Marathon pace calculator for your goal time
Enter your goal time to see the pace you need per kilometre and mile and where you should be at each split. Or enter a recent race result and the calculator predicts what it means for the other distances.
Pace & goal time calculator
Goal time in, pace and splits out.
Aim a few seconds per km faster: your watch usually measures a bit more than the official distance.
| Distance | Split |
|---|---|
| 5 km | 28:26 |
| 10 km | 56:53 |
| 15 km | 1:25:19 |
| 20 km | 1:53:45 |
| Halfway | 2:00:00 |
| 25 km | 2:22:12 |
| 30 km | 2:50:38 |
| 35 km | 3:19:05 |
| 40 km | 3:47:31 |
| Finish | 4:00:00 |
| Distance | Goal time | Pace min/km |
|---|---|---|
| Marathon | 3:00:00 | 4:16 |
| Marathon | 3:15:00 | 4:37 |
| Marathon | 3:30:00 | 4:59 |
| Marathon | 3:45:00 | 5:20 |
| Marathon | 4:00:00 | 5:41 |
| Marathon | 4:15:00 | 6:03 |
| Marathon | 4:30:00 | 6:24 |
| Marathon | 5:00:00 | 7:07 |
| Half marathon | 1:30:00 | 4:16 |
| Half marathon | 1:40:00 | 4:44 |
| Half marathon | 1:45:00 | 4:59 |
| Half marathon | 1:50:00 | 5:13 |
| Half marathon | 2:00:00 | 5:41 |
| Half marathon | 2:15:00 | 6:24 |
| Half marathon | 2:30:00 | 7:07 |
| 10k | 40:00 | 4:00 |
| 10k | 45:00 | 4:30 |
| 10k | 50:00 | 5:00 |
| 10k | 55:00 | 5:30 |
| 10k | 1:00:00 | 6:00 |
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What the calculator does for you
- 4:00 marathon: 5:41 per km or 9:09 per mile. 3:30 marathon: 4:59 per km.
- 2:00 half marathon: the same 5:41 per km, over half the distance.
- A 50:00 10k predicts roughly 1:50 for the half and 3:50 for the marathon.
How to work out your marathon pace
Divide your goal time in minutes by the distance. Four hours is 240 minutes; divided by 42.195 km that is 5:41 per km, or 9:09 per mile. For the half marathon, divide by 21.0975 km. The calculator does this for you and adds the split times every five kilometres and at halfway, ready for a pace band or your watch.
Is your goal time realistic?
The prediction uses Peter Riegel's formula: every time the distance doubles, you slow down a little per kilometre. It works best with a recent result and when you have actually trained for the longer distance. Predicting a marathon from a 5k tends to come out too fast if your weekly mileage is low. A recent half marathon is the better starting point.
- Best basis for a marathon: a half marathon four to eight weeks out
- Few long runs in training: build in a few minutes of buffer
- Heat, hills and wind cost time no formula knows about
Run even instead of banking time
Go out too fast and you pay for it twice in the last 10 km. Run the first half at goal pace or a few seconds slower and hold it to 30 km. If you can still pick it up after that, you have a negative split. Also aim a few seconds per kilometre faster than the maths says: your watch will usually measure more than 42.2 km.
How YOUB uses your goal time
In YOUB you add your race as a goal, with its date and your target time. Your coach turns that into pace ranges for intervals, threshold runs and long runs and checks them against the sessions you actually run. If training goes better or worse than planned, the plan adapts and you know early whether the goal time still holds. Try it free for 4 weeks.
Free marathon pace calculator
Goal timeWhat pace do I need for a sub-4-hour marathon?
Exactly 4:00:00 is 5:41 per km or 9:09 per mile. To stay safely under, aim for about 5