I’m looking to run a marathon sometime with a huge net drop. What are some of these races? I know of a few: St. George, Tucson, and Big Cottonwood Canyon. Are there any others?
Not as much elevation drop but California International Marathon (CIM) is net-downhill, I think you lose about 400ft. It’s also a boston qualifier.
Can’t help you with the downhill 
marathon, but here’s a nice downhill swim:
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Comrades, but that is longer than a marathon.
Apparently much harder when it is downhill too.
I’m looking to run a marathon sometime with a huge net drop. What are some of these races? I know of a few: St. George, Tucson, and Big Cottonwood Canyon. Are there any others?
The Loch Ness Marathon claims about 300 meters of net drop, almost all in the first half. The key word there is “net,” though, as that climb at mile 18 is memorable.
Steamtown and Poconos Run for the Red both have pretty significant decreases in elevation. Both are run in/around Scranton, PA. One is run in the spring, the other, fall.
http://www.torontomarathon.com/
http://www.mississaugamarathon.com/
Conveniently on the same day, about 30km from each other 
They both start up the hill from Lake Ontario and finish at the lake. The Toronto one drops from about 180m to about 80m, so about 100m (300ft), but there’s climbs as well. Mississauga drops a bit less I think (digging through my Garmin Connect log appears to contradict that though), but definitely has less climbing.
ha ha
i didn’t see you listed LCW. its also on my “some day” list.
The full marathon has a net downhill of 5300 feet, with minimal uphill and a 500-foot net drop even after the canyon portion of the race. The average grade in the canyon is 5%, and outside the canyon there is still an average grade of 1%.
there is a half in Colorado. Georgetown to ID Springs. its a ramp.
Pocatello. It’s USATF certified as a Boston qualifier… but it will probably hurt.
http://www.pocatellomarathon.com/uploads/resources/2008PocatelloMarathonCourse.pdf
It’s Aug 31 and registration is still open!
http://elpasomarathon.org/courses/full. Net loss of 1500ft in the first 4.5mi. A lot of people (orgs included) initially thought it was going to be fast. I thought it
was a stupid idea…4.5mi of downhill, going fast, eccentric contractions…and hurt like a mofo the last 10mi. Talking with some who ran it, I was correct.
This is where you start:
Run for the red does have net but the last 10 miles are a bugger. It is not an easy course - scenic but not easy.
I would look at the Top of Utah Marathon in Logan. Down hill to mile 17 - nice and gentle, then mostly flat with a few short hills at the end. Really well run and scenic as well.
A few colorado marathons have a some sizeable net drops.
The one on the Pikes Peak trail in C-Springs, I believe Steamtown, and maybe even Fort Collins.
Colorado Marathon in Fort Collins. Its not all downhill, but the first 16 miles go down about 1000ft.
The SoCo Marathon in Utah (near Salt Lake)
The Montana Marathon (Billings MT)
Both of those are borderline illegal because there is so much drop, but are still Boston Qualifiers.
Here’s a good reference table that you may peruse as well:
American Discovery Trail Marathon in COS - not a huge downhill - just gradual. But.a nice semi fast course. There are some pretty steep punchy little hills scattered throughout.
BQ standard should adjust for elevation, so many people using these cheater marathons to get in.
thus the rule should be:
If net drop, your required BQ time should be -5min, if net gain, you get an extra 5 min in your age qualifying time.
I dunno. There are much more ‘tame’ profiles that are quite a bit faster than either of these two marathons. If I were to recommend a race or two to chase time, I’d recommend the Napa Valley Marathon, or like someone else has mentioned, the California International. Those two are FAST, really well organized, and great destinations.
I generally believe that the Boston Qualification standards are too soft across the board and would like to see them similar to New York’s, but adjusting just because of elevation drop would open a can of worms (particularly when Boston has a notable drop as well). Would there also be adjustments made for weather if it’s 90, or 20, what about wind and rain, or even snow, what about marathons that are run at higher elevations like RnR Denver or any of the Black Hills Marathons, shouldn’t those races have qualifiers adjusted the other way? What about a race like Big Sur? No terrible net drop there, but you’ve got to know that the 13 hills in the last 13 miles zaps the sting out of your legs.
The fastest courses will never be these monster drop races. In reality, a course with a few uphills will help a runner recruit and utilize muscles a little differently and postpone fatigue. IMHO a gentle rolling downhill (like Napa Valley) are really ideal.
St. George is fast IF you have done a lot of downhill running in preparation. Otherwise, you will be like me and hit 20 miles and by 21 your quads are seized and you shuffle the last six miles.
Chad
Hamilton Marathon drops 450ish feet in the first 10K and then is pancake flat for the last 11.1KM and it is a BQ. Plus it is early November so you don’t have to worry about heat, worst case is it is in the low 50’s