Schematic, not a course profile. The slope is the real net gradient from start to finish; the hatching is total climbing, drawn evenly because we don't yet hold where on the course it falls.
Race morning
38→46 °F
Race-morning temperatureRace-morning temperature · Medium confidenceOpen-Meteo historical archive10-year history at the start line, sampled at the race start hour.Checked Jul 17, 2026Where this can be wrong: A normal is not a forecast. Any individual year can sit well outside it — this is the centre of the distribution, not a promise.
BMW Berlin · 58°FGrandma's · 55°FRBC Brooklyn Half · 60°FEugene · 45°FTCS London · 48°FBig Sur International · 53°FBoston · 49°FMountains 2 Beach · 54°FShamrock Virginia Beach · 48°FUnited Airlines NYC Half · 40°FTokyo · 48°FASICS LA · 52°FPublix Gasparilla · 60°FA1A (Fort Lauderdale) · 67°FA1A Half (Fort Lauderdale) · 67°FAscension Seton Austin · 46°FMesa · 50°FSurfside Beach Half · 55°FSurfside Beach · 55°FLife Time Miami Half · 67°FLife Time Miami · 68°FNaples · 60°FAramco Houston Half · 50°FKey West · 70°FChevron Houston · 47°FWalt Disney World · 55°FAmeris Bank Jacksonville · 50°FCalifornia International · 41°FSpace Coast Half · 62°FSpace Coast · 62°FTIAA Philadelphia · 42°FAllianz Richmond · 37°FCNO Indianapolis Monumental Half · 38°FCNO Financial Indianapolis Monumental · 44°FTCS NYC · 51°FMarine Corps · 48°FDetroit Free Press · 46°FBank of America Chicago · 56°FChicago · 60°F
25°F90°F
Cooler than 95% of the 39 races we track.
Dew point at the startDew point at the start · Medium confidenceOpen-Meteo historical archive10-year history at the start line, sampled at the race start hour.Checked Jul 17, 2026Where this can be wrong: Same caveat as temperature, and dew point varies more between years than temperature does.
BMW Berlin · 48°FGrandma's · 48°FRBC Brooklyn Half · 50°FEugene · 43°FTCS London · 40°FBig Sur International · 48°FBoston · 41°FMountains 2 Beach · 47°FShamrock Virginia Beach · 38°FUnited Airlines NYC Half · 28°FTokyo · 38°FASICS LA · 48°FPublix Gasparilla · 52°FA1A (Fort Lauderdale) · 58°FA1A Half (Fort Lauderdale) · 58°FAscension Seton Austin · 42°FMesa · 32°FSurfside Beach Half · 48°FSurfside Beach · 48°FLife Time Miami Half · 60°FLife Time Miami · 62°FNaples · 52°FAramco Houston Half · 40°FKey West · 62°FChevron Houston · 39°FWalt Disney World · 50°FAmeris Bank Jacksonville · 40°FCalifornia International · 40°FSpace Coast Half · 55°FSpace Coast · 55°FTIAA Philadelphia · 34°FAllianz Richmond · 31°FCNO Indianapolis Monumental Half · 30°FCNO Financial Indianapolis Monumental · 38°FTCS NYC · 43°FMarine Corps · 42°FDetroit Free Press · 39°FBank of America Chicago · 50°FChicago · 52°F
10°F78°F
Drier than 92% of the 39 races we track. Dew point, not humidity — it's what actually caps how fast you can shed heat.
Climbing per mileClimbing per mile · Medium confidenceThe race's published course dataTotal elevation gain divided by 26.2 miles.Checked Jul 17, 2026Where this can be wrong: Total gain only. We don't hold where on the course the climbing falls, so a course with one steep wall and one with constant rollers can share this number.
