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

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

Route comparison snapshot

Novant Health Wilmington Marathon

Mapped route
Held
Elevation profile
Held
course flatness
0.1%
flat grade share
94.8%
lower ascent
109 m
climbing density
2.6 m/km
net elevation
-0 m
maximum grade
6.8%

The Woodlands Marathon

Mapped route
Held
Elevation profile
Held
course flatness
0.0% Favoured
flat grade share
98.1% Favoured
lower ascent
86 m
climbing density
2.0 m/km
net elevation
-2 m
maximum grade
3.6%
Head-to-head comparison
MetricNovant Health Wilmington MarathonThe Woodlands Marathon
Flat grade share94.8%98.1%
GAP factor (% slower than flat)0.1%0.0%
Uphill share2.7%1.1%
Steep-up share0.0%0.0%
Downhill share2.4%0.8%
Total ascent (m)109 m86 m
Climbing density (m/km)2.6 m/km2.0 m/km
Longest climb length (m)410 m1,500 m
Longest climb gain (m)9 m15 m
Longest climb average grade2.1%1.0%
Total descent (m)110 m88 m
Net elevation (m)-0 m-2 m
Max absolute grade6.8%3.6%
Start elevation (m)2 m44 m
Finish elevation (m)2 m41 m
Scenic score100/10083/100
Conditions83/10067/100

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
FactNovant Health Wilmington MarathonThe Woodlands 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).

LocationWilmington, North CarolinaThe Woodlands, Texas
Actual distance42.2 km42.2 km
raceindex.org mapped route heldHeldHeld
raceindex.org elevation profile heldHeldHeld
Course typePoint To PointLoop
SurfaceRoadUnavailable
Elevation characterPancake FlatFlat
TerrainRoad, BeachRoad
SceneryCoastal, Lakeside, Countryside, Riverside, Waterfront, City, HistoricCity, Forest, Parkland, Waterfront, Lakeside
AtmosphereCommunity, Competitive, Scenic TourCommunity, Festival, Destination
TechnicalityNon TechnicalNon Technical
Total ascent109 m86 m
Climbing density2.6 m/km2.0 m/km
Total descent110 m88 m
Net elevation-0 m-2 m
Max absolute grade6.8%3.6%
Flat grade share94.8%98.1%
GAP factor0.1%0.0%
Cutoff6:30:006:40:00
Entry modelOpenOpen
Qualifying statusBoston_equivalentBoston_equivalent

Schedule

Novant Health Wilmington Marathon

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

The Woodlands Marathon

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

Location

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

Actual distance

Novant Health Wilmington Marathon
42.2 km
The Woodlands Marathon
42.2 km

raceindex.org mapped route held

Novant Health Wilmington Marathon
Held
The Woodlands Marathon
Held

raceindex.org elevation profile held

Novant Health Wilmington Marathon
Held
The Woodlands Marathon
Held

Course type

Novant Health Wilmington Marathon
Point To Point
The Woodlands Marathon
Loop

Surface

Novant Health Wilmington Marathon
Road
The Woodlands Marathon
Unavailable

Elevation character

Novant Health Wilmington Marathon
Pancake Flat
The Woodlands Marathon
Flat

Terrain

Novant Health Wilmington Marathon
Road, Beach
The Woodlands Marathon
Road

Scenery

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

Atmosphere

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

Technicality

Novant Health Wilmington Marathon
Non Technical
The Woodlands Marathon
Non Technical

Total ascent

Novant Health Wilmington Marathon
109 m
The Woodlands Marathon
86 m

Climbing density

Novant Health Wilmington Marathon
2.6 m/km
The Woodlands Marathon
2.0 m/km

Total descent

Novant Health Wilmington Marathon
110 m
The Woodlands Marathon
88 m

Net elevation

Novant Health Wilmington Marathon
-0 m
The Woodlands Marathon
-2 m

Max absolute grade

Novant Health Wilmington Marathon
6.8%
The Woodlands Marathon
3.6%

Flat grade share

Novant Health Wilmington Marathon
94.8%
The Woodlands Marathon
98.1%

GAP factor

Novant Health Wilmington Marathon
0.1%
The Woodlands Marathon
0.0%

Cutoff

Novant Health Wilmington Marathon
6:30:00
The Woodlands Marathon
6:40:00

Entry model

Novant Health Wilmington Marathon
Open
The Woodlands Marathon
Open

Qualifying status

Novant Health Wilmington Marathon
Boston_equivalent
The Woodlands 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.

Common questions

Which is flatter, Novant Health Wilmington Marathon or The Woodlands Marathon?

The Woodlands 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 →