Avenue of the Giants Marathon: Pacing & Race-Day Strategy
A flat, shaded run beneath thousand-year-old redwoods along the Eel River.
- Where:
- Humboldt Redwoods, California
- When:
- May
- Course:
- Flat · redwoods
- Best run as:
- Even pace
Course & elevation
Avenue of the Giants is flat and fast, winding beneath the towering old-growth redwoods of Humboldt Redwoods State Park on a shaded out-and-back beside the Eel River. The cool canopy, soft grade, and quiet rural setting make it a serene PR course — one run as much for the cathedral of trees as for the clock.
- Start → Finish
- 150 → 148 ft
- Net
- −2 ft
- Total gain
- ≈ 250 ft
Key moments
- Mile 1–6Flat, shaded miles under the redwood canopy — settle in and savor the quiet.
- Mile 13An out-and-back turnaround beside the Eel River; check your effort before the return.
- Mile 20–26.2Cool, level miles back through the giants — hold goal pace to the finish.
Pacing strategy
A flat, even-effort course where steady goal pace is the whole game. The deep shade keeps temperatures down, so you can run honest splits start to finish — just don’t get so lost in the scenery that you drift off pace.
Plan your mile splits
Enter your goal time to get a mile-by-mile pacing band for Avenue of the Giants Marathon. The even pace option is pre-selected to suit this course.
| Mile | Pace | Elapsed |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9:09/mi | 9:09 |
| 2 | 9:09/mi | 18:18 |
| 3 | 9:09/mi | 27:28 |
| 4 | 9:09/mi | 36:37 |
| 5 | 9:09/mi | 45:46 |
| 6 | 9:09/mi | 54:55 |
| 7 | 9:09/mi | 1:04:05 |
| 8 | 9:09/mi | 1:13:14 |
| 9 | 9:09/mi | 1:22:23 |
| 10 | 9:09/mi | 1:31:32 |
| 11 | 9:09/mi | 1:40:41 |
| 12 | 9:09/mi | 1:49:51 |
| 13 | 9:09/mi | 1:59:00 |
| 14 | 9:09/mi | 2:08:09 |
| 15 | 9:09/mi | 2:17:18 |
| 16 | 9:09/mi | 2:26:28 |
| 17 | 9:09/mi | 2:35:37 |
| 18 | 9:09/mi | 2:44:46 |
| 19 | 9:09/mi | 2:53:55 |
| 20 | 9:09/mi | 3:03:05 |
| 21 | 9:09/mi | 3:12:14 |
| 22 | 9:09/mi | 3:21:23 |
| 23 | 9:09/mi | 3:30:32 |
| 24 | 9:09/mi | 3:39:41 |
| 25 | 9:09/mi | 3:48:51 |
| 26 | 9:09/mi | 3:58:00 |
| 26.22 | 9:09/mi | 4:00:00 |
Fueling & hydration
Aid stations appear roughly every 2 miles with water and sports drink along the out-and-back. The level rhythm and cool canopy make a fixed gel schedule easy to keep; the shade keeps fluid needs modest but steady.
Weather
Mid-May in the Humboldt redwoods is cool and often damp (40s–50s°F), with the dense canopy holding morning mist — fast, comfortable racing weather beneath the trees.
Train for Avenue of the Giants Marathon
Build a free, personalized marathon plan that progresses you safely to race day — with paces tuned to your goal.
Create your free plan