Mercy Health Glass City Marathon or Nationwide Children's Hospital Columbus Marathon — which comes out ahead?

Mercy Health Glass City Marathon and Nationwide Children's Hospital Columbus Marathon split the available advantages, so the better choice depends on which metric matters most to the runner.

Route comparison snapshot

Mercy Health Glass City Marathon

Mapped route
Held Favoured
Elevation profile
Held Favoured
course flatness
0.2%
flat grade share
88.2%
lower ascent
177 m
climbing density
4.2 m/km
net elevation
1 m
maximum grade
6.7%

Nationwide Children's Hospital Columbus Marathon

Mapped route
Not held
Elevation profile
Not held
course flatness
Unavailable
flat grade share
Unavailable
lower ascent
Unavailable
climbing density
Unavailable
net elevation
Unavailable
maximum grade
Unavailable
Head-to-head comparison
MetricMercy Health Glass City MarathonNationwide Children's Hospital Columbus Marathon
Flat grade share88.2%Unavailable
GAP factor (% slower than flat)0.2%Unavailable
Uphill share6.3%Unavailable
Steep-up share0.2%Unavailable
Downhill share5.5%Unavailable
Total ascent (m)177 mUnavailable
Climbing density (m/km)4.2 m/kmUnavailable
Longest climb length (m)960 mUnavailable
Longest climb gain (m)14 mUnavailable
Longest climb average grade1.4%Unavailable
Total descent (m)176 mUnavailable
Net elevation (m)1 mUnavailable
Max absolute grade6.7%Unavailable
Start elevation (m)185 mUnavailable
Finish elevation (m)186 mUnavailable
Scenic score87/10055/100
Conditions77/10084/100

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
FactMercy Health Glass City MarathonNationwide Children's Hospital Columbus Marathon
Schedule

Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2027-04-25 (legacy event-level date).

Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2026-10-18 (legacy event-level date).

LocationToledo, OhioColumbus, Ohio
Actual distance42.2 km42.2 km
raceindex.org mapped route heldHeldNot held
raceindex.org elevation profile heldHeldNot held
Course typeLoopLoop
SurfaceSmooth paved roads and paved trailPaved city streets (closed roads)
Elevation characterFlatFlat
TerrainTrail, Road, MixedUnavailable
SceneryParkland, Forest, Historic, City, RiversideCity, Historic, Parkland
AtmosphereCommunity, CompetitiveUnavailable
TechnicalityNon TechnicalNon Technical
Total ascent177 m159 m
Climbing density4.2 m/kmUnavailable
Total descent176 m159 m
Net elevation1 m0 m
Max absolute grade6.7%Unavailable
Flat grade share88.2%Unavailable
GAP factor0.2%Unavailable
Cutoff6:30:00Unavailable
Field cap1,800Unavailable
Entry modelOpenOpen
Qualifying statusBoston_equivalentBoston_equivalent

Schedule

Mercy Health Glass City Marathon

Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2027-04-25 (legacy event-level date).

Nationwide Children's Hospital Columbus Marathon

Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2026-10-18 (legacy event-level date).

Location

Mercy Health Glass City Marathon
Toledo, Ohio
Nationwide Children's Hospital Columbus Marathon
Columbus, Ohio

Actual distance

Mercy Health Glass City Marathon
42.2 km
Nationwide Children's Hospital Columbus Marathon
42.2 km

raceindex.org mapped route held

Mercy Health Glass City Marathon
Held
Nationwide Children's Hospital Columbus Marathon
Not held

raceindex.org elevation profile held

Mercy Health Glass City Marathon
Held
Nationwide Children's Hospital Columbus Marathon
Not held

Course type

Mercy Health Glass City Marathon
Loop
Nationwide Children's Hospital Columbus Marathon
Loop

Surface

Mercy Health Glass City Marathon
Smooth paved roads and paved trail
Nationwide Children's Hospital Columbus Marathon
Paved city streets (closed roads)

Elevation character

Mercy Health Glass City Marathon
Flat
Nationwide Children's Hospital Columbus Marathon
Flat

Terrain

Mercy Health Glass City Marathon
Trail, Road, Mixed
Nationwide Children's Hospital Columbus Marathon
Unavailable

Scenery

Mercy Health Glass City Marathon
Parkland, Forest, Historic, City, Riverside
Nationwide Children's Hospital Columbus Marathon
City, Historic, Parkland

Atmosphere

Mercy Health Glass City Marathon
Community, Competitive
Nationwide Children's Hospital Columbus Marathon
Unavailable

Technicality

Mercy Health Glass City Marathon
Non Technical
Nationwide Children's Hospital Columbus Marathon
Non Technical

Total ascent

Mercy Health Glass City Marathon
177 m
Nationwide Children's Hospital Columbus Marathon
159 m

Climbing density

Mercy Health Glass City Marathon
4.2 m/km
Nationwide Children's Hospital Columbus Marathon
Unavailable

Total descent

Mercy Health Glass City Marathon
176 m
Nationwide Children's Hospital Columbus Marathon
159 m

Net elevation

Mercy Health Glass City Marathon
1 m
Nationwide Children's Hospital Columbus Marathon
0 m

Max absolute grade

Mercy Health Glass City Marathon
6.7%
Nationwide Children's Hospital Columbus Marathon
Unavailable

Flat grade share

Mercy Health Glass City Marathon
88.2%
Nationwide Children's Hospital Columbus Marathon
Unavailable

GAP factor

Mercy Health Glass City Marathon
0.2%
Nationwide Children's Hospital Columbus Marathon
Unavailable

Cutoff

Mercy Health Glass City Marathon
6:30:00
Nationwide Children's Hospital Columbus Marathon
Unavailable

Field cap

Mercy Health Glass City Marathon
1,800
Nationwide Children's Hospital Columbus Marathon
Unavailable

Entry model

Mercy Health Glass City Marathon
Open
Nationwide Children's Hospital Columbus Marathon
Open

Qualifying status

Mercy Health Glass City Marathon
Boston_equivalent
Nationwide Children's Hospital Columbus Marathon
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.

Read the full pages

How figures are calculated →