Here you go! The incline settings for every quarter mile of the Boston marathon!
Since I have to train for Boston through the winter, despite my research on How to run in slippery conditions, I am driven to the treadmill far too often. I decided to try and make the most of it and provide myself with some distraction by calculating the incline over each quarter mile of the Boston marathon. When I told a friend about this strategy, they asked for a copy of the spreadsheet, so I figured maybe other runners would like it as well. Seems I am not alone, as this post has overtaken Which is harder New York or Boston as my most read post. If you are reading this, I strongly recommend checking out how to make treadmill running more bearable, (please share your own tips in the comments). Good luck in Boston!
How does it work?
My first run on the treadmill I start at mile 0 of the race, when I get to a quarter mile I change the incline to match what it would be on the course, I do this again at 1/2 mile, 3/4 mile and so on until I am done my workout. Then I use a post it note to mark where I finished.
The next time I am on the treadmill I pick up where I left off, so if I ran 6 miles on my first treadmill workout, I start my next treadmill workout with the incline for 6 – 6 1/4 mile stretch of the Boston course.
My treadmill does not do declines, so I compensate by treating downhill as 0% incline, and flat stretches I treat as 1 % incline.
Why do I do it?
Two reasons:
Reason #1 if I am going to be on the treadmill it helps me practice all the different stretches of the course.
Reason #2 it provides a distraction! Every 1/4 mile I am checking and possibly changing the incline. I also have to do math in my head… I started this run at the 6.5 mile mark, I’ve run 3 3/4 miles so I need to change to the incline listed for 10.25 miles. It doesn’t make the treadmill any more fun, but it does provide a distraction.
How did I calculate it?
I printed out the hill profile shown below, and noted the elevation at each quarter mile.
Then I used the formula (change in elevation)/(race distance)*100 to get the % incline for each 1/4 mile.
My treadmill does not support declines so I may the following adjustments for my treadmill training. These values are in the third column of the table
- I added 1% to each incline because I want a baseline of 1% incline for flat stretches of the course
- I set all downhill stretches (negative values) to 0% because my treadmill does not support declines. I figure 0% is the easiest setting on my treadmill so I’ll treat that as downhill.
If you have a treadmill which supports declines, you can use the fourth column showing the actual incline and decline % for each stretch with no adjustments.
Not a lot of flat on the Boston course, so make sure you do your hill training, up hill and down hill!
Check out my runners page for other running related posts include race reports for Boston and a Practical Guide to Boston Marathon weekend to help you plan your trip to the race.
Here you go!
| Miles | Meters | Incline | With Declines |
| 0 | 0 | 0% | -6% |
| 0.25 | 400 | 0% | -5% |
| 0.5 | 800 | 3% | 2% |
| 0.75 | 1.2 | 1% | 0% |
| 1 | 1.6 | 0% | -2% |
| 1.25 | 2 | 1% | 0% |
| 1.5 | 2.4 | 1% | 0% |
| 1.75 | 2.8 | 0% | -2% |
| 2 | 3.2 | 1% | 0% |
