Maine Marathon (Portland) Relay or Mount Desert Island Marathon, Half & Relay — which comes out ahead?

Maine Marathon (Portland) Relay has the stronger available profile on flat grade share, course flatness and conditions.

Route comparison snapshot

Maine Marathon (Portland) Relay

Mapped route
Held
Elevation profile
Held
course flatness
0.9% Favoured
flat grade share
67.3% Favoured
lower ascent
357 m
climbing density
8.5 m/km
net elevation
0 m
maximum grade
15.5%

Mount Desert Island Marathon, Half & Relay

Mapped route
Held
Elevation profile
Held
course flatness
1.5%
flat grade share
55.5%
lower ascent
526 m
climbing density
12.5 m/km
net elevation
-1 m
maximum grade
18.7%
Head-to-head comparison
MetricMaine Marathon (Portland) RelayMount Desert Island Marathon, Half & Relay
Flat grade share67.3% ✓55.5%
GAP factor (% slower than flat)0.9% ✓1.5%
Uphill share16.5%23.8%
Steep-up share1.7%2.7%
Downhill share16.2%20.7%
Total ascent (m)357 m526 m
Climbing density (m/km)8.5 m/km12.5 m/km
Longest climb length (m)670 m1,840 m
Longest climb gain (m)39 m47 m
Longest climb average grade5.9%2.6%
Total descent (m)358 m527 m
Net elevation (m)0 m-1 m
Max absolute grade15.5%18.7%
Start elevation (m)4 m15 m
Finish elevation (m)4 m15 m
Scenic score94/100100/100 ✓
Conditions84/100 ✓79/100

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
FactMaine Marathon (Portland) RelayMount Desert Island Marathon, Half & Relay
Schedule

Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2026-10-04 (legacy event-level date).

Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2026-10-18 (legacy event-level date).

LocationPortland, MaineBar Harbor, Maine
Actual distance42.2 km42.2 km
raceindex.org mapped route heldHeldHeld
raceindex.org elevation profile heldHeldHeld
SurfaceRoadUnavailable
TerrainTrail, RoadRoad, Beach
SceneryCoastal, Forest, Waterfront, City, CountrysideCoastal, Waterfront, Mountain, Parkland, Desert, Island, Forest, Lakeside
AtmosphereCommunity, Charity, Scenic TourScenic Tour, Destination, Community
Total ascent357 m526 m
Climbing density8.5 m/km12.5 m/km
Total descent358 m527 m
Net elevation0 m-1 m
Max absolute grade15.5%18.7%
Flat grade share67.3%55.5%
GAP factor0.9%1.5%
CutoffUnavailable6:30:00
Entry modelOpenOpen

Schedule

Maine Marathon (Portland) Relay

Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2026-10-04 (legacy event-level date).

Mount Desert Island Marathon, Half & Relay

Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2026-10-18 (legacy event-level date).

Location

Maine Marathon (Portland) Relay
Portland, Maine
Mount Desert Island Marathon, Half & Relay
Bar Harbor, Maine

Actual distance

Maine Marathon (Portland) Relay
42.2 km
Mount Desert Island Marathon, Half & Relay
42.2 km

raceindex.org mapped route held

Maine Marathon (Portland) Relay
Held
Mount Desert Island Marathon, Half & Relay
Held

raceindex.org elevation profile held

Maine Marathon (Portland) Relay
Held
Mount Desert Island Marathon, Half & Relay
Held

Surface

Maine Marathon (Portland) Relay
Road
Mount Desert Island Marathon, Half & Relay
Unavailable

Terrain

Maine Marathon (Portland) Relay
Trail, Road
Mount Desert Island Marathon, Half & Relay
Road, Beach

Scenery

Maine Marathon (Portland) Relay
Coastal, Forest, Waterfront, City, Countryside
Mount Desert Island Marathon, Half & Relay
Coastal, Waterfront, Mountain, Parkland, Desert, Island, Forest, Lakeside

Atmosphere

Maine Marathon (Portland) Relay
Community, Charity, Scenic Tour
Mount Desert Island Marathon, Half & Relay
Scenic Tour, Destination, Community

Total ascent

Maine Marathon (Portland) Relay
357 m
Mount Desert Island Marathon, Half & Relay
526 m

Climbing density

Maine Marathon (Portland) Relay
8.5 m/km
Mount Desert Island Marathon, Half & Relay
12.5 m/km

Total descent

Maine Marathon (Portland) Relay
358 m
Mount Desert Island Marathon, Half & Relay
527 m

Net elevation

Maine Marathon (Portland) Relay
0 m
Mount Desert Island Marathon, Half & Relay
-1 m

Max absolute grade

Maine Marathon (Portland) Relay
15.5%
Mount Desert Island Marathon, Half & Relay
18.7%

Flat grade share

Maine Marathon (Portland) Relay
67.3%
Mount Desert Island Marathon, Half & Relay
55.5%

GAP factor

Maine Marathon (Portland) Relay
0.9%
Mount Desert Island Marathon, Half & Relay
1.5%

Cutoff

Maine Marathon (Portland) Relay
Unavailable
Mount Desert Island Marathon, Half & Relay
6:30:00

Entry model

Maine Marathon (Portland) Relay
Open
Mount Desert Island Marathon, Half & Relay
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, Maine Marathon (Portland) Relay or Mount Desert Island Marathon, Half & Relay?

Maine Marathon (Portland) Relay 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 →