Run Rome The Marathon or The Asheville Marathon & Half — which comes out ahead?

Run Rome The Marathon and The Asheville Marathon & Half split the available advantages, so the better choice depends on which metric matters most to the runner.

Route comparison snapshot

Run Rome The Marathon

Mapped route
Held
Elevation profile
Held
course flatness
0.1%
flat grade share
90.3% Favoured
lower ascent
135 m
climbing density
3.2 m/km
net elevation
-9 m
maximum grade
9.9%

The Asheville Marathon & Half

Mapped route
Held
Elevation profile
Held
course flatness
-0.0% Favoured
flat grade share
67.6%
lower ascent
312 m
climbing density
7.4 m/km
net elevation
-61 m
maximum grade
8.9%
Head-to-head comparison
MetricRun Rome The MarathonThe Asheville Marathon & Half
Flat grade share90.3%67.6%
GAP factor (% slower than flat)0.1%-0.0%
Uphill share5.0%14.4%
Steep-up share0.1%0.8%
Downhill share4.7%18.0%
Total ascent (m)135 m312 m
Climbing density (m/km)3.2 m/km7.4 m/km
Longest climb length (m)920 m1,010 m
Longest climb gain (m)12 m42 m
Longest climb average grade1.3%4.1%
Total descent (m)144 m374 m
Net elevation (m)-9 m-61 m
Max absolute grade9.9%8.9%
Start elevation (m)27 m672 m
Finish elevation (m)18 m611 m
Scenic score63/10095/100
Conditions90/10087/100

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
FactRun Rome The MarathonThe Asheville Marathon & Half
Schedule

Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2027-03-14 (legacy event-level date).

Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2027-03-20 (legacy event-level date).

LocationRome, ItalyAsheville, North Carolina
Actual distance42.2 km42.2 km
raceindex.org mapped route heldHeldHeld
raceindex.org elevation profile heldHeldHeld
Course typeLoopPoint To Point
SurfaceRoadRoad
Elevation characterFlatNet Downhill
TerrainRoad, MixedRoad
SceneryCity, Coastal, Historic, RiversideCity, Mountain, Riverside, Historic, Parkland
AtmosphereBig City, Destination, Scenic TourDestination, Festival, Community
TechnicalityModerateNon Technical
Total ascent135 m312 m
Climbing density3.2 m/km7.4 m/km
Total descent144 m374 m
Net elevation-9 m-61 m
Max absolute grade9.9%8.9%
Flat grade share90.3%67.6%
GAP factor0.1%-0.0%
Cutoff7:00:006:30:00
Entry modelOpenOpen
Qualifying statusUnavailableBoston_equivalent

Schedule

Run Rome The Marathon

Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2027-03-14 (legacy event-level date).

The Asheville Marathon & Half

Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2027-03-20 (legacy event-level date).

Location

Run Rome The Marathon
Rome, Italy
The Asheville Marathon & Half
Asheville, North Carolina

Actual distance

Run Rome The Marathon
42.2 km
The Asheville Marathon & Half
42.2 km

raceindex.org mapped route held

Run Rome The Marathon
Held
The Asheville Marathon & Half
Held

raceindex.org elevation profile held

Run Rome The Marathon
Held
The Asheville Marathon & Half
Held

Course type

Run Rome The Marathon
Loop
The Asheville Marathon & Half
Point To Point

Surface

Run Rome The Marathon
Road
The Asheville Marathon & Half
Road

Elevation character

Run Rome The Marathon
Flat
The Asheville Marathon & Half
Net Downhill

Terrain

Run Rome The Marathon
Road, Mixed
The Asheville Marathon & Half
Road

Scenery

Run Rome The Marathon
City, Coastal, Historic, Riverside
The Asheville Marathon & Half
City, Mountain, Riverside, Historic, Parkland

Atmosphere

Run Rome The Marathon
Big City, Destination, Scenic Tour
The Asheville Marathon & Half
Destination, Festival, Community

Technicality

Run Rome The Marathon
Moderate
The Asheville Marathon & Half
Non Technical

Total ascent

Run Rome The Marathon
135 m
The Asheville Marathon & Half
312 m

Climbing density

Run Rome The Marathon
3.2 m/km
The Asheville Marathon & Half
7.4 m/km

Total descent

Run Rome The Marathon
144 m
The Asheville Marathon & Half
374 m

Net elevation

Run Rome The Marathon
-9 m
The Asheville Marathon & Half
-61 m

Max absolute grade

Run Rome The Marathon
9.9%
The Asheville Marathon & Half
8.9%

Flat grade share

Run Rome The Marathon
90.3%
The Asheville Marathon & Half
67.6%

GAP factor

Run Rome The Marathon
0.1%
The Asheville Marathon & Half
-0.0%

Cutoff

Run Rome The Marathon
7:00:00
The Asheville Marathon & Half
6:30:00

Entry model

Run Rome The Marathon
Open
The Asheville Marathon & Half
Open

Qualifying status

Run Rome The Marathon
Unavailable
The Asheville Marathon & Half
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, Run Rome The Marathon or The Asheville Marathon & Half?

The Asheville Marathon & Half 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 →