Maine Coast Marathon or The Great Bangor Marathon & Half (Bangor, Maine) — which comes out ahead?

Maine Coast Marathon has the stronger available profile on flat grade share, scenery score and conditions.

Route comparison snapshot

Maine Coast Marathon

Mapped route
Held
Elevation profile
Held
course flatness
0.4%
flat grade share
84.2% Favoured
lower ascent
219 m
climbing density
5.2 m/km
net elevation
1 m
maximum grade
8.6%

The Great Bangor Marathon & Half (Bangor, Maine)

Mapped route
Held
Elevation profile
Held
course flatness
0.3% Favoured
flat grade share
77.4%
lower ascent
269 m
climbing density
6.4 m/km
net elevation
-10 m
maximum grade
9.9%
Head-to-head comparison
MetricMaine Coast MarathonThe Great Bangor Marathon & Half (Bangor, Maine)
Flat grade share84.2%77.4%
GAP factor (% slower than flat)0.4%0.3%
Uphill share7.6%11.0%
Steep-up share0.6%0.3%
Downhill share8.2%11.7%
Total ascent (m)219 m269 m
Climbing density (m/km)5.2 m/km6.4 m/km
Longest climb length (m)1,810 m1,250 m
Longest climb gain (m)27 m21 m
Longest climb average grade1.5%1.7%
Total descent (m)217 m280 m
Net elevation (m)1 m-10 m
Max absolute grade8.6%9.9%
Start elevation (m)4 m16 m
Finish elevation (m)4 m6 m
Scenic score100/10096/100
Conditions74/10074/100

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
FactMaine Coast MarathonThe Great Bangor Marathon & Half (Bangor, Maine)
Schedule

Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2027-05-01 (legacy event-level date).

Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2026-06-07 (legacy event-level date).

LocationWells, MaineBangor, Maine
Actual distance42.2 km42.2 km
raceindex.org mapped route heldHeldHeld
raceindex.org elevation profile heldHeldHeld
Course typePoint To PointOut And Back
SurfacePaved roads with rolling terrain; first four miles along the Atlantic Ocean then quiet backroads through fields and woodlands.Paved roads
Elevation characterGently RollingGently Rolling
TerrainRoad, BeachRoad
SceneryCoastal, Desert, Waterfront, Countryside, Forest, HistoricWaterfront, Parkland, City, Mountain, Riverside, Countryside
AtmosphereScenic Tour, Destination, CommunityFestival, Community, Competitive
TechnicalityNon TechnicalNon Technical
Total ascent219 m269 m
Climbing density5.2 m/km6.4 m/km
Total descent217 m280 m
Net elevation1 m-10 m
Max absolute grade8.6%9.9%
Flat grade share84.2%77.4%
GAP factor0.4%0.3%
Cutoff6:30:00Unavailable
Entry modelOpenOpen
Qualifying statusBoston_equivalentBoston_equivalent

Schedule

Maine Coast Marathon

Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2027-05-01 (legacy event-level date).

The Great Bangor Marathon & Half (Bangor, Maine)

Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2026-06-07 (legacy event-level date).

Location

Maine Coast Marathon
Wells, Maine
The Great Bangor Marathon & Half (Bangor, Maine)
Bangor, Maine

Actual distance

Maine Coast Marathon
42.2 km
The Great Bangor Marathon & Half (Bangor, Maine)
42.2 km

raceindex.org mapped route held

Maine Coast Marathon
Held
The Great Bangor Marathon & Half (Bangor, Maine)
Held

raceindex.org elevation profile held

Maine Coast Marathon
Held
The Great Bangor Marathon & Half (Bangor, Maine)
Held

Course type

Maine Coast Marathon
Point To Point
The Great Bangor Marathon & Half (Bangor, Maine)
Out And Back

Surface

Maine Coast Marathon
Paved roads with rolling terrain; first four miles along the Atlantic Ocean then quiet backroads through fields and woodlands.
The Great Bangor Marathon & Half (Bangor, Maine)
Paved roads

Elevation character

Maine Coast Marathon
Gently Rolling
The Great Bangor Marathon & Half (Bangor, Maine)
Gently Rolling

Terrain

Maine Coast Marathon
Road, Beach
The Great Bangor Marathon & Half (Bangor, Maine)
Road

Scenery

Maine Coast Marathon
Coastal, Desert, Waterfront, Countryside, Forest, Historic
The Great Bangor Marathon & Half (Bangor, Maine)
Waterfront, Parkland, City, Mountain, Riverside, Countryside

Atmosphere

Maine Coast Marathon
Scenic Tour, Destination, Community
The Great Bangor Marathon & Half (Bangor, Maine)
Festival, Community, Competitive

Technicality

Maine Coast Marathon
Non Technical
The Great Bangor Marathon & Half (Bangor, Maine)
Non Technical

Total ascent

Maine Coast Marathon
219 m
The Great Bangor Marathon & Half (Bangor, Maine)
269 m

Climbing density

Maine Coast Marathon
5.2 m/km
The Great Bangor Marathon & Half (Bangor, Maine)
6.4 m/km

Total descent

Maine Coast Marathon
217 m
The Great Bangor Marathon & Half (Bangor, Maine)
280 m

Net elevation

Maine Coast Marathon
1 m
The Great Bangor Marathon & Half (Bangor, Maine)
-10 m

Max absolute grade

Maine Coast Marathon
8.6%
The Great Bangor Marathon & Half (Bangor, Maine)
9.9%

Flat grade share

Maine Coast Marathon
84.2%
The Great Bangor Marathon & Half (Bangor, Maine)
77.4%

GAP factor

Maine Coast Marathon
0.4%
The Great Bangor Marathon & Half (Bangor, Maine)
0.3%

Cutoff

Maine Coast Marathon
6:30:00
The Great Bangor Marathon & Half (Bangor, Maine)
Unavailable

Entry model

Maine Coast Marathon
Open
The Great Bangor Marathon & Half (Bangor, Maine)
Open

Qualifying status

Maine Coast Marathon
Boston_equivalent
The Great Bangor Marathon & Half (Bangor, Maine)
Boston_equivalent

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, Maine Coast Marathon or The Great Bangor Marathon & Half (Bangor, Maine)?

The Great Bangor Marathon & Half (Bangor, Maine) 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 →