Were there really any alternatives you considered besides the ones you chose?
Perhaps a re-order of the 4 you did? G-C-E-F is probably longer but saves maybe 20-25 meters of climb?
Patrick, someone else (Glen Tryson or Rick Breseman?) selected that exact route to avoid climb. I was napping in my car and missed the 1.3 km group walk to the start, so I ran up at the very last minute and didn't have much time to plan. And also, for score-o types of things, I (unfortunately) tend to often think in 2D, just looking at the shortest distance without taking elevation into account... :-P
Some 4 control people started with D and regretted it.