BMW Berlin · 9 ft/miGrandma's · 16 ft/miRBC Brooklyn Half · 20 ft/miEugene · 22 ft/miTCS London · 10 ft/miBig Sur International · 70 ft/miBoston · 31 ft/miMountains 2 Beach · 9 ft/miShamrock Virginia Beach · 2 ft/miUnited Airlines NYC Half · 44 ft/miTokyo · 9 ft/miASICS LA · 36 ft/miPublix Gasparilla · 8 ft/miA1A (Fort Lauderdale) · 4 ft/miA1A Half (Fort Lauderdale) · 5 ft/miAscension Seton Austin · 38 ft/miMesa · 9 ft/miSurfside Beach Half · 1 ft/miSurfside Beach · 1 ft/miLife Time Miami Half · 6 ft/miLife Time Miami · 16 ft/miNaples · 2 ft/miAramco Houston Half · 6 ft/miKey West · 1 ft/miChevron Houston · 8 ft/miWalt Disney World · 14 ft/miAmeris Bank Jacksonville · 4 ft/miCalifornia International · 24 ft/miSpace Coast Half · 3 ft/miSpace Coast · 3 ft/miTIAA Philadelphia · 25 ft/miAllianz Richmond · 22 ft/miCNO Indianapolis Monumental Half · 7 ft/miCNO Financial Indianapolis Monumental · 12 ft/miTCS NYC · 32 ft/miMarine Corps · 25 ft/miDetroit Free Press · 10 ft/miBank of America Chicago · 9 ft/miChicago · 11 ft/mi
0 ft160 ft
Flatter than only 15% of the 39 races we track.
Climate: 10-year history · Open-Meteo historical archive, sampled at the start line and start hour. The morning band is climatology plus uniform typical post-dawn warming, not a measured hourly series. Elevation from the race's published course data.
What the Mercedes-Benz Marathon Birmingham really costs
A first marathon costs more than the entry fee — budget the whole weekend before you commit.
Entry fee
Entry fee · Medium confidenceThe organiser's registration pageThe price listed when this race was catalogued.Checked Jul 17, 2026Where this can be wrong: Most races raise the fee in tiers as race day approaches, so this is a floor rather than what you'll pay later.
Travel + 3 hotel nights (est.)
~$560from South Florida
All-in cost against the catalogAll-in cost estimate · Low confidenceMarathon Compass travel modelEntry plus travel and 3 hotel nights, estimated from South Florida.Where this can be wrong: A crude model, not a quote. It assumes one origin — if you don't fly from South Florida the travel half is close to meaningless for you.
BMW Berlin · ~$2,010Grandma's · ~$1,150RBC Brooklyn Half · ~$1,045Eugene · ~$1,255TCS London · ~$2,065Big Sur International · ~$1,655Boston · ~$1,505Mountains 2 Beach · ~$1,265Shamrock Virginia Beach · ~$740United Airlines NYC Half · ~$1,060Tokyo · ~$2,700ASICS LA · ~$1,255Publix Gasparilla · ~$281A1A (Fort Lauderdale) · ~$145A1A Half (Fort Lauderdale) · ~$120Ascension Seton Austin · ~$780Mesa · ~$950Surfside Beach Half · ~$312Surfside Beach · ~$590Life Time Miami Half · ~$175Life Time Miami · ~$215Naples · ~$178Aramco Houston Half · ~$398Key West · ~$169Chevron Houston · ~$720Walt Disney World · ~$645Ameris Bank Jacksonville · ~$340California International · ~$1,150Space Coast Half · ~$175Space Coast · ~$260TIAA Philadelphia · ~$860Allianz Richmond · ~$750CNO Indianapolis Monumental Half · ~$415CNO Financial Indianapolis Monumental · ~$750TCS NYC · ~$1,525Marine Corps · ~$1,170Detroit Free Press · ~$755Bank of America Chicago · ~$1,120Chicago · ~$705
$0$2,700
Cheaper than 62% of the 39 races we price. Entry plus travel and 3 hotel nights, estimated from South Florida.
The original five-axis composite. It's kept for continuity and for the methodology page, but it mixes how hard a race is to run with how hard it is to enter — which is why the four dimensions above lead instead.
8.5/ 10 composite
Field6.5
Field size and pacing support on course.
Travel7.0
Distance and cost of getting there from home.
Terrain7.7
Climb and net gradient — how hard the ground is.
Climate10.0
Typical race-morning heat and dew point.
Logistics10.0
How hard it is to get an entry.
Double loop. Affordable. Rolling hills.
The verdict
Best forPrime BQ course
Course difficultyForgiving
Planning frictionLow friction
Est. course effect+11:44 to +24:22
First-timer score8.6/10
If a Boston qualifier is the goal this cycle, Mesa Marathon is the stronger application on the same fitness — we estimate roughly 19 minutes between the two courses.
