Paavo Nurmi Marathon vs Thames Meander Marathon (London)

Name: Paavo Nurmi Marathon vs Thames Meander Marathon (London) comparison data
Creator: raceindex.org

Paavo Nurmi Marathon or Thames Meander Marathon (London) — which comes out ahead?

Paavo Nurmi Marathon has the stronger available profile on flat grade share, course flatness and scenery score.

Route comparison snapshot

Paavo Nurmi Marathon

Mapped route: Held
Elevation profile: Held
course flatness: 0.3% Favoured
flat grade share: 86.9% Favoured
lower ascent: 179 m
climbing density: 4.2 m/km
net elevation: -2 m
maximum grade: 10.9%

Thames Meander Marathon (London)

Mapped route: Held
Elevation profile: Held
course flatness: 0.4%
flat grade share: 82.8%
lower ascent: 274 m
climbing density: 6.5 m/km
net elevation: 0 m
maximum grade: 6.1%

Head-to-head comparison
Metric	Paavo Nurmi Marathon	Thames Meander Marathon (London)
Flat grade share	86.9% ✓	82.8%
GAP factor (% slower than flat)	0.3% ✓	0.4%
Uphill share	6.3%	9.4%
Steep-up share	0.2%	0.1%
Downhill share	6.8%	7.8%
Total ascent (m)	179 m	274 m
Climbing density (m/km)	4.2 m/km	6.5 m/km
Longest climb length (m)	310 m	160 m
Longest climb gain (m)	11 m	7 m
Longest climb average grade	3.7%	4.1%
Total descent (m)	181 m	274 m
Net elevation (m)	-2 m	0 m
Max absolute grade	10.9%	6.1%
Start elevation (m)	10 m	11 m
Finish elevation (m)	8 m	12 m
Value	Unavailable	80/100
Scenic score	100/100 ✓	89/100
Conditions	64/100 ✓	36/100
Entry fee (GBP)	Unavailable	£55
Lowest modelled true cost (GBP)	Unavailable	£185

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
Fact	Paavo Nurmi Marathon	Thames Meander Marathon (London)
Schedule	Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2026-08-14 (legacy event-level date).	Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2026-08-09 (legacy event-level date).
Location	Turku, Finland	Barnes, London
Actual distance	42.2 km	42.2 km
raceindex.org mapped route held	Held	Held
raceindex.org elevation profile held	Held	Held
Course type	Laps	Out And Back
Surface	Road / paved streets and park roads	Thames Path towpath, described as a runnable riverside route.
Elevation character	Flat	Flat
Terrain	Road	Trail, Towpath, Mixed, Road
Scenery	Riverside, City, Historic, Parkland, Island, Coastal, Waterfront, Forest	Coastal, Waterfront, Parkland, Riverside, City
Atmosphere	Community, Festival, Scenic Tour	Scenic Tour, Community
Technicality	Non Technical	Non Technical
Total ascent	179 m	274 m
Climbing density	4.2 m/km	6.5 m/km
Total descent	181 m	274 m
Net elevation	-2 m	0 m
Max absolute grade	10.9%	6.1%
Flat grade share	86.9%	82.8%
GAP factor	0.3%	0.4%
Cutoff	6:00:00	6:30:00
Entry model	Open	Open
Entry fee	Unavailable	£55
Lowest modelled true cost	Unavailable	£185
Cost model origin	Unavailable	National Average
Measured course	Unavailable	Yes

Schedule

Paavo Nurmi Marathon: Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2026-08-14 (legacy event-level date).
Thames Meander Marathon (London): Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2026-08-09 (legacy event-level date).

Location

Paavo Nurmi Marathon: Turku, Finland
Thames Meander Marathon (London): Barnes, London

Actual distance

Paavo Nurmi Marathon: 42.2 km
Thames Meander Marathon (London): 42.2 km

raceindex.org mapped route held

Paavo Nurmi Marathon: Held
Thames Meander Marathon (London): Held

raceindex.org elevation profile held

Paavo Nurmi Marathon: Held
Thames Meander Marathon (London): Held

Course type

Paavo Nurmi Marathon: Laps
Thames Meander Marathon (London): Out And Back

Surface

Paavo Nurmi Marathon: Road / paved streets and park roads
Thames Meander Marathon (London): Thames Path towpath, described as a runnable riverside route.

