Running pace calculator
Give any two of distance, finish time and pace, and get the third: the pace a goal time needs, the finish time a pace gives you, or how far you will go. A 3:30 marathon, for example, takes 8:01 a mile or 4:59 a km. You also get the splits at an even pace and a pace band to print.
Your pace
9:44 /mi · 6:03 /km
Marathon in 4:15:00 · half-way in 2:07:30
Splits at an even pace
| Mile | Time |
|---|---|
| 1 | 9:44 |
| 2 | 19:27 |
| 3 | 29:11 |
| 5K | 30:13 |
| 4 | 38:54 |
| 5 | 48:38 |
| 6 | 58:21 |
| 10K | 1:00:26 |
| 7 | 1:08:05 |
| 8 | 1:17:48 |
| 9 | 1:27:32 |
| 10 | 1:37:16 |
| 11 | 1:46:59 |
| 12 | 1:56:43 |
| 13 | 2:06:26 |
| Half-way | 2:07:30 |
| 14 | 2:16:10 |
| 15 | 2:25:53 |
| 16 | 2:35:37 |
| 17 | 2:45:20 |
| 18 | 2:55:04 |
| 30 km | 3:01:18 |
| 19 | 3:04:47 |
| 20 | 3:14:31 |
| 21 | 3:24:15 |
| 22 | 3:33:58 |
| 23 | 3:43:42 |
| 24 | 3:53:25 |
| 25 | 4:03:09 |
| 26 | 4:12:52 |
| Finish | 4:15:00 |
How it works
Pace is time divided by distance, so each of the three follows from the other two: pace = time ÷ distance, time = pace × distance, distance = time ÷ pace. The distances are the exact race distances: a marathon is 42.195 km, or 26.22 miles, and a half is exactly half of that. The splits are the same sum at every mile or km marker.
It assumes even pacing on a measured course. Hills, wind, heat, crowded water stops and the extra distance of running wide round corners all cost time, and GPS watches usually read a little long, so on race day go by the markers on the course rather than the watch.
Use the pace in training: race-pace miles inside long runs teach you what the target feels like, and a pace band keeps you honest in the first miles. To find the pace your current fitness supports, put a recent race into the race time predictor; for the paces of your easy, tempo and interval runs, use the training pace calculator.
Marathon pace chart
Goal times from 2:45:00 to 6:00:00 and the even pace each one needs. Tap a time for its splits.
Questions
- What pace do I need to run a 4-hour marathon?
- 9:09 per mile, or 5:41 per km, held from the start to the finish. That takes you through half-way in 2:00:00 and 20 miles in 3:03:05. Courses are rarely run on the exact line they were measured on, so aim a few seconds a mile faster than the number if your watch is your guide.
- What is a good pace for a first half marathon?
- One you can hold for all 13.1 miles while still able to say a few words at a time. Your recent training is the best guide: the pace of your longest runs is too slow, a hard 5K pace is far too fast, and the right one sits between them. The race time predictor turns a recent 5K or 10K into a half marathon time. Whatever the number, run the first 2 or 3 miles about 10 seconds a mile slower than it. Starting carefully costs little: 10:00 a mile is a 2:11:06 half, and even 10:30 all the way is 2:17:39.
- Should I run even splits?
- For most runners, yes: an even pace costs the least energy for a given finish time. Finishing slightly faster than you started is even better, and it only happens if the first miles feel easy. The mile everyone gets wrong is the first one, run on fresh legs in a crowd, often 20 or 30 seconds too fast. Time in the bank early is usually paid back with interest late.
- How do I use a pace band?
- Print the band from the calculator, cut it out and tape it round your wrist or tuck it under a watch strap. At each mile or km marker, glance at the clock and the band: a few seconds either way is fine. If you are more than about 30 seconds ahead early on, ease off rather than bank the time. Go by the course markers, not your watch, since GPS drifts over a long race.
Training for a 4:15:00 marathon?
A goal pace means most inside a plan that gets you ready to hold it. Build a free week-by-week plan from what you run now, with race-pace sessions at the pace your goal needs.