Quick answer: on a hilly course, even pace means working harder on every climb. Even effort means a slower pace uphill and a faster one downhill, adding up to the same finish time. This planner spreads your goal over the course in proportion to the energy each piece of hill costs, using the slope measurements of Minetti and colleagues (2002).
How to use it
Download the course as a GPX file. Most race websites link one, and you can export a route from Strava, Garmin Connect or any route planner. Choose the file, type your goal and pick miles or kilometres. Nothing is uploaded: the file is read in your browser.
If the GPX track is a little longer or shorter than the official distance (common with drawn routes), choose the official race length so the splits are stretched to fit it. If the file has no elevation data, the planner falls back to even pace and says so.
Why even effort
Running uphill costs much more energy per metre than running on the flat, and gentle downhills cost less. In Minetti's measurements the cost on the flat was 3.6 J per kg per metre; at a 10% climb it is about 6.0, and at a 10% descent about 2.2 (computed from the published equation). A pace that ignores the hills asks for extra effort on every climb, which many runners pay for later in the race. Spreading the time by cost keeps the effort level instead.
Smoothing
GPS elevation is noisy, and small jumps look like steep grades. The planner resamples the track every 10 m and averages elevation over a short window. Normal smoothing suits most courses; choose light for short, sharp hills you know are real, and strong for a jumpy file.
What it does not model
Wind, heat, tight turns, crowds at the start and very steep downhills where you have to brake are not in the model. Minetti's equation was measured between about -45% and +45% grade, and grades outside that are capped. Treat the splits as a plan to start conservatively, not a promise.
For a flat course, the marathon pace chart and pace band generator are quicker. For a single hill pace, use the grade-adjusted pace calculator.
Sources: Minetti et al. (2002), Energy cost of walking and running at extreme uphill and downhill slopes, J Appl Physiol. Rules checked . Found a problem? Tell us.
Questions
Where do I get a GPX file of my race course?
Most race websites publish the course map with a GPX download. Otherwise draw the route in a route planner and export it as GPX, or download a previous year's activity from a runner who shared it.
Is my GPX file uploaded?
No. The file is read by your browser and the splits are calculated on your device. Nothing is sent to a server.
Should I run even pace or even effort on a hilly course?
Even effort is the usual advice on courses with real hills: a little slower up, a little faster down. On a flat course the two are the same.