Race Difficulty

The difficulty of a race is related to how likely you are to run one of your stronger finishing times during it.  Major factors that determine whether a race is a PR-friendly one or one in which you will struggle to even finish include:

• Typical weather conditions on race day.  Races in which the temperature at the start is typically cool (high forties or lower for marathons, high fifties or lower for other races) are conducive to strong finishing time.
• The profile of the course.  The ideal profile for a strong race performance is flat, or slightly downhill, and straight.
• Terrain of the course.  Courses with substantial portions on technical trails will be more difficult.
• Whether the race takes place at altitude.  Courses at altitude will really increase the difficulty, particularly for sea-level creatures like myself.

The race difficulty score that I give to races is a numerical score that takes into account the above factors and summarizes them into a numerical score ranging from 1 (PR-friendly) to 9 (simply finishing the race is extremely difficult).  Interpretations of this difficult score is as follows:

• 1: PR-friendly.  These races feature courses are flat or slightly downhill, and feature few turns, take place at sea level, and are on asphalt.  Temperatures on race day are usually ideal.  Example: Cherry Blossom 10-Miler.
• 3: conducive to faster finish times.  These races have mostly fast courses with a few minor difficulties (e.g. mostly flat courses with rolling hills or hairpin turns).  Temperatures on race day are often ideal, although unfavorable weather may occur on occasion.  Example: Richmond Marathon.
• 5: faster finish times possible, although more difficult.  These races feature some very noticeable difficulties, but a faster finish time is still feasible with careful preparation and intelligent race execution.  Such races may, for example, feature some large uphill portions or take place in a city or during a time of year where warmer weather is typical.  Example: Rock and Roll DC Half-Marathon.
• 7: finishing times likely to be significantly slower.  These races feature some very prominent difficulties that often prevent most runners from achieving some of their faster finish times for that particular distance.  Such races may feature some extremely difficult elevation profiles (e.g. long or steep uphill portions), unfavorable weather, difficult terrain (e.g. large segments on gravel), high altitude, or combinations of the above.  Example: Capitol Hill Classic 10K.
• 9: simply finishing the race is extremely difficult.  These races extreme difficulties including severe elevation profiles, typical unfavorable weather on race day, difficult terrain, or high altitude.  Example: Kauai Marathon.

Even-numbered difficulty scores are used if I feel like a particular race is somewhere in between two of the above levels.  For example, a race that is generally flat and fast but may have a few terrain-related or weather-related difficulties such as long segments on loose gravel or strong headwinds may be given a score of 2; it is not completely PR-friendly, but definitely less difficult than a race with a score of 3.

One caveat: this difficult score assumes that you are adequately trained for a race of that distance.  Any race would be an extraordinary challenge to complete if you arrive unprepared.

For fun, I also include an index of all of the races I have run to date.

Index of Race Difficulty Scores

Last updated May 13, 2017.  Numbers in parentheses following the difficulty score indicate the year in which I last ran the race (that year's race is thus the basis for the score).  Races that are currently defunct (e.g. the Earth Day 5K in Silver Spring, MD) or have changed substantially since I have run them (e.g. Rockville Twilighter 8K in Rockville, MD) are not included in this list.

5K Races

Baltimore Running Festival 5K (Baltimore, MD): some hills.  Temperatures are usually conducive to a fast race, although slightly warmer temperatures have occurred in recent years.  4/9 (2007).

Crystal City Friday Night 5K Series (Crystal City, VA): a series of 5K races, with one taking place each Friday evening in April.  All races take place on the same a course, a generally flat one with some small rolling hills, particularly in the last mile.  Since this takes place in April in the evening, weather can sometimes be too warm for a faster 5K time.  3/9 (2016).

Run Around the Square 5K (Pittsburgh, PA): this course features some long continuous uphills in the second mile and extended segments on cobblestone and dirt.  This race takes place in the last weekend of August, which is often one of the hottest and most humid times of the year in Pittsburgh.  7/9 (2009).

