Thames Meander Marathon (London) vs Paavo Nurmi Marathon

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

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

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

Route comparison snapshot

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%

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%

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

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

Schedule

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

Location

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

Actual distance

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

raceindex.org mapped route held

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

raceindex.org elevation profile held

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

Course type

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

Surface

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

Elevation character

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

Terrain

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

Scenery

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

Atmosphere

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

Technicality

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

Total ascent

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

Climbing density

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

Total descent

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

Net elevation

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

Max absolute grade

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

Flat grade share

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

GAP factor

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

Cutoff

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

Entry model

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

Entry fee

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

Lowest modelled true cost

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

Cost model origin

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

Measured course

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

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

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

Read the full methodology →

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

Route comparison snapshot

Thames Meander Marathon (London)

Paavo Nurmi Marathon

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

Read the full pages