| 2.25 | 3.6 | 1% | 0% |
| 2.5 | 4 | 0% | -4% |
| 2.75 | 4.4 | 1% | 0% |
| 3 | 4.8 | 0% | -2% |
| 3.25 | 5.2 | 0% | -2% |
| 3.5 | 5.6 | 0% | -2% |
| 3.75 | 6 | 1% | 0% |
| 4 | 6.4 | 1% | 0% |
| 4.25 | 6.8 | 4% | 3% |
| 4.5 | 7.2 | 1% | 0% |
| 4.75 | 7.6 | 0% | -2% |
| 5 | 8 | 1% | 0% |
| 5.25 | 8.4 | 3% | 0% |
| 5.5 | 8.8 | 0% | -2% |
| 5.75 | 9.2 | 0% | -2% |
| 6 | 9.6 | 0% | -1% |
| 6.25 | 10 | 2% | 1% |
| 6.5 | 10.4 | 1% | 0% |
| 6.75 | 10.8 | 0% | -1% |
| 7 | 11.2 | 1% | 0% |
| 7.25 | 11.6 | 1% | 0% |
| 7.5 | 12 | 3% | 2% |
| 7.75 | 12.4 | 0% | -2% |
| 8 | 12.8 | 1% | 0% |
| 8.25 | 13.2 | 1% | 0% |
| 8.5 | 13.6 | 0% | -1% |
| 8.75 | 14 | 2% | 1% |
| 9 | 14.4 | 0% | -1% |
| 9.25 | 14.8 | 2% | 1% |
| 9.5 | 15.2 | 3% | 2% |
| 9.75 | 15.6 | 1% | 0% |
| 10 | 16 | 2% | 1% |
| 10.25 | 16.4 | 2% | 1% |
| 10.5 | 16.8 | 1% | 0% |
| 10.75 | 17.2 | 1% | 0% |
| 11 | 17.6 | 3% | 2% |
| 11.25 | 18 | 0% | -2% |
| 11.5 | 18.4 | 0% | -2% |
| 11.75 | 18.8 | 0% | -2% |
| 12 | 19.2 | 2% | 1% |
| 12.25 | 19.6 | 1% | 0% |
| 12.5 | 20 | 0% | -1% |
| 12.75 | 20.4 | 2% | 1% |
| 13 | 20.8 | 0% | -1% |
| 13.25 | 21.2 | 0% | -1% |
| 13.5 | 21.6 | 3% | 2% |
| 13.75 | 22 | 0% | -1% |
| 14 | 22.4 | 2% | 1% |
| 14.25 | 22.8 | 1% | 0% |
| 14.5 | 23.2 | 2% | 1% |
| 14.75 | 23.6 | 1% | 0% |
| 15 | 24 | 0% | -1% |
| 15.25 | 24.4 | 1% | 0% |
| 15.5 | 24.8 | 1% | 0% |
| 15.75 | 25.2 | 0% | -7% |
| 16 | 25.6 | 0% | -1% |
| 16.25 | 26 | 3% | 2% |
| 16.5 | 26.4 | 4% | 3% |
| 16.75 | 26.8 | 0% | -2% |
| 17 | 27.2 | 1% | 0% |
| 17.25 | 27.6 | 1% | 0% |
| 17.5 | 28 | 0% | -1% |
| 17.75 | 28.4 | 4% | 3% |
| 18 | 28.8 | 3% | 2% |
| 18.25 | 29.2 | 1% | 0% |
| 18.5 | 29.6 | 0% | -1% |
| 18.75 | 30 | 0% | -1% |
| 19 | 30.4 | 0% | -2% |
| 19.25 | 30.8 | 1% | 0% |
| 19.5 | 31.2 | 5% | 4% |
| 19.75 | 31.6 | 1% | 0% |
| 20 | 32 | 1% | 0% |
| 20.25 | 32.4 | 1% | 0% |
| 20.5 | 32.8 | 3% | 2% |
| 20.75 | 33.2 | 5% | 4% |
| 21 | 33.6 | 0% | -1% |
| 21.25 | 34 | 0% | -3% |
| 21.5 | 34.4 | 0% | -2% |
| 21.75 | 34.8 | 1% | 0% |
| 22 | 35.2 | 1% | 0% |
| 22.25 | 35.6 | 0% | -2% |
| 22.5 | 36 | 0% | -2% |
| 22.75 | 36.4 | 1% | 0% |
| 23 | 36.8 | 2% | 1% |
| 23.25 | 37.2 | 0% | -1% |
| 23.5 | 37.6 | 0% | -2% |
| 23.75 | 38 | 0% | -2% |
| 24 | 38.4 | 0% | -2% |
| 24.25 | 38.8 | 0% | -1% |
| 24.5 | 39.2 | 1% | 0% |
| 24.75 | 39.6 | 0% | -2% |
| 25 | 40 | 3% | 2% |
| 25.25 | 40.4 | 0% | -2% |
| 25.5 | 40.8 | 1% | 0% |
| 25.75 | 41.2 | 0% | -1% |
| 26 | 41.6 | 1% | 0% |
| 26.25 | 42 | 1% | 0% |
HockeyGeekGirl 
Posted by OmniRunner on January 26, 2019 at 2:06 PM
Great idea. People think the hills are so steep, but the maximum incline is only about 5%. Doesn’t sound so bad, but at mile 21 it sure feels harsh!
Posted by susanibach on January 26, 2019 at 3:21 PM
Very true… the challenge with Boston isn’t that there is an individual hill that gets you, it’s the multiple back to back hills in Newton. My first Boston I made the classic mistake, too fast at the start because of the nice downhill, then in the Newton hills managed the first two and had to walk for part of heartbreak. Second Boston I increased my hill training and was able to run all the Newton hills. And all too often people forget to train for the downhills… that little dip at the underpass in the last mile has destroyed many a quad!
