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RUNNERS LAB

Hills and elevation calculators

Hill pace, grade board, elevation gain, VAM, hill repeats, trail pace, and elevation-adjusted finish estimates.

Last reviewed 25 August 2026

Hills tools answer grade and elevation questions that flat pace boards leave out. The hills board starts from a flat target pace and a grade percent, then fills hill paces, finish clocks on the grade, and elevation gain across common distances. Hill pace and flat-equivalent pace use the same Minetti 2002 energy-cost model as grade-adjusted pace.

Elevation gain and gain per kilometre are arithmetic on the metres and distance you type. Vertical speed and VAM report climbing rate in m/h and ft/h. Hill repeats turn a flat effort, grade, repeat distance, rest, and reps into a session clock.

Uphill race prediction and elevation-adjusted finish times apply an average-grade multiplier to a flat clock. Trail versus road uses a factor you enter. None of these pages fetch GPS elevation. Course profiles, heat, and pacing strategy are not in the math.