The short answer
The best Racecast alternatives depend on what you need. MeteoPace builds a deeper split-by-split race plan, Wyndo shows free start-line history and a cited heat calculator, FindMyMarathon times named races to your goal, and TrueEffort reads your own route file. RunFast's free Map your run adds heat stress for every kilometre at your pace.
Key takeaways
- Racecast is strong for named races, with free forecasts, a RunScore and a $9 Race Plan.
- Its Comrades page draws on one year of data, and you can't plan your own route file.
- MeteoPace goes deepest on splits; Wyndo and FindMyMarathon are free for named races.
- For your own route file, try TrueEffort Pro or RunFast's free Map your run.
Feature check
What each one actually shows a runner, side by side.
| Tool | Best for | Price (as of October 2026) | Own route | Min:sec pace | Dew point | Heat stress |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Racecast | Named races, with one weather score and a paid race plan | Forecasts free; Race Plan $9 once | – | ✓ | ✓ | ◐ |
| MeteoPace | A detailed split-by-split plan for a supported race | Free preview; Race Pass $8.99; Pro $9.99 a month (US App Store) | – | ✓ | ? | ◐ |
| Wyndo | Free start-line race history and a cited heat pace calculator | Free; no paid tier shown | – | ✓ | ✓ | ◐ |
| FindMyMarathon | Free weather at your start wave and goal time for named marathons | Free | – | – | ✓ | – |
| TrueEffort | Hill-adjusted splits from your own route file on iPhone | Free; Pro $0.99 a month, $8.99 a year or $19.99 lifetime (US App Store) | ✓ | ✓ | ? | ? |
| RunFast Map your run Ours | Any route at your own pace, the heat timed to every kilometre | Free, no account | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
✓ yes ◐ partly – no. Facts from each maker's own pages, as of October 2026.
On this page
- What is Racecast good at, and who should keep using it?
- Why look for a Racecast alternative?
- How did we choose the Racecast alternatives?
- Which alternatives are worth a look?
- Why does your finish time change the heat you race in?
- Which Racecast alternative should you pick?
- Questions runners ask
- Sources and method
Words this guide uses
- Pace-timed forecast
- The weather for each stretch of your route at the time you'll run it, worked out from your start time and pace.
- RunScore
- Racecast's 0–10 rating of how much race-day weather is likely to slow a typical marathoner, from heat, wind and rain.
What is Racecast good at, and who should keep using it?
Racecast handles big named races well, and many runners should stay with it. Before you try the Racecast alternatives below, know what you'd give up. It sits among the race planners in our comparison of the best running weather apps.
As of October 2026, Racecast:
- shows forecasts, course maps and weather history for "thousands of races", by its own count;
- rates each race day with a RunScore from 0 to 10, built from heat (as WBGT), wind along the course and rain;
- calibrates that score on about 6.3 million finish times from 1,686 editions of 92 marathons since 2000, per its About page;
- adjusts pace, finish time and splits for the weather, in min:sec per km or per mile;
- texts or emails you when the forecast shifts;
- sells a $9 Race Plan with weather-adjusted splits, fuelling and a printable pace band.
Keep using it if your race is a big marathon on its list and you want one clear score plus a plan.
Best forNamed races, with one weather score and a paid race plan
Strengths
- Forecasts, maps and history for thousands of races
- RunScore calibrated on about 6.3 million finish times
- Forecast alerts by text or email
Limits
- No planning from your own route file
- Comrades history draws on one year
- Heat folded into one score, not shown per kilometre
- Accounts are invite-only
Checked October 2026
Why look for a Racecast alternative?
Four gaps show up on Racecast's own pages, as of October 2026.
- Your own route. You can attach a GPX file only when you submit a missing race. You can't plan a training route or an unlisted race from your own file.
- Thin history for some races. Its London Marathon page draws on 26 years of data. Its Comrades page draws on one.
- One score for the day. RunScore doesn't show where on the course heat stress rises, and Racecast notes it isn't a measure of danger.
- Accounts. Sign-up is invite-only, with a waitlist.
Its forecasts and race-day history come from Visual Crossing, its About page says.
How did we choose the Racecast alternatives?
