon
97.6%

GAP factor

The Woodlands Marathon Half Marathon
0.0%
Novant Health Wilmington Marathon Half Marathon
0.1%

Cutoff

The Woodlands Marathon Half Marathon
6:40:00
Novant Health Wilmington Marathon Half Marathon
3:15:00

Entry model

The Woodlands Marathon Half Marathon
Open
Novant Health Wilmington Marathon 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, The Woodlands Marathon Half Marathon or Novant Health Wilmington Marathon Half Marathon?

The Woodlands Marathon 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 →