Race morning · 10-year history
Start temp
38 °F
Dew point
31 °F
Precipitation
0 mm
Typical race-morning total
Field size
3,500
Official pacers on course
Getting in · getting there
Entryopen · $115
Registration closes—
Trip estimate~$675
About the Mercedes-Benz Marathon Birmingham
The Mercedes-Benz Marathon Birmingham is a marathon held in Birmingham, AL on February 14, 2027 (projected — not yet officially announced). With a Green Score of 8.5/10, it's one of the easier, more beginner-friendly US races. The course is mostly flat (~28 ft of gain per mile). Typical race-day weather is a cool 38°F, dew point ~31°F (10-year history, Open-Meteo historical archive). It is a Boston-qualifying course. Entry is around $115. Marathon Compass rates every race across terrain, climate, logistics, travel, and field size so you can find the one that fits you — and build a training plan tuned to your fitness.
What the heat costs you at the Mercedes-Benz Marathon Birmingham
A typical race morning here scores 69 on the temperature-plus-dew-point scale our pace engine runs daily (38°F + 31°F, 10-year history (Open-Meteo)) — a 0% pace penalty. Heat should not be a factor at the Mercedes-Benz Marathon Birmingham in a typical year — race your fitness.
100
130
150
69 — typical race morning at the Mercedes-Benz Marathon Birmingham on the temp+dew scale (100 = no penalty · 130 = +2% · 150 = +4.5%)
Method: temp°F + dew°F lookup from the heat-adjustment chart our training plans use daily. Sign in to see this adjustment applied to your own projected finish.
Boston qualification status
Penalty-free Boston qualifierPenalty-free
Net descent of ~0 ft is well under the BAA's 1,500 ft adjustment threshold. Your clock time is your application time.
Computed under the BAA's downhill rules for the 2027 qualifying window (announced Sept 2025; verified July 2026): net start-to-finish descent of 1,500–2,999 ft adds 5:00, 3,000–5,999 ft adds 10:00, and 6,000 ft or more is not accepted. Net descent here is derived from our course elevation data — the BAA's official course designation controls. Sign in to see your projected finish graded against your age-group standard and the realistic acceptance cutoff.
Stay within walking distance of the start corrals — a 6am rideshare on race morning is a gamble. Book a refundable rate now and forget about it; inventory tightens in the final month. The links below are pre-filled for race weekend (February 12, 2027 → February 15, 2027).
Some hotel and book links may earn us a commission, at no extra cost to you. Official registration is never an affiliate.
Next
Plan the day itself.
When to wake up, when the corral closes, and the exact clock time Mercedes-Benz Marathon Birmingham spectators should be at each split for your goal pace — plus a link you can send to whoever's coming to watch.
Every figure on this page, what it came from, and where it can be wrong. Ordered least-trustworthy first — the estimates are the ones worth checking yourself before they cost you money or a race.
Figure
Source
Checked
Confidence
All-in cost estimate
Marathon Compass travel modelA crude model, not a quote. It assumes one origin — if you don't fly from South Florida the travel half is close to meaningless for you.
Open-Meteo historical archiveA normal is not a forecast. Any individual year can sit well outside it — this is the centre of the distribution, not a promise.
Jul 17, 2026
Medium confidence
Dew point at the start
Open-Meteo historical archiveSame caveat as temperature, and dew point varies more between years than temperature does.
Jul 17, 2026
Medium confidence
Climbing per mile
The race's published course dataTotal gain only. We don't hold where on the course the climbing falls, so a course with one steep wall and one with constant rollers can share this number.
Jul 17, 2026
Medium confidence
Net gradient
The race's published course dataDrives the BAA downhill adjustment, so an error here changes the Boston verdict. Their official course designation is what actually counts.
Jul 17, 2026
Medium confidence
Entry fee
The organiser's registration pageMost races raise the fee in tiers as race day approaches, so this is a floor rather than what you'll pay later.
Jul 17, 2026
Medium confidence
Field size
The organiser or published resultsField sizes drift year to year and entries sold are not finishers.
Jul 17, 2026
Medium confidence
Fees, dates and qualifying rules change often, and we would rather hear it from you than have it sit here wrong — report incorrect information.