Each had to plan a race or a route, not just a town, and fix at least one of those gaps. We compared them from their own websites and US App Store listings in October 2026; we did not test them. Map your run is ours.
Which alternatives are worth a look?
Five, each for a different reason. Prices are in US dollars.
MeteoPace
The deepest race planner. It combines the forecast, 10 years of race-window history and the course profile into a split-by-split plan, and sends it to a Garmin or COROS watch. Splits need a Race Pass or Pro. If that's the snag, read MeteoPace alternatives.
Best forA detailed split-by-split plan for a supported race
Strengths
- Weather, hills and history in one adjusted pace
- Sends race plans to Garmin or COROS
- Heat adaptation modelling on Pro
Limits
- Supported races only; others by request
- Splits need Race Pass or Pro
- Dew point not shown on its pages
Checked October 2026
Wyndo
Free race history at the start line: start-hour temperature, dew point, wind and rain for every year back to 2007 at Boston, from ERA5 reanalysis. A free calculator adjusts your goal pace for heat. More in Wyndo alternatives.
Best forFree start-line race history and a cited heat pace calculator
Strengths
- Start-hour weather by year from ERA5, back to 2007 at Boston
- Heat calculator cites its research
- Race-week email briefs
Limits
- Start line only
- Fahrenheit-first
- No London or Comrades page
Checked October 2026
FindMyMarathon
Free weather at your finish time. For named races such as Chicago, pick your start wave and goal time to see the weather at the start, halfway and finish.
Best forFree weather at your start wave and goal time for named marathons
Strengths
- Start, halfway and finish at your goal time
- Dew point, wind and rain chance
- Free to use
Limits
- Named races only
- A few points per course
- Data source not shown on the page
Checked October 2026
TrueEffort
Your own route file, on iPhone. Free hill-adjusted splits for every kilometre or mile; Pro adds race-day weather for your route and start time.
Best forHill-adjusted splits from your own route file on iPhone
Strengths
- Reads GPX, FIT, TCX or KML files
- Grade-adjusted split for every kilometre or mile, free
- Pro adds route weather and per-split wind
Limits
- Weather is behind Pro
- iPhone and iPad only
- Dew point and heat stress not mentioned
Checked October 2026
Map your run (RunFast)
Our free browser tool, for any route at your pace. Drop in a GPX, FIT or TCX file, or open Comrades, Berlin, London or Boston. Set the day, start time and pace, such as 5:41 per km (9:09 per mile) for a 4-hour marathon. You get a pace-timed forecast: the weather for each stretch at the time you'll run it, with feels like, dew point and WBGT heat-stress level for every kilometre.
Best forAny route at your own pace, the heat timed to every kilometre
Strengths
- Your own GPX, FIT or TCX route, or four big races
- Feels like, dew point and WBGT heat stress for every kilometre at your pace
- A map, a km-by-km table, a share image and a 3D flyover
Limits
- Forecasts reach 10 days ahead
- Race-day history for four races so far
- No phone app yet: the apps are coming
Checked October 2026
Why does your finish time change the heat you race in?
Because the day warms while you run. A start-line reading, or one score for the day, can't show when the heat reaches you. These race days come from RunFast's ERA5 data along each course: reanalysis, not a thermometer at the start line.
| Race day | Finish time | Start air, °C (°F) | Warmest air, °C (°F) | Peak WBGT, °C (°F) | Moderate heat stress from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston, 15 April 2024 | 4:00 | 14.9 (59) | 21.2 (70) | 19.7 (67) | km 4 (mile 2.5) |
| London, 22 April 2018 | 4:00 | 18.9 (66) | 21.6 (71) | 20.6 (69) | The start |
| Berlin, 16 September 2018 | 4:00 | 14.1 (57) | 20.4 (69) | 19.4 (67) | km 21 (mile 13) |
| Comrades (down run), 11 June 2023 | 11:00 | 4.9 (41) | 22.1 (72) | 22.2 (72) | km 36 (mile 22.4) |
At Comrades in 2023, a 9-hour runner met Moderate heat stress from km 42 (mile 26.1), six kilometres later than the 11-hour runner. Official race flags and medical advice override any app, and the American College of Sports Medicine (2007) sets out the heat-illness risks.
