Marine Corps Marathon – Course Map and Elevation Profile
| Distance | 42.195 km |
|---|---|
| Route elevation | 195 m up · 168 m down |
| Highest point | 70 m · 3.9 km |
| Lowest point | 1 m · 15.9 km |
| Steepest climb | +6.8 % · 3.3 km |
| Steepest descent | −7.3 % · 6.3 km |
| Net elevation change | +26 m |
| Course type | Loop |
| Course record men | 2:14:01 · Jeffrey Scuffins · 8 November 1987 |
| Course record women | no verified figure |
195 metres up and 168 down: 4 climbs, several of them long enough to break a rhythm.
Course
Marine Corps in numbers
- Distance
- 42.195km
- Ascent
- 195m
- Descent
- 168m
- Low / high
- 1 / 70m
- Flat-equivalent
- +1.31 %
- Steepest 50 m
- +6.8 %
Pace Planner
bergauf flach bergabWaagerecht: Distanz. Streifen unter dem Profil: mittlere Steigung je 500 m. Gestrichelte Linien sind Orientierungspunkte.
- Position
- 0.00 km
- Elevation
- 9 m
- Gradient
- −2.0 %
- Pace here
- 5:09 /km
- Elapsed
- 0:00
- Remaining
- 3:30:00
- Landmark
- —
Pacing table
| km | Point | Elevation | Gradient | up / down | Target pace | total | adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 m → 17 m | +0.81 % | +10 m / −2 m | 5:09 | 5:09 | 4:53 | |
| 2 | 17 m → 21 m | +0.39 % | +9 m / −6 m | 5:05 | 10:14 | 4:53 | |
| 3 | 21 m → 41 m | +2.05 % | +24 m / −3 m | 5:32 | 15:46 | 4:53 | |
| 4 | 41 m → 68 m | +2.72 % | +29 m / −2 m | 5:43 | 21:30 | 4:53 | |
| 5 | 68 m → 55 m | −1.36 % | +0 m / −14 m | 4:46 | 26:15 | 4:53 | |
| 6 | 55 m → 29 m | −2.61 % | +0 m / −26 m | 4:38 | 30:53 | 4:53 | |
| 7 | 29 m → 6 m | −2.30 % | +1 m / −24 m | 4:41 | 35:35 | 4:53 | |
| 8 | 6 m → 22 m | +1.63 % | +18 m / −2 m | 5:23 | 40:58 | 4:53 | |
| 9 | 22 m → 3 m | −1.94 % | +1 m / −21 m | 4:43 | 45:41 | 4:53 | |
| 10 | 3 m → 4 m | +0.19 % | +5 m / −3 m | 5:00 | 50:41 | 4:53 | |
| 11 | 4 m → 7 m | +0.27 % | +3 m / −0 m | 4:58 | 55:39 | 4:53 | |
| 12 | 7 m → 5 m | −0.21 % | +0 m / −2 m | 4:52 | 1:00:31 | 4:53 | |
| 13 | 5 m → 3 m | −0.25 % | +0 m / −3 m | 4:52 | 1:05:23 | 4:53 | |
| 14 | 3 m → 2 m | −0.07 % | +1 m / −1 m | 4:53 | 1:10:16 | 4:53 | |
| 15 | 2 m → 2 m | −0.02 % | +1 m / −1 m | 4:54 | 1:15:10 | 4:53 | |
| 16 | 2 m → 1 m | −0.11 % | +0 m / −1 m | 4:53 | 1:20:03 | 4:53 | |
| 17 | 1 m → 1 m | +0.08 % | +1 m / −0 m | 4:55 | 1:24:58 | 4:53 | |
| 18 | 1 m → 1 m | −0.03 % | +0 m / −0 m | 4:53 | 1:29:51 | 4:53 | |
| 19 | 1 m → 1 m | 0.00 % | +0 m / −0 m | 4:53 | 1:34:44 | 4:53 | |
| 20 | 1 m → 2 m | +0.10 % | +1 m / −0 m | 4:55 | 1:39:39 | 4:53 | |
| 21 | 2 m → 2 m | 0.00 % | +0 m / −0 m | 4:53 | 1:44:32 | 4:53 | |
| 22 | 2 m → 5 m | +0.30 % | +3 m / −0 m | 4:58 | 1:49:30 | 4:53 | |
| 23 | 5 m → 5 m | −0.02 % | +2 m / −2 m | 4:55 | 1:54:25 | 4:53 | |
| 24 | 5 m → 5 m | −0.03 % | +1 m / −1 m | 4:54 | 1:59:19 | 4:53 | |
| 25 | 5 m → 8 m | +0.37 % | +5 m / −2 m | 5:01 | 2:04:20 | 4:53 | |
| 26 | 8 m → 7 m | −0.17 % | +3 m / −4 m | 4:55 | 2:09:15 | 4:53 | |
| 27 | 7 m → 7 m | +0.01 % | +2 m / −2 m | 4:55 | 2:14:09 | 4:53 | |
| 28 | 7 m → 9 m | +0.21 % | +3 m / −1 m | 4:58 | 2:19:07 | 4:53 | |
| 29 | 9 m → 15 m | +0.62 % | +6 m / −0 m | 5:03 | 2:24:10 | 4:53 | |
| 30 | 15 m → 11 m | −0.44 % | +2 m / −6 m | 4:52 | 2:29:03 | 4:53 | |
