diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 3eb78ff..cfd9530 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -128,6 +128,7 @@ Here are the concrete steps for making and adding routes to the repo:
       * track `desc`
 
 5. Run `./_bin/gpx-inplace-fixup.sh routes/_gpx/recently-added-route.gpx` to add elevation data to the route. Make sure you have python installed since this script invokes other python scripts.
+    * Running the script with `--wait SECONDS` may be helpful if the API frequently times out.
 
 6. Follow the instructions for `Building and Developing Locally`. Then run `make serve` to check that it works locally and the site looks right.
 
diff --git a/_bin/gpx-inplace-fixup.sh b/_bin/gpx-inplace-fixup.sh
index 1434614..5022a9c 100755
--- a/_bin/gpx-inplace-fixup.sh
+++ b/_bin/gpx-inplace-fixup.sh
@@ -12,29 +12,44 @@ while [ -L "$src" ]; do
 done
 SDIR="$(cd -P "$(dirname "$src")" && pwd)"
 
+# parse optional --wait argument
+WAIT=""
+while [[ $# -gt 0 ]]; do
+  case $1 in
+    --wait)
+      WAIT="$2"
+      shift 2
+      ;;
+    *)
+      GPX_FILE="$1"
+      shift
+      ;;
+  esac
+done
+
 # ensure we get a gpx file as input
-if [ $# -ne 1 ]; then
-  echo "Usage: $0 ROUTE.gpx"
+if [ -z "${GPX_FILE:-}" ]; then
+  echo "Usage: $0 [--wait SECONDS] ROUTE.gpx"
   exit 1
 fi
 
 # ensure input is a readable file
-if [ ! -r "$1" ]; then
-  echo "Error: File '$1' does not exist or is not readable."
+if [ ! -r "$GPX_FILE" ]; then
+  echo "Error: File '$GPX_FILE' does not exist or is not readable."
   exit 1
 fi
 
 # ensure input is a gpx file
-if [[ "$1" != *.gpx ]]; then
-  echo "Error: File '$1' may not be a GPX file (extension is not \".gpx\")."
+if [[ "$GPX_FILE" != *.gpx ]]; then
+  echo "Error: File '$GPX_FILE' may not be a GPX file (extension is not \".gpx\")."
   exit 1
 fi
 
 # inject the elevation data into the GPX file
-uv run python3 ${SDIR}/replace_route_elevations.py --input "$1" --output "$1"
+uv run python3 ${SDIR}/replace_route_elevations.py ${WAIT:+--wait "$WAIT"} --normalize-after --input "$GPX_FILE" --output "$GPX_FILE"
 
 # add surface metadata to the GPX file
-uv run python3 ${SDIR}/add_surface_to_gpx.py --input "$1" --output "$1"
+uv run python3 ${SDIR}/add_surface_to_gpx.py --input "$GPX_FILE" --output "$GPX_FILE"
 
 # pretty print the GPX file back to itself
-uv run python3 ${SDIR}/normalize_gpx.py --input "$1" --output "$1"
+uv run python3 ${SDIR}/normalize_gpx.py --input "$GPX_FILE" --output "$GPX_FILE"
diff --git a/_bin/replace_route_elevations.py b/_bin/replace_route_elevations.py
index ab6f117..db7a4eb 100644
--- a/_bin/replace_route_elevations.py
+++ b/_bin/replace_route_elevations.py
@@ -95,12 +95,14 @@ def main():
     parser.add_argument("--output", required=True, nargs="+", help="Output GPX file(s).")
     parser.add_argument("--overwrite", action="store_true", help="Replace any existing elevation data")
     parser.add_argument("--wait", type=float, default=0.25, help="Wait time between elevation queries (seconds)")
+    parser.add_argument("--normalize-after", action="store_true", help="Suppress the normalization reminder (caller will run normalize_gpx.py)")
     args = parser.parse_args()
-    print("Resulting GPX files will be denormalized. Use `normalize_gpx.py` to fix them before committing.")
 
     if len(args.input) != len(args.output):
         raise ValueError("The number of inputs must match the number of outputs.")
 
+    is_gpx_modified = False
+
     for inpath, outpath in zip(args.input, args.output):
         # Load GPX
         route = gpxpy.parse(open(inpath, 'r'))
@@ -110,14 +112,20 @@ def main():
                 for point in tqdm.tqdm(segment.points):
                     if not point.elevation or args.overwrite:
                         point.elevation = query_usgs_elevation(point.latitude, point.longitude, wait_time=args.wait)
+                        is_gpx_modified = True
+
         # Iterate over all waypoints (pois)
         for waypoint in route.waypoints:
             if not waypoint.elevation or args.overwrite:
                 waypoint.elevation = query_usgs_elevation(waypoint.latitude, waypoint.longitude, wait_time=args.wait)
+                is_gpx_modified = True
 
         # Save GPX
         with open(outpath, 'w') as f:
             f.write(route.to_xml())
 
+    if is_gpx_modified and not args.normalize_after:
+        print("Resulting GPX files will be denormalized. Use `normalize_gpx.py` to fix them before committing.")
+
 if __name__ == '__main__':
     main()