Posted by OmniRunner on January 28, 2019 at 8:44 PM
You would think running down hill would be easy. Lol. I hate that dip.
Posted by susanibach on January 29, 2019 at 12:49 PM
The only good thing about that dip is you know it comes just before right on Hereford left on Boylston
Posted by Theresa on December 30, 2019 at 7:49 PM
Actually I use the maps feature on my treadmill and there are sections of the course with a much steeper incline than 6%. But what makes it challenging is that the beginning you have some steep downhills which people take for granted, trash their quads and not realize it till its too late, then the hills come!
Posted by susanibach on December 31, 2019 at 9:58 AM
IT would not surprise me that the inclines are not 100% accurate, given all I had was the elevation profile printed out on a sheet of paper! And yes part of the challenge of Boston is not going out too fast and burning out your quads on that opening downhill! Train for the uphill AND the downhill! If I ever replace my treadmill, I”m buying one which supports declines 🙂
Posted by Melissa Brady on February 8, 2019 at 7:04 AM
I plan to calculate the downhills because I have access to a treadmill that goes down to negative 3 decline level. What number do you actually use for the bottom of the formula (race distance)? Is this 26.2 miles coverted into feet? Help much appreciated!
Posted by susanibach on February 12, 2019 at 9:12 AM
I calculated using 400 meter increments, treating each 400 meters as 0.25 miles If you do calculate the declines please share, I’ll provide an alternate version of the table with the declines… Unfortunately I just looked at my original spreadsheet and apparently I deleted the original elevations per 400 meter and just kept the incline calculation results. Otherwise I would have shared them here.
Posted by susanibach on March 9, 2019 at 8:03 PM
Hi Melissa, I found the original elevations, so I have updated the post to include the declines. Hope that helps, and if you are running Boston this year (2019) good luck! I’ll be there too!
Posted by Vickson Domue on October 7, 2019 at 8:34 AM
I would like to run the Boston marathon. I am good at the treadmill running. I will have to make a program to travel there.
Posted by susanibach on October 7, 2019 at 10:23 AM
Good luck! Hope you make it
Posted by Boston marathon 2021 the Role Playing Game Race Report | HockeyGeekGirl on October 14, 2021 at 9:34 PM
[…] of Boston and New York marathons, the practical guide to Boston marathon weekend (pre-COVID), or Boston marathon treadmill settings visit my page of running related […]
Posted by Marathon Training on the Dreaded Treadmill – Jennifer Heiner-Pisano on February 9, 2022 at 5:59 AM
[…] https://susanibach.wordpress.com/2019/01/13/treadmill-settings-to-train-for-boston-marathon-hills/ […]
Posted by Jessica Baker on February 24, 2022 at 7:09 PM
This is amazing. I live in Canada and preparing for my first marathon. I ran a half marathon about 5 years ago. And I hated every moment. I did a lot of training outdoors. And I found it challenging to maintain my training plan and that being said I didn’t have a good one. I just ran long distances 4-5 x a week. I didn’t have a good grasp on how training works. I wanted to break the 2 hour mark but was spent at 16-17km. Didn’t think I could push through. I didn’t think I would ever do it again. I did finish the race at 2 hours and 4 minutes! I was sad by the time as I really wanted to break the two hour mark. But my training was clearly lacking! But I have recently
Found love for running again and using the peloton app has made a world of a difference! I plan to do most of my training on the treadmill as this is what works for me and my family. I have been researching many ways to adjust the treadmill to get the best training. So thank you for this. This was very helpful
Posted by susanibach on March 19, 2022 at 3:06 PM
glad you’ve found a training plan that works for you! Yes it’s tough training outdoors in Canada, and I do find that changing my hill settings also breaks up the monotony of the treadmill. Good luck!
Posted by Mike on December 10, 2022 at 12:42 PM
What’s happening there at 15.25 miles? If the treadmill does declines, it’s -7%, but if it doesn’t, it’s +1%? This makes no sense, and there are a few of these kinds of discrepancies in the 15th and 16th miles on this chart. This is useful information to have overall (thank you), but it seems like there are some obvious mistakes in this chart.
Posted by susanibach on December 31, 2022 at 5:05 PM
Hi Mike,
Sorry it took me so long to reply, great catch,I think I’ve fixed everything now. I can’t just copy and paste from the spreadsheet so I must have made a few mistakes when transcribing.