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About RaceIndexOur methodologyData coverageCyclingTriathlon

Hilliest marathons

The hilliest marathons, ranked from trusted raw-elevation route profiles across 138 qualifying races.

Ranking current as of

Which race ranks first — and why is it Olympus Marathon (Litochoro)?

Olympus Marathon (Litochoro) leads this ranking on total ascent (3,465 m).

Compare Olympus Marathon (Litochoro) vs Podbrdo Trail Running Festival

#RaceTotal ascentClimb densityDescentNet elevationMax absolute gradeAs of
1Olympus Marathon (Litochoro) - greece3,465 m78.7 m/km3,192 m273 m84.1%
2Podbrdo Trail Running Festival Marathon - slovenia3,081 m75.9 m/km3,104 m-24 m55.7%
3Unicaja Ultra Sierra Nevada Marathon - spain2,694 m64.6 m/km1,406 m1,288 m49.7%
4Zegama-Aizkorri Mendi Maratoia Marathon - spain2,591 m61.4 m/km2,591 m-0 m62.0%
5Garda Trentino Trail Marathon - italy2,497 m56.8 m/km3,063 m-565 m49.1%
6adidas Innsbruck Alpine Trailrun Festival Marathon - austria2,366 m54.5 m/km2,738 m-371 m59.1%
7Ultra Trail Učka Marathon - croatia2,224 m53.0 m/km2,227 m-3 m52.8%
8Sljemenski Maraton (Zagreb) Marathon - croatia2,187 m52.1 m/km2,188 m-1 m54.7%
9Tatra SkyMarathon (Zakopane) Marathon - poland2,011 m50.3 m/km1,675 m336 m41.9%
10Mohawk Mountain Race (Cornwall) Marathon - connecticut1,991 m47.2 m/km1,990 m1 m37.1%
11Jungfrau-Marathon Interlaken - switzerland1,960 m46.5 m/km200 m1,761 m35.4%
12Gornergrat Zermatt Marathon - switzerland1,876 m44.5 m/km404 m1,473 m26.2%
13Var Verdon Trail Canyon Marathon - france1,807 m45.2 m/km1,807 m-0 m41.7%
14Endurancelife Peak District (Castleton) Marathon - east-midlands1,665 m39.5 m/km1,665 m-0 m42.6%
15Catalina Island Marathon - california1,530 m36.3 m/km1,526 m4 m44.6%
16Foot Levelers Blue Ridge Marathon - virginia1,523 m36.1 m/km1,523 m0 m92.0%
17Davos X-Trails Marathon - switzerland1,513 m35.2 m/km1,513 m0 m37.7%
18Moab Trail Marathon - utah1,404 m33.3 m/km1,405 m-2 m53.1%
19MIUT - Madeira Island Ultra-Trail Marathon - portugal1,392 m34.8 m/km1,984 m-592 m64.2%
20Plitvički maraton (Plitvice Marathon) - croatia1,313 m31.1 m/km1,314 m-1 m38.9%
21Salomon Ultra-Trail Hungary Marathon - hungary1,303 m31.0 m/km1,633 m-330 m60.3%
22Beachy Head Marathon - south-east1,144 m27.1 m/km1,143 m1 m31.2%
23Tollymore Extreme (Tollymore Trail Marathon), Newcastle - northern-ireland1,084 m25.7 m/km1,092 m-7 m28.1%
24Girdwood Marathon - alaska1,076 m25.5 m/km1,073 m4 m34.7%
25Endurancelife Coastal Trail Series - North York Moors (Ravenscar) Marathon - yorkshire1,032 m24.2 m/km1,032 m0 m40.6%
26Endurancelife Pembrokeshire Marathon - wales1,015 m23.1 m/km1,015 m-0 m28.8%