Which Racecast alternative should you pick?
Match it to the reason you're leaving:
- One score and a plan for a big marathon: stay with Racecast, or try MeteoPace.
- Splits sent to your watch: MeteoPace. On a Garmin, first see what Garmin's race day weather shows free.
- Free history at the start line: Wyndo.
- Free weather at your goal time for a named marathon: FindMyMarathon.
- Your own course file on iPhone: TrueEffort Pro.
- Heat stress for every kilometre of your own route, free in a browser: Map your run.
For more no-cost options, see our guide to free running weather tools. For ten years of Comrades race days, read Comrades Marathon weather.
Questions runners ask
Is Racecast free?
Mostly. As of October 2026, Racecast's race forecasts, course maps, weather history and pace calculator are free on the web. Its Race Plan costs $9 once per race and adds weather-adjusted splits, a fuelling timeline, a packing checklist, a carb tracker, a spectator guide and a printable race band. Community accounts are invite-only, with a waitlist.
Where does Racecast get its weather data?
Its About page names Visual Crossing for race forecasts and race-day weather history, Open-Meteo for place search and research data, and the US National Weather Service for alerts, as of October 2026. How far back the history goes varies by race: its London Marathon page draws on 26 years of data, and its Comrades page on one.
What does Racecast's RunScore measure?
RunScore rates race-day weather from 0 to 10 by how much it is likely to slow a typical marathoner. It prices heat as WBGT, wind along the course and rain. Racecast says plainly that it doesn't measure how dangerous a day is, so a cold, wet race can score well and still be risky. Read it alongside the forecast itself.
Can I use Racecast for a race it doesn't list?
You can ask for it. Racecast has a form for missing races, with an optional GPX course file, as of October 2026, but you can't plan the race yourself from that file. To check an unlisted race or a training route straight away, use a tool that reads route files, such as TrueEffort Pro on iPhone or Map your run in any browser.
Is there a Racecast alternative with more Comrades history?
Yes. As of October 2026, Racecast's Comrades page draws on one year of data, and Wyndo's race index doesn't list Comrades at all. Map your run shows every Comrades race day from 2015 to 2024, up and down runs, timed to your finish, from ERA5 reanalysis. There was no race in 2020 or 2021, and 2022 was run in August.
See the heat at your pace.
Drop in your route (GPX, FIT or TCX), pick the day and your pace, and see the feels like, dew point and heat stress for every kilometre, timed to when you’ll be there. Free, in your browser, no sign-up.
Sources and method
- Racecast (2026). About racecast.io
- Racecast (2026). London Marathon weather and race plan
- Racecast (2026). Comrades Marathon weather
- MeteoPace (2026). Plans and pricing
- Apple App Store (2026). MeteoPace (US listing)
- Wyndo (2026). Boston Marathon weather
- FindMyMarathon (2026). Chicago Marathon weather forecast
- Apple App Store (2026). TrueEffort (US listing)
- Copernicus Climate Change Service (ECMWF) (2023). ERA5 hourly data on single levels from 1940 to present
- Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise (ACSM) (2007). American College of Sports Medicine position stand: exertional heat illness during training and competition (Armstrong et al.)
We compared these tools from their own websites and US App Store listings, checked in October 2026; we did not install or test them, and make no accuracy claims. Prices are in US dollars and appear only where the maker's page or App Store listing showed them; MeteoPace's listing shows several yearly options, so we quote the Race Pass and monthly Pro prices. A question mark in a card means the maker's pages don't say. Map your run is RunFast's own tool, described from what it does today. The race-day table comes from RunFast's race-history data: ERA5 hourly reanalysis (Copernicus Climate Change Service) along each course, at real race dates and start times, with WBGT by Liljegren et al. (2008) and levels graded Low below 18.3 °C, Moderate to 22.8 °C, High to 27.8 °C and Extreme above. Paces use 1 mile = 1.609 km; imperial values are our conversions.
Wes Thomson
Wes Thomson builds RunFast, which times the heat, humidity and dew point to a runner's own pace along the route, and its sister Windline, live wind forecasts for cyclists. Both run on the same forecast engine. He writes these guides with one focus: what the weather will do to your run, kilometre by kilometre, and how to plan around it.