San Francisco Pride Run 5K (San Francisco, CA): the course is a loop through Golden Gate Park.  The course features some rolling hills, but nothing too terrible.  The race takes place in late June, where mornings are generally cooler; the shade from the trees throughout also help.  3/9 (2008).

Shadyside 5K (Pittsburgh, PA): a flat, fast course with a few very minor fluctuations in course profile.  Temperatures are usually in the fifties at the start.  1/9 (2009).

SOME Turkey Trot 5K (Washington, DC): a flat, fast course along Freedom Plaza.  Temperatures are generally ideal for a race, although headwinds may make an appearance as they did in 2013.  1/9 (2013).

Walk to End HIV 5K (formerly the AIDS Walk 5K; Washington, DC): a flat, fast course along Freedom Plaza.  Temperatures are generally ideal for a race.  1/9 (2013).

10K Races

Capitol Hill Classic 10K (Washington, DC): this course through the streets of Capitol Hill feature some long continuous uphills, particularly toward the end.  Since this race takes place in May, weather is generally very warm and humid.  7/9 (2013).

The Great Race 10K (Pittsburgh, PA): this very large 10K race has a net downhill course profile with some moderately uphill segments in Mile 4.  The only factor that may prevent this from being a PR-friendly course is the weather; late September is still often warm and humid in Pittsburgh.  3/9 (2009).

Pike's Peek 10K (Rockville, MD): a very net downhill course, with some uphill segments in the third and fourth miles.  Weather on race day has not usually been an issue.  1/9 (2014).

St. Patrick's Day 10K (Washington, DC): this race coincides with much of the 5K course and takes place about an hour afterwards.  The course is generally flat with a few rolling hills.  Temperatures are usually in the forties or fifties on race day.  2/9 (2016).

Veteran's Day 10K (Washington, DC): a flat, fast course along Hains Point.  Weather on race day has been superb for the past seven years, with temperatures in the forties or fifties.  1/9 (2015).

15K Races

Jingle All the Way 15K (Washington, DC): a new race that begins at the Washington Monument, goes along Rock Creek Parkway, the Tidal Basin, and Hains Point, and ends at the location of the start.  This course overlaps with much of the St. Patrick's Day 10K and the Cherry Blossom 10-Miler, so it is generally flat with a few rolling hills.  The early December race date means that temperatures are usually in the forties on the morning of the race or possibly cooler.  2/9 (2016).

10-Milers

Army 10-Miler (Arlington, VA): generally flat and fast, with somewhat difficult segments along 14th Street Bridge and along Virginia Avenue (Mile 3).  Temperatures are usually in the fifties at the start.  2/9 (2016).

Cherry Blossom 10-Miler (Washington, DC): very flat course profile, with the exception of the hill on 15th Street at the very end.  Temperatures have not been an issue on race day in recent years; the only weather-related issue to appear since 2010 were the powerful winds in 2016.  The energy level also makes this a great course for a 10-miler PR.  1/9 (2017).

Half-Marathons


Baltimore Running Festival Half-Marathon (Baltimore, MD): first seven miles is essentially one long continuous uphill, but the last 6.1 miles are net downhill with some rolling hills thrown in.  Provided that runners are smart about conserving energy in the first half, a very fast second half is doable.  This race starts one hour and 45 minutes after the 5K.  5/9 (2011).

Colonial Williamsburg Half-Marathon (Williamsburg, VA): very hilly course, particularly in the second half, with much of the race taking place on trails.  The race takes place at 1:00 pm, which has resulted in some warm temperatures in the past few years, especially for February.  6/9 (2014).

Frederick Half-Marathon (Frederick, MD): this course features some rolling hills throughout and a very large one at Mile 12 right before the race track at the end.  Weather can be warm and humid as this takes place in May.  4/9 (2012).