27Tecumseh Trail Marathon (Tecumseh Trail Challenge), Nashville Indiana - indiana998 m23.7 m/km998 m1 m24.5%
28Mohican Trail 100 Mile Run Marathon - ohio993 m23.5 m/km980 m13 m33.1%
29Three Forts Challenge Marathon - south-east922 m21.1 m/km922 m-0 m13.5%
30Trondheim Skogsmaraton Marathon - norway907 m21.5 m/km907 m0 m17.0%
31Lakeland Trails Coniston Marathon, Half, Mini-10k & 5k - north-west900 m21.3 m/km899 m0 m21.8%
32NipMuck Trail Marathon - connecticut878 m20.7 m/km863 m15 m29.4%
33Stavanger Marathon - norway862 m20.4 m/km887 m-25 m87.3%
34Balaton Szupermaraton (Siófok) Marathon - hungary803 m19.0 m/km823 m-20 m24.3%
35Snowdonia Marathon - wales786 m18.6 m/km801 m-15 m25.2%
36Jack & Jill's Downhill Marathon & Half - washington783 m18.5 m/km1,051 m-268 m31.0%
37Fjordkraft Bergen City Marathon - norway781 m18.5 m/km779 m1 m24.1%
38Haulin' Aspen Trail Race Marathon - oregon747 m17.7 m/km780 m-33 m19.7%
39Lake Tahoe Marathon - nevada737 m17.5 m/km733 m4 m46.1%
40Portland Coastal Marathon - south-west715 m16.9 m/km715 m-0 m33.0%
41Columbia Gorge Marathon - oregon696 m16.5 m/km778 m-82 m25.5%
42Internationaler Schwarzwald-Marathon Bräunlingen - germany681 m16.1 m/km688 m-7 m27.8%
43The Kauai Marathon & Half Marathon - hawaii607 m14.4 m/km612 m-5 m24.0%
44Norfolk Festival of Running (King's Lynn) Marathon - east-of-england558 m13.2 m/km558 m-0 m9.8%
45Run Woodstock Marathon - michigan547 m13.0 m/km546 m1 m13.5%
46Mount Desert Island Marathon, Half & Relay - maine526 m12.5 m/km527 m-1 m18.7%
47The Hawk Hundred (Lawrence) Marathon - kansas495 m11.7 m/km487 m8 m14.3%
48Clonakilty Waterfront Marathon - ireland493 m11.7 m/km497 m-4 m13.0%
49Bay of Fundy International Marathon - maine456 m10.8 m/km484 m-27 m12.5%
50Cedar Rapids Marathon - iowa454 m10.8 m/km455 m-1 m15.8%
51Connemara International Marathon (Connemarathon) - ireland451 m10.7 m/km443 m8 m19.5%
526 sjöar (Uppsala) Marathon - sweden426 m10.1 m/km427 m-1 m22.4%
53Flying Pig Marathon - ohio424 m10.0 m/km427 m-4 m32.4%
54Richmond Park Marathon (London) - london423 m10.0 m/km417 m6 m15.3%
55Two Tunnels Railway Races Marathon - south-west415 m9.8 m/km413 m2 m21.0%
56The New Hampshire Marathon at Newfound Lake - new-hampshire412 m9.8 m/km408 m4 m12.0%
57Run the Rainbow for Children's Marathon - mississippi407 m9.7 m/km407 m0 m10.6%
58Mississippi Blues Marathon - mississippi401 m9.5 m/km399 m2 m10.2%
59Maui Oceanfront Marathon - hawaii392 m9.3 m/km413 m-21 m17.4%
60Arctic Marathon (Rovaniemi) - finland392 m9.3 m/km391 m-0 m11.9%
61Reims Champagne Run Marathon - france389 m9.3 m/km551 m-161 m17.4%
62Bend Marathon and Half - oregon388 m9.2 m/km388 m0 m16.6%
63Maine Marathon (Portland) - maine357 m8.5 m/km358 m0 m15.5%
