Elevation Course Report

The North Shore Inline Marathon starts in Two Harbors and follows old Highway 61 along Lake Superior to Duluth. In Duluth the course follows London Road, I-35, 5th Avenue West and finishes in front of the William Irvin ore boat next to the DECC.

The large majority of the course is very smooth. However, London Road has a few cracks and some intermittent patches of rough pavement and I-35 is “grooved” which causes some vibration. Be careful of the expansion joint at the top of Lemon Drop Hill (26th Ave East) and on the bridge at 5th Ave West.

The course is generally flat but there are some highs and lows with inclines and declines in between. The highest point on the course is the start at about 170 feet above Lake Superior and the lowest point is the finish at about 6.5” feet above the Lake. The steepest incline is going up Lemon Drop Hill just before 26th Ave West and the start of I-35. Starting at mile 22.2 the course rises 37’ over 2,376’ of run resulting in an uphill grade of 1.56%. The next steepest incline is leading up to 5th Ave West which starts at mile 25.3, rises 24’ over 1,584’ of run with an uphill grade of 1.53%. Another steep climb is after the course leaves the Knife River bridge at mile 5.9 and rises 29’ over 2,640’ of run for an uphill grade of 1.1%. The longest continuous incline starts after the Shoreview Supper Club at mile 10.4 and rises 29’ over 5,808’ of run for a very slight uphill grade of .5%. The good news is that the course has more downhill runs than uphill due to the fact that in total the course drops a total of about 160 feet. The steepest decline is right after the 5th Avenue West bridge at mile 25.5 which drops 31’ over 1,584’ of run for a downhill grade of 1.93%. Another notable decline starts at mile 2.4 and drops 40’ over 2,640’ of run for a downhill grade of 1.53%. Perhaps the most notable decline is at the start where the course drops 47’ over 3,168’ of run for a downhill grade of 1.47%. I-35 at mile 22.6 drops 70’ over 5,016’ of run for a downhill grade of 1.41%. Just prior to the Shoreview Supper Club at mile 9.7 the course drops 58’ over 4,224’ of run for a grade of 1.37%. The longest continuous decline is between the French River and Lakeview Castle, starting at mile 12.6 and dropping 25’ over 6,336’ of run for a very slight downhill grade of .4%.

The wind direction and wind speed probably has a bigger impact on individual finish times than the inclines and declines. The best wind direction for race day is out of the east or northeast. Obviously, if the wind is out of the west or southwest be prepared for a tougher go of it.

I would like to acknowledge Paul Johnston and Cirrus Design Corporation for Paul’s time and the use of a Trimble Differential GPS Unit for collecting the elevation data.