The Kauai Marathon & Half Marathon or The Kauai Marathon & Half Marathon — which comes out ahead?

The Kauai Marathon & Half Marathon has the stronger available profile on flat grade share and course flatness.

Route comparison snapshot

The Kauai Marathon & Half Marathon

Mapped route
Held
Elevation profile
Held
course flatness
1.9%
flat grade share
48.1%
lower ascent
607 m
climbing density
14.4 m/km
net elevation
-5 m
maximum grade
24.0%

The Kauai Marathon & Half Marathon

Mapped route
Held
Elevation profile
Held
course flatness
1.2% Favoured
flat grade share
65.2% Favoured
lower ascent
225 m
climbing density
10.6 m/km
net elevation
-4 m
maximum grade
18.5%
Head-to-head comparison
MetricThe Kauai Marathon & Half MarathonThe Kauai Marathon & Half Marathon
Flat grade share48.1%65.2% ✓
GAP factor (% slower than flat)1.9%1.2% ✓
Uphill share25.1%17.5%
Steep-up share5.5%3.6%
Downhill share26.8%17.4%
Total ascent (m)607 m225 m
Climbing density (m/km)14.4 m/km10.6 m/km
Longest climb length (m)2,320 m4,050 m
Longest climb gain (m)119 m119 m
Longest climb average grade5.1%2.9%
Total descent (m)612 m229 m
Net elevation (m)-5 m-4 m
Max absolute grade24.0%18.5%
Start elevation (m)12 m11 m
Finish elevation (m)7 m7 m
Scenic score100/100100/100
Conditions32/10032/100

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.

Same-distance comparisons are most meaningful; cross-distance metrics are contextual.

Race facts that change the decision

Race facts comparison
FactThe Kauai Marathon & Half MarathonThe Kauai Marathon & Half Marathon
Schedule

Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2026-09-06 (legacy event-level date).

Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2026-09-06 (legacy event-level date).

LocationKoloa, HawaiiKoloa, Hawaii
Actual distance42.2 km21.1 km
raceindex.org mapped route heldHeldHeld
raceindex.org elevation profile heldHeldHeld
Course typePoint To PointPoint To Point
Elevation characterHillyHilly
TerrainRoad, BeachRoad, Beach
SceneryCoastal, Parkland, Canyon, Island, Mountain, Forest, Waterfront, CountrysideCoastal, Parkland, Canyon, Island, Mountain, Forest, Waterfront, Countryside
AtmosphereDestination, Scenic Tour, FestivalDestination, Scenic Tour, Festival
TechnicalityNon TechnicalUnavailable
Total ascent607 m225 m
Climbing density14.4 m/km10.6 m/km
Total descent612 m229 m
Net elevation-5 m-4 m
Max absolute grade24.0%18.5%
Flat grade share48.1%65.2%
GAP factor1.9%1.2%
Cutoff7:00:00Unavailable
Entry modelOpenOpen

Schedule

The Kauai Marathon & Half Marathon

Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2026-09-06 (legacy event-level date).

The Kauai Marathon & Half Marathon

Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2026-09-06 (legacy event-level date).

Location

The Kauai Marathon & Half Marathon
Koloa, Hawaii
The Kauai Marathon & Half Marathon
Koloa, Hawaii

Actual distance

The Kauai Marathon & Half Marathon
42.2 km
The Kauai Marathon & Half Marathon
21.1 km

raceindex.org mapped route held

The Kauai Marathon & Half Marathon
Held
The Kauai Marathon & Half Marathon
Held

raceindex.org elevation profile held

The Kauai Marathon & Half Marathon
Held
The Kauai Marathon & Half Marathon
Held

Course type

The Kauai Marathon & Half Marathon
Point To Point
The Kauai Marathon & Half Marathon
Point To Point

Elevation character

The Kauai Marathon & Half Marathon
Hilly
The Kauai Marathon & Half Marathon
Hilly

Terrain

The Kauai Marathon & Half Marathon
Road, Beach
The Kauai Marathon & Half Marathon
Road, Beach

Scenery

The Kauai Marathon & Half Marathon
Coastal, Parkland, Canyon, Island, Mountain, Forest, Waterfront, Countryside
The Kauai Marathon & Half Marathon
Coastal, Parkland, Canyon, Island, Mountain, Forest, Waterfront, Countryside

Atmosphere

The Kauai Marathon & Half Marathon
Destination, Scenic Tour, Festival
The Kauai Marathon & Half Marathon
Destination, Scenic Tour, Festival

Technicality

The Kauai Marathon & Half Marathon
Non Technical
The Kauai Marathon & Half Marathon
Unavailable

Total ascent

The Kauai Marathon & Half Marathon
607 m
The Kauai Marathon & Half Marathon
225 m

Climbing density

The Kauai Marathon & Half Marathon
14.4 m/km
The Kauai Marathon & Half Marathon
10.6 m/km

Total descent

The Kauai Marathon & Half Marathon
612 m
The Kauai Marathon & Half Marathon
229 m

Net elevation

The Kauai Marathon & Half Marathon
-5 m
The Kauai Marathon & Half Marathon
-4 m

Max absolute grade

The Kauai Marathon & Half Marathon
24.0%
The Kauai Marathon & Half Marathon
18.5%

Flat grade share

The Kauai Marathon & Half Marathon
48.1%
The Kauai Marathon & Half Marathon
65.2%

GAP factor

The Kauai Marathon & Half Marathon
1.9%
The Kauai Marathon & Half Marathon
1.2%

Cutoff

The Kauai Marathon & Half Marathon
7:00:00
The Kauai Marathon & Half Marathon
Unavailable

Entry model

The Kauai Marathon & Half Marathon
Open
The Kauai Marathon & Half Marathon
Open

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, The Kauai Marathon & Half Marathon or The Kauai Marathon & Half Marathon?

The Kauai Marathon & Half 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 →