Methodology
How we score races.
Every race on MarathonHelp carries four core ratings: PB potential, beginner-friendliness, elevation profile, and qualification pathway. This page documents what each rating means and how it's assigned.
PB potential (1–5)
A composite rating of how fast the course rides. We weight three factors: elevation profile, typical race-day conditions, and field quality (pace makers, depth at the front, surface). A fast course with regular heatwaves drops a tier; a moderate course with reliable cool weather climbs one.
| Score | Label | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| 5/5 | Elite PB course | World-record-eligible flat-and-fast. Berlin, Valencia, Chicago. |
| 4/5 | Strong PB course | Low net elevation gain, generally favourable weather, fast field. Frankfurt, Seville, Rotterdam. |
| 3/5 | Solid course | Mostly flat with a few honest hills, or weather variance. London, Tokyo, Copenhagen. |
| 2/5 | Challenging course | Notable climbs, heat exposure, or wind. Boston, NYC, Athens. |
| 1/5 | Brutal course | Major elevation, altitude, or extreme conditions. Trail courses generally land here for PB purposes. |
Beginner-friendly (1–5)
How welcoming the race is to a first-time marathoner. The signal includes cutoff time, on-course support, crowd density, weather predictability, and overall logistics. PB potential and beginner-friendliness are intentionally independent — Boston is a 2/5 for beginners but a 2/5 for PB potential as well. London is 3/5 on PB potential but 4/5 for beginners.
| Score | Label | What that means |
|---|---|---|
| 5/5 | Ideal first marathon | Generous cutoff, flat profile, strong crowd support, mature logistics. |
| 4/5 | Very beginner-friendly | Welcoming but with one or two factors (weather, late finish cutoff) to plan around. |
| 3/5 | Beginner-capable | Doable as a first marathon for prepared runners; not actively designed for newcomers. |
| 2/5 | Better as a second | Logistics, hills, or climate are demanding enough that first-timers should think twice. |
| 1/5 | Not for beginners | Trail, altitude, brutal climate, or strict qualification — first marathons should look elsewhere. |
Elevation profile
Elevation gain is the total ascent over 42.195 km, measured in metres. We use it to power the elevation-adjusted pace band and to feed PB-potential. Five bands:
- ·< 100 m Flat — Berlin, Valencia, Chicago. Negligible elevation impact on pacing.
- ·100–250 m Rolling-flat — London, Frankfurt, Tokyo. A handful of bridges or gentle climbs.
- ·250–500 m Rolling — Honest course profile. Boston, Athens, Cape Town.
- ·500–1000 m Hilly — Real climbing. Stockholm, Reykjavik, trail-adjacent courses.
- ·> 1000 m Mountainous — Trail/mountain marathons. Pace bands here are advisory, not prescriptive.
Qualification pathways
The qualifier checker uses the official published standards from the Boston Athletic Association and London Marathon Events, by age group and gender, as the baseline.
- ·Boston (BQ). Meeting the standard for your age group gets you into the registration lottery — but the actual cutoff has run roughly 5 minutes faster than the published standard in recent years. We surface that buffer alongside the raw result.
- ·London Good For Age. Hitting the published time secures a GFA entry, subject to the annual cap. The checker shows your time vs. the standard and the margin.
- ·Other majors. Berlin, Chicago, Tokyo, and NYC have their own qualifying times — we don't currently check those automatically, but each race detail page documents the standard.
How often this changes
Race scores are reviewed each season as conditions, course changes, and qualification standards evolve. Boston's BQ standards tightened by five minutes in 2020 and again in 2025; London's GFA standards have moved twice in the same period. When standards change, we update the data — old records aren't deleted, just superseded.
How are these scores used to recommend races?
Once each race carries an honest rating, the recommendation engine combines those signals with your goals, timeline, and history. See the full scoring breakdown.
How recommendations work →