what is the elevation changes for the boston marathon course

By the time runners reach the finish line, the elevation has changed from 490 feet above sea level to 10 feet above from start to finish. This makes Boston the World Marathon Major

course with the greatest elevation change. World Marathon Major Course Comparisons

Full Answer

What is the elevation of the Boston Marathon?

You start out in the distant suburb of Hopkinton— elevation 490 feet above sea level—and then cruise steadily downhill until about mile 9. The finish line has an elevation of a mere 10 feet above Boston Harbor. Fans pack the sides cheering you on.

How bad is the elevation gain on the New York Marathon?

The climb late in New York City as runners enter Central Park (near mile 24) may have a touch more in the way of elevation gain, but it’s spread out over twice the distance as Heartbreak, so it doesn’t seem nearly as bad.

How fast should the Boston Marathon course be?

The Boston Marathon course looks like it should be fast. You start out in the distant suburb of Hopkinton— elevation 490 feet above sea level—and then cruise steadily downhill until about mile 9.

Why is Boston Marathon running so difficult?

And Boston has a series of famously steep uphills between miles 16 and 21, just when your glycogen stores are running out. “Downhill running requires a bit of braking and eccentric contractions that can wipe your legs out,” says Michael Joyner, a former elite marathoner and current sports scientist.

What is the elevation gain on the Boston Marathon course?

The course has 891 feet of elevation gain, though in the aggregate it's downhill. Notes on a few particular sections: Most scenic sections. The most scenic sections are through Wellesley and Newton, passing grand homes along a wide, leafy road.

What is the elevation gain and loss of the Boston Marathon?

Multiple sources agree that the starting line is at 442 feet above sea level and the finish at 17 feet above sea level. But I found multiple listings of vertical change: MyMarathonPace.com: 783 feet of gain, 1225 feet of loss, 442 net down.

Is the Boston Marathon a downhill course?

The uphill sections generally get all the attention on the Boston Marathon course. But the route is what is known as a “net downhill” race.

What is the elevation gain of Heartbreak Hill?

95 feetThe hill is pretty easy, just run up it! The entire Heartbreak Hill actually has 95 feet of elevation gain.

How much elevation gain is a lot running?

A moderately rolling run has 10-50 feet of gain per mile. A rolling run has 50-150 feet of gain per mile. A hilly run has 150-250 feet of gain per mile. A mountainous run has 250 feet of gain or more per mile.

What is the elevation gain of the NYC marathon?

But another really important thing to factor into your race plan is that this is pretty hilly for a city marathon. According to MapMyRun stats, the total elevation gain for New York is 260 metres.

How long are the hills in Boston Marathon?

17.5 to 21 miles: The Newton Hills A slightly downhill mile from Newton-Wellesley Hospital brings the runners to the fire station at Commonwealth Avenue, where a right turn puts the marathoner face to face with the race's legendary ogre -- the four hills of Newton.

How many hills are in the Boston Marathon?

So, what exactly are the Newton Hills? They are four hills over a 5 mile stretch in the Boston Marathon.

What is the incline of Heartbreak Hill?

3.3 percentThe grade of the hill also makes a big difference in how hard it feels. In fact, when you compare the grade of the largest hills of the marathons discussed here, Heartbreak is the steepest at 3.3 percent grade.

What is the toughest marathon in the world?

Marathon des Sables, French for Marathon of Sands (or MdS for short), is roughly a 250-kilometer journey in seven days in the hot sands of the Saharan desert. It is fully self-supported meaning there are no race crews, and you have to carry your supplies.

Is Boston or NYC marathon harder?

NYC is definitely tougher, but one insidious problem about the Boston course is that all the downhill running early on might beat up your quads so bad that on the final downhills, at 23 or 24, it may be tough to even move.

How much slower is Boston Marathon?

Boston Marathon Results and Finish Times Analysis. More than 26,600 runners finished the 2019 Boston Marathon in solid overall average time of 3 hours, 53 minutes. By comparison, the average finish time at Boston 2000 to 2019 is just a minute slower, 3:54.

Where does the Boston Marathon start?

The legendary Boston Marathon course starts in Hopkinton, MA and ends on Boylston Street in Boston, MA. See below for the course map and a full list of amenities along the course. No portion of the Boston Marathon course map may be reproduced. See Course Amenities below.

When does the finish area close?

Finish area facilities officially close at approximately 5:30 p.m. Course Closure. Runners still out on the course when officials determine that it is time to reopen the roads (approximately a 14:23 minute-per-mile pace) will be instructed to move to the right side of the road.

What happens to the course infrastructure after the reopening of the roads?

Once roads begin to reopen to vehicular traffic, course infrastructure (such as timing systems, course clocks, medical stations, and water stations) will all begin to close and cease operation. Runners on the course after this time accept that they will be on their own and should plan accordingly.

How high is the Boston Marathon?

The Boston Marathon course looks like it should be fast. You start out in the distant suburb of Hopkinton— elevation 490 feet above sea level —and then cruise steadily downhill until about mile 9. The finish line has an elevation of a mere 10 feet above Boston Harbor. Fans pack the sides cheering you on.

How steep is Boston's downhill run?

And Boston has a series of famously steep uphills between miles 16 and 21, just when your glycogen stores are running out. “Downhill running requires a bit of braking and eccentric contractions that can wipe your legs out,” says Michael Joyner, a former elite marathoner and current sports scientist.

How much energy do marathon runners use?

In general, marathon runners spend about 2 percent of their energy overcoming wind resistance on a normal day. Boston, though, is run almost entirely west to east, which means the wind can be either entirely in your face or at your back, adding an extraordinary variability to the results.

Why is Boston so slow?

The first and most important is temperature. Running quickly generates heat, which the body needs to dissipate.

Is Boston faster than New York?

I spoke with Alan Ruben, a legendary local runner who completed 15 consecutive New York City marathons in under 2:40. His theory is that Boston is actually faster than New York, and possibly as fast as London, with its historically quick course. “Boston is a hard course to execute correctly, given where the hills are.

Is downhill running good?

The second factor affecting the speed of a course is elevation, and downhill is good. But downhill isn’t unambiguously good. Runners have to fire their quadriceps muscles to keep from tipping over when a hill is too steep.

Heartbreak Hill gets a lot of attention, but it might not be the biggest challenge

Frankline Chepkwony, front left, of Kenya, and Lelisa Desisa, right, of Ethiopia, lead the pack up Heartbreak Hill during the 2015 Boston Marathon. AP Photo/Steven Senne

Get the latest Boston sports news

Receive updates on your favorite Boston teams, straight from our newsroom to your inbox.

Boston Marathon course GPX file

During the race I wore a Suunto Ambit GPS sport watch. It recorded a distance of 26.38 miles, which probably includes some wider corners than the official course.

Vertical profile

Multiple sources agree that the starting line is at 442 feet above sea level and the finish at 17 feet above sea level. But I found multiple listings of vertical change:

Logistics map

To help orient myself and to help my family plan their spectating, I created the map below. You’re welcome to use it for your own purposes.

Pacing

I ran a slightly negative split, which is probably rare at Boston on a hot day. My slowest 5K split was through the Newton Hills, and fastest was the final full 5K from the top of Heartbreak Hill into downtown Boston.

Heart rate

The most surprising piece of data was my heart rate, which averaged 165 bpm and which peaked at 177 bpm.

Telltale workouts

Are you ready to run a 2:32:01 at the Boston Marathon on a warm day? The workouts below, from the final six weeks of training, might give you an indication. Unless otherwise noted, these were done in Boulder, Colo. at 5,300 feet above sea level.