64FirstEnergy Akron Marathon - ohio350 m8.3 m/km355 m-6 m13.8%
65Zurich Rock 'n' Roll Running Series Madrid Marathon - spain335 m7.9 m/km362 m-26 m8.7%
66Albany COMBOS Marathon & Half Marathon - georgia333 m7.9 m/km337 m-4 m13.0%
67Athens Marathon. The Authentic - greece333 m7.9 m/km274 m59 m7.6%
68The Original Las Vegas Marathon - nevada331 m7.8 m/km331 m0 m11.9%
69Marshall University Marathon - west-virginia330 m7.8 m/km332 m-2 m18.7%
70Milton Keynes Marathon - south-east318 m7.5 m/km320 m-2 m7.8%
71The Asheville Marathon & Half - north-carolina312 m7.4 m/km374 m-61 m8.9%
72Marathon des Alpes-Maritimes Nice-Cannes - france308 m7.3 m/km310 m-2 m11.8%
73DNB Oslo Marathon - norway307 m7.3 m/km308 m-0 m6.7%
74Sioux Falls Marathon - south-dakota305 m7.2 m/km307 m-2 m13.6%
75Montpellier Run Festival Marathon - france303 m7.2 m/km290 m12 m9.7%
76TUI Μαραθώνιος Ρόδου (TUI Rhodes Marathon) - greece296 m7.0 m/km294 m3 m10.1%
77Southampton Marathon - south-east279 m6.6 m/km265 m14 m9.7%
78Thames Meander Marathon (London) - london274 m6.5 m/km274 m0 m6.1%
79Rimi Riga Marathon - latvia273 m6.5 m/km272 m1 m20.5%
80Amica Newport Marathon & Half Marathon - rhode-island270 m6.4 m/km271 m-0 m8.1%
81The Great Bangor Marathon & Half (Bangor, Maine) - maine269 m6.4 m/km280 m-10 m9.9%
82Estes Park Marathon and Half Marathon - colorado256 m6.1 m/km735 m-479 m15.1%
83Michelob Ultra El Paso Marathon - texas256 m6.1 m/km255 m1 m12.5%
84Trondheim Maraton Marathon - norway253 m6.0 m/km252 m1 m10.7%
85Regensburg Marathon - germany247 m5.9 m/km247 m-0 m9.3%
86Garmin New Forest Marathon - south-east246 m5.8 m/km247 m-1 m5.5%
87Tupelo Marathon - mississippi243 m5.8 m/km242 m1 m7.1%
88Madison Marathon (Madison, Wisconsin) - wisconsin243 m5.7 m/km236 m6 m12.1%
89Midnattssolmaraton (Midnight Sun Marathon), Tromsø - norway242 m5.7 m/km241 m2 m7.5%
90Allianz Richmond Marathon - virginia236 m5.6 m/km272 m-36 m16.1%
91Cleveland Marathon - ohio232 m5.5 m/km233 m0 m31.4%
92Energa Gdańsk Maraton Marathon - poland227 m5.4 m/km228 m-1 m7.8%
93Helsinki City Marathon - finland226 m5.4 m/km220 m6 m8.3%
94Windermere Marathon (Spokane) - washington226 m5.4 m/km304 m-78 m13.4%
95Chester Marathon - north-west220 m5.2 m/km217 m3 m7.8%
96Copenhagen Marathon - denmark220 m5.2 m/km219 m-0 m5.4%
97Endurancelife Suffolk (Dunwich) Marathon - east-of-england219 m5.1 m/km218 m0 m7.7%
98Maine Coast Marathon - maine219 m5.2 m/km217 m1 m8.6%
99Omaha Marathon - nebraska215 m5.1 m/km216 m-1 m11.5%
100Mein Freiburg Marathon - germany211 m5.0 m/km210 m1 m6.2%
1
Olympus Marathon (Litochoro)greece
Total ascent
3,465 m
Climb density
78.7 m/km
Descent
3,192 m
Net elevation
273 m
Max absolute grade
84.1%

As of

5
Garda Trentino Trail Marathonitaly
Total ascent
2,497 m
Climb density
56.8 m/km
Descent
3,063 m
Net elevation
-565 m
Max absolute grade
49.1%

As of

7
Ultra Trail Učka Marathoncroatia
Total ascent
2,224 m
Climb density
53.0 m/km
Descent
2,227 m
Net elevation
-3 m
Max absolute grade
52.8%

As of

11
Jungfrau-Marathon Interlakenswitzerland
Total ascent
1,960 m
Climb density
46.5 m/km
Descent
200 m
Net elevation
1,761 m
Max absolute grade
35.4%

As of

12
Gornergrat Zermatt Marathonswitzerland
Total ascent
1,876 m
Climb density
44.5 m/km
Descent
404 m
Net elevation
1,473 m
Max absolute grade
26.2%

As of

15
Catalina Island Marathoncalifornia
Total ascent
1,530 m
Climb density
36.3 m/km
Descent
1,526 m
Net elevation
4 m
Max absolute grade
44.6%

As of

17
Davos X-Trails Marathonswitzerland
Total ascent
1,513 m
Climb density
35.2 m/km
Descent
1,513 m
Net elevation
0 m
Max absolute grade
37.7%

As of

18
Moab Trail Marathonutah
Total ascent
1,404 m
Climb density
33.3 m/km
Descent
1,405 m
Net elevation
-2 m
Max absolute grade
53.1%

As of

22
Beachy Head Marathonsouth-east
Total ascent
1,144 m
Climb density
27.1 m/km
Descent
1,143 m
Net elevation
1 m
Max absolute grade
31.2%

As of

24
Girdwood Marathonalaska
Total ascent
1,076 m
Climb density
25.5 m/km
Descent
1,073 m
Net elevation
4 m
Max absolute grade
34.7%

As of

32
NipMuck Trail Marathonconnecticut
Total ascent
878 m
Climb density
20.7 m/km
Descent
863 m
Net elevation
15 m
Max absolute grade
29.4%

As of

33
Stavanger Marathonnorway
Total ascent
862 m
Climb density
20.4 m/km
Descent
887 m
Net elevation
-25 m
Max absolute grade
87.3%

As of

35
Snowdonia Marathonwales
Total ascent
786 m
Climb density
18.6 m/km
Descent
801 m
Net elevation
-15 m
Max absolute grade
25.2%

As of

39
Lake Tahoe Marathonnevada
Total ascent
737 m
Climb density
17.5 m/km
Descent
733 m
Net elevation
4 m
Max absolute grade
46.1%

As of

40
Portland Coastal Marathonsouth-west
Total ascent
715 m
Climb density
16.9 m/km
Descent
715 m
Net elevation
-0 m
Max absolute grade
33.0%

As of

41
Columbia Gorge Marathonoregon
Total ascent
696 m
Climb density
16.5 m/km
Descent
778 m
Net elevation
-82 m
Max absolute grade
25.5%

As of

45
Run Woodstock Marathonmichigan
Total ascent
547 m
Climb density
13.0 m/km
Descent
546 m
Net elevation
1 m
Max absolute grade
13.5%

As of

50
Cedar Rapids Marathoniowa
Total ascent
454 m
Climb density
10.8 m/km
Descent
455 m
Net elevation
-1 m
Max absolute grade
15.8%

As of

52
6 sjöar (Uppsala) Marathonsweden
Total ascent
426 m
Climb density
10.1 m/km
Descent
427 m
Net elevation
-1 m
Max absolute grade
22.4%

As of

53
Flying Pig Marathonohio
Total ascent
424 m
Climb density
10.0 m/km
Descent
427 m
Net elevation
-4 m
Max absolute grade
32.4%

As of

58
Mississippi Blues Marathonmississippi
Total ascent
401 m
Climb density
9.5 m/km
Descent
399 m
Net elevation
2 m
Max absolute grade
10.2%

As of

59
Maui Oceanfront Marathonhawaii
Total ascent
392 m
Climb density
9.3 m/km
Descent
413 m
Net elevation
-21 m
Max absolute grade
17.4%

As of

60
Arctic Marathon (Rovaniemi)finland
Total ascent
392 m
Climb density
9.3 m/km
Descent
391 m
Net elevation
-0 m
Max absolute grade
11.9%

As of

61
Reims Champagne Run Marathonfrance
Total ascent
389 m
Climb density
9.3 m/km
Descent
551 m
Net elevation
-161 m
Max absolute grade
17.4%

As of

62
Bend Marathon and Halforegon
Total ascent
388 m
Climb density
9.2 m/km
Descent
388 m
Net elevation
0 m
Max absolute grade
16.6%

As of

63
Maine Marathon (Portland)maine
Total ascent
357 m
Climb density
8.5 m/km
Descent
358 m
Net elevation
0 m
Max absolute grade
15.5%

As of

64
FirstEnergy Akron Marathonohio
Total ascent
350 m
Climb density
8.3 m/km
Descent
355 m
Net elevation
-6 m
Max absolute grade
13.8%

As of

69
Marshall University Marathonwest-virginia
Total ascent
330 m
Climb density
7.8 m/km
Descent
332 m
Net elevation
-2 m
Max absolute grade
18.7%

As of

70
Milton Keynes Marathonsouth-east
Total ascent
318 m
Climb density
7.5 m/km
Descent
320 m
Net elevation
-2 m
Max absolute grade
7.8%

As of

71
The Asheville Marathon & Halfnorth-carolina
Total ascent
312 m
Climb density
7.4 m/km
Descent
374 m
Net elevation
-61 m
Max absolute grade
8.9%

As of

73
DNB Oslo Marathonnorway
Total ascent
307 m
Climb density
7.3 m/km
Descent
308 m
Net elevation
-0 m
Max absolute grade
6.7%

As of

74
Sioux Falls Marathonsouth-dakota
Total ascent
305 m
Climb density
7.2 m/km
Descent
307 m
Net elevation
-2 m
Max absolute grade
13.6%

As of

77
Southampton Marathonsouth-east
Total ascent
279 m
Climb density
6.6 m/km
Descent
265 m
Net elevation
14 m
Max absolute grade
9.7%

As of

79
Rimi Riga Marathonlatvia
Total ascent
273 m
Climb density
6.5 m/km
Descent
272 m
Net elevation
1 m
Max absolute grade
20.5%

As of

84
Trondheim Maraton Marathonnorway
Total ascent
253 m
Climb density
6.0 m/km
Descent
252 m
Net elevation
1 m
Max absolute grade
10.7%

As of

85
Regensburg Marathongermany
Total ascent
247 m
Climb density
5.9 m/km
Descent
247 m
Net elevation
-0 m
Max absolute grade
9.3%

As of

86
Garmin New Forest Marathonsouth-east
Total ascent
246 m
Climb density
5.8 m/km
Descent
247 m
Net elevation
-1 m
Max absolute grade
5.5%

As of

87
Tupelo Marathonmississippi
Total ascent
243 m
Climb density
5.8 m/km
Descent
242 m
Net elevation
1 m
Max absolute grade
7.1%

As of

90
Allianz Richmond Marathonvirginia
Total ascent
236 m
Climb density
5.6 m/km
Descent
272 m
Net elevation
-36 m
Max absolute grade
16.1%

As of

91
Cleveland Marathonohio
Total ascent
232 m
Climb density
5.5 m/km
Descent
233 m
Net elevation
0 m
Max absolute grade
31.4%

As of

93
Helsinki City Marathonfinland
Total ascent
226 m
Climb density
5.4 m/km
Descent
220 m
Net elevation
6 m
Max absolute grade
8.3%

As of

94
Windermere Marathon (Spokane)washington
Total ascent
226 m
Climb density
5.4 m/km
Descent
304 m
Net elevation
-78 m
Max absolute grade
13.4%

As of

95
Chester Marathonnorth-west
Total ascent
220 m
Climb density
5.2 m/km
Descent
217 m
Net elevation
3 m
Max absolute grade
7.8%

As of

96
Copenhagen Marathondenmark
Total ascent
220 m
Climb density
5.2 m/km
Descent
219 m
Net elevation
-0 m
Max absolute grade
5.4%

As of

98
Maine Coast Marathonmaine
Total ascent
219 m
Climb density
5.2 m/km
Descent
217 m
Net elevation
1 m
Max absolute grade
8.6%

As of

99
Omaha Marathonnebraska
Total ascent
215 m
Climb density
5.1 m/km
Descent
216 m
Net elevation
-1 m
Max absolute grade
11.5%

As of

100
Mein Freiburg Marathongermany
Total ascent
211 m
Climb density
5.0 m/km
Descent
210 m
Net elevation
1 m
Max absolute grade
6.2%

As of

Showing the top 100 of 138 qualifying races; use the distance catalogue for the full searchable list. Scores are out of 100 when present; route, elevation and cost figures are shown in their natural units.

How we ranked these

Races are ranked by Total ascent. Score metrics use methodology scoring-methodology-v1.0. Elevation rankings use only trusted raw-elevation course profiles. A ranking is only published when at least five races qualify, so the table is never padded with thin data.

See exactly how each figure is calculated →

Route maps for this ranking

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 .

Derived numbers use scoring-methodology-v1.0.

Sources used on this page (140)

Read the full methodology →

Common questions

What is the hilliest marathons?

Olympus Marathon (Litochoro) ranks first by total ascent, from 138 qualifying races compared under our published methodology.