Elevation character

Paavo Nurmi Marathon: Flat
Thames Meander Marathon (London): Flat

Terrain

Paavo Nurmi Marathon: Road
Thames Meander Marathon (London): Trail, Towpath, Mixed, Road

Scenery

Paavo Nurmi Marathon: Riverside, City, Historic, Parkland, Island, Coastal, Waterfront, Forest
Thames Meander Marathon (London): Coastal, Waterfront, Parkland, Riverside, City

Atmosphere

Paavo Nurmi Marathon: Community, Festival, Scenic Tour
Thames Meander Marathon (London): Scenic Tour, Community

Technicality

Paavo Nurmi Marathon: Non Technical
Thames Meander Marathon (London): Non Technical

Total ascent

Paavo Nurmi Marathon: 179 m
Thames Meander Marathon (London): 274 m

Climbing density

Paavo Nurmi Marathon: 4.2 m/km
Thames Meander Marathon (London): 6.5 m/km

Total descent

Paavo Nurmi Marathon: 181 m
Thames Meander Marathon (London): 274 m

Net elevation

Paavo Nurmi Marathon: -2 m
Thames Meander Marathon (London): 0 m

Max absolute grade

Paavo Nurmi Marathon: 10.9%
Thames Meander Marathon (London): 6.1%

Flat grade share

Paavo Nurmi Marathon: 86.9%
Thames Meander Marathon (London): 82.8%

GAP factor

Paavo Nurmi Marathon: 0.3%
Thames Meander Marathon (London): 0.4%

Cutoff

Paavo Nurmi Marathon: 6:00:00
Thames Meander Marathon (London): 6:30:00

Entry model

Paavo Nurmi Marathon: Open
Thames Meander Marathon (London): Open

Entry fee

Paavo Nurmi Marathon: Unavailable
Thames Meander Marathon (London): £55

Lowest modelled true cost

Paavo Nurmi Marathon: Unavailable
Thames Meander Marathon (London): £185

Cost model origin

Paavo Nurmi Marathon: Unavailable
Thames Meander Marathon (London): National Average

Measured course

Paavo Nurmi Marathon: Unavailable
Thames Meander Marathon (London): Yes

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, Paavo Nurmi Marathon or Thames Meander Marathon (London)?

Paavo Nurmi Marathon has the lower GAP factor, making it the flatter course on our route model and more favourable on gradient alone.

Read the full pages

How figures are calculated →

How we calculated this

Published facts and derived model outputs on this page are tied to stored sources or a published, version-locked methodology. We show the provenance so runners, coaches and organisers can check it. Data on this page is current as of 2026-07-29.

Derived numbers use scoring-methodology-v1.0.

Sources used on this page (4)

Layer E archive-api.open-meteo.com
Layer B src_derived
Layer A juoksuaika.fi · last check inconclusive on 2026-07-26
Layer A hermesrunning.com · verified 2026-07-29

Read the full methodology →

Paavo Nurmi Marathon or Thames Meander Marathon (London) — which comes out ahead?

Route comparison snapshot

Paavo Nurmi Marathon

Thames Meander Marathon (London)

Flat grade share

GAP factor (% slower than flat)

Uphill share

Steep-up share

Downhill share

Total ascent (m)

Climbing density (m/km)

Longest climb length (m)

Longest climb gain (m)

Longest climb average grade

Total descent (m)

Net elevation (m)

Max absolute grade

Start elevation (m)

Finish elevation (m)

Value

Scenic score

Conditions

Entry fee (GBP)

Lowest modelled true cost (GBP)

Race facts that change the decision

Schedule

Location

Actual distance

raceindex.org mapped route held

raceindex.org elevation profile held

Course type

Surface

Elevation character

Terrain

Scenery

Atmosphere

Technicality

Total ascent

Climbing density

Total descent

Net elevation

Max absolute grade

Flat grade share

GAP factor

Cutoff

Entry model

Entry fee

Lowest modelled true cost

Cost model origin

Measured course

Common questions

Which is flatter, Paavo Nurmi Marathon or Thames Meander Marathon (London)?

Read the full pages