Navy-Air Force Half-Marathon (Washington, DC): a generally flat course with a few rolling hills and a number of turns.  Weather can be a bit of an issue on race day; September in DC can be warm and humid.  3/9 (2015).

Rehoboth Beach Seashore Half-Marathon (Rehoboth Beach, DE): the course is very flat, although Miles 6 through 11 occur largely on crushed gravel paths.  Temperatures are conducive toward a fast time, although the humidity can be high.  3/9 (2014).

Rock and Roll DC Half-Marathon (Washington, DC): some rolling hills, particularly in Mile 7 through Adams Morgan and Mile 12, and one very large, steep hill leading out of Rock Creek Park.  Temperatures are usually conducive for a fast time.  5/9 (2015).

Rock and Roll Philadelphia Half-Marathon (Philadelphia, PA): this course features a few long uphill segments, particularly the one on Fairmount Avenue by the Eastern State Penitentiary.  Weather has been an issue a few times over the past few years; the 2014 and 2016 races took place on unseasonably warm and humid mornings.  4/9 (2016).

Shamrock Half-Marathon (Virginia Beach, VA): very flat course, although strong headwinds are regularly a problem, particularly along the stretch in Miles 7 through 8 through Fort Story.  Temperatures are usually in the forties at the start and typically do not get much higher than the fifties.  2/9 (2016).

Marathons

Baltimore Running Festival Marathon (Baltimore, MD): first three miles is essentially one long continuous uphill, and so are Miles 15 through 20.  Other segments are not particularly easy, such as the miles on the cobblestone right before the UnderArmour Headquarters.  But like the half-marathon, if runners execute the first 20 miles intelligently, a fast final 10K is doable.  The last ten miles of this race coincide with the last ten miles of the half-marathon; the marathon starts one hour and 45 minutes before the half-marathon, so marathoners will be running the last miles of their race with the half-marathoners.  5/9 (2012).

Boston Marathon (Boston, MA): the sum of many little things make this a tricky race, including the net downhill profile, the appearance of the hills between Miles 16 and 21, and the downhills in the last five miles that can thrash your quads even further.  The 0.7 mile walk from the Athlete's Village to the starting corrals can also add a bit of wear to your legs.  If executed correctly and if the weather cooperates, it is possible to run one of your faster times in this race, but the weather in April in Massachusetts can be unpredictable.  If warm and sunny conditions occur on race day, the lack of shade on this course often leads to very difficult conditions.  6/9 (2017).

Chicago Marathon (Chicago, IL): extremely flat course, except for the very small uphill at Mile 26 (Mt. Roosevelt).  Although the 2007 race is forever etched in marathoners' minds for its brutal heat and humidity, temperatures on race morning are often in the forties and fifties.  1/9 (2014).

Hartford Marathon (Hartford, CT): a somewhat fast course with some rolling hills throughout, but many turns and a hairpin turn at Mile 17 and two very cruelly placed long uphill segments in the last mile.  Weather typically is not an issue on race day.  3/9 (2015).

Richmond Marathon (Richmond, VA): generally flat with rolling hills, particularly in the first half, lengthy uphills, and a difficult segment across Lee Bridge (Mile 16).  Temperatures are usually in the forties at the start and typically do not get much higher than the fifties.  3/9 (2016).

Rock and Roll DC Marathon (Washington, DC): this race starts with the half-marathon and the first 20K coincides with the first 20K of the half-marathon course.  The second half is quite difficult, featuring a very hilly last 10K through the streets of Anacostia.  6/9 (2013).

Shamrock Marathon (Virginia Beach, VA): the second half of this marathon coincides with the half-marathon course, but the first half is just as flat but also shielded from the strong headwinds that often make an appearance on race day.  This race starts 90 minutes after the start of the half-marathon.  2/9 (2014).

Wineglass Marathon (Corning, NY): the course is net downhill with a few rolling hills.  Temperatures are generally conducive for a fast time, although higher temperatures and humidity have occurred on race day within the past few years.  2/9 (2013).