| 31 | 11 m → 13 m | +0.27 % | +4 m / −2 m | 4:59 | 2:34:02 | 4:53 | |
| 32 | 13 m → 16 m | +0.25 % | +8 m / −5 m | 5:02 | 2:39:04 | 4:53 | |
| 33 | 16 m → 16 m | +0.07 % | +8 m / −8 m | 5:03 | 2:44:07 | 4:53 | |
| 34 | 16 m → 18 m | +0.11 % | +3 m / −1 m | 4:56 | 2:49:03 | 4:53 | |
| 35 | 18 m → 17 m | −0.02 % | +2 m / −3 m | 4:56 | 2:53:59 | 4:53 | |
| 36 | 17 m → 17 m | −0.02 % | +1 m / −1 m | 4:54 | 2:58:53 | 4:53 | |
| 37 | 17 m → 18 m | +0.07 % | +1 m / −0 m | 4:55 | 3:03:47 | 4:53 | |
| 38 | 18 m → 12 m | −0.57 % | +0 m / −6 m | 4:50 | 3:08:38 | 4:53 | |
| 39 | 12 m → 13 m | +0.08 % | +3 m / −2 m | 4:56 | 3:13:34 | 4:53 | |
| 40 | 13 m → 13 m | +0.02 % | +6 m / −6 m | 5:00 | 3:18:34 | 4:53 | |
| 41 | 13 m → 21 m | +0.75 % | +8 m / −0 m | 5:06 | 3:23:40 | 4:53 | |
| 42 | 21 m → 24 m | +0.34 % | +8 m / −5 m | 5:04 | 3:28:44 | 4:53 | |
| 42.20 | 24 m → 35 m | +5.54 % | +11 m / −0 m | 6:29 | 3:30:00 | 4:53 |
The course, kilometre by kilometre
Start and finish are 821 metres apart: the Marine Corps Marathon is a loop.
The finish sits 26 metres above the start — spread over 42 km you will not feel it, but it shows up in the arithmetic.
The race is held in Arlington / Washington, United States, in November, on tarmac throughout.
Elevation gain and climbs
195 metres up and 168 down: 4 climbs, several of them long enough to break a rhythm.
The hardest stretch runs from km 2.8 to 3.5: 36 metres at 4.8 % on average. It comes early enough to take on fresh legs.
Against a 3:30 target the terrain costs about 3 minutes compared with a flat loop. Adjust for gradient and what remains is what the legs actually paid.
The route on the map
The course runs as a loop through Arlington / Washington and finishes 821 metres from where it started.
Download the GPX file
The smoothed profile is stored every 50 metres: 845 points with latitude, longitude, elevation and gradient. The elevations here do not come from the course file but from a terrain model: the ones in the original were unusable.
No timestamps, our smoothed elevations rather than the source’s, landmarks as waypoints.
Common questions
- How hilly is the Marine Corps Marathon?
- 195 metres of ascent and 168 of descent over 42.195 km. 74 % of the course sits between −1 and +1 per cent, and 7 % steeper than three. That makes it a hilly course.
- Where is the hardest section?
- Between km 2.8 and 3.5, gaining 36 metres at 4.8 % on average. The steepest single ramp is at km 3.3 at 6.8 %, the steepest descent at km 6.3 at −7.3 %.
- Is this a good course for a personal best?
- Minetti's cost model puts this course at 1.31 % against a flat one. On a three-and-a-half-hour target that is roughly 3 minutes.
- Is the course a loop?
- Yes. Start and finish are 821 metres apart.
- Where does this elevation data come from?
- Streckendatei des Veranstalters als FIT, übergeben am 18.08.2026, 3323 Punkte — die Zeitstempel darin stammen vom Export, nicht von einem Lauf. Elevation: Höhenwerte derselben Datei — Korrelation mit dem Geländemodell 0,95.
Similar courses
Analyse your race
Have you run this course? Upload the file from your watch and see, kilometre by kilometre, how much of it was the terrain and how much was your legs.
Upload your race file