the hills are real: what "rolling" means on the kalamazoo course

By PaceKit Team · Updated April 2026

The Kalamazoo Marathon is a Boston qualifier, but it is not a flat course. Multiple runners have noted this with varying degrees of surprise, and one review captured the consensus: "Yes, the hills are real."

The course rolls through Kalamazoo's neighborhoods, parks, and trails with frequent short climbs and descents that never let you fully settle into a metronomic rhythm. There's no single massive climb (no Hurricane Point, no Heartbreak Hill), but the cumulative effect of constant rolling terrain over 26.2 miles is real. The hills around Upjohn Park and the Winchell Neighborhood are the most frequently cited. There's an uphill approaching the finish that arrives late enough to be memorable.

For runners from flat states (Illinois, Indiana, Ohio), the hills at Kalamazoo can feel disproportionate because they're unexpected. The race is certified as a BQ course, which leads many runners to assume "flat." The correct description is "rolling," and rolling in southwest Michigan means 20 to 40 foot grade changes that appear every mile or two, interspersed with flat stretches along the trails and through downtown.

The practical advice: train some hills. Not mountain hills, just 2 to 3% grade repeats that simulate constant undulation. If you come from a flat-training environment and show up expecting Carmel or Glass City, the rolling terrain will cost you time and energy. If you've trained on rolling terrain, the course is manageable and the hills add variety that flat courses don't have.

The Portage Creek Bicentennial Park Trail section is the most sheltered, flattest portion of the course and provides a welcome change from the road hills. Use it to recover and settle your breathing before the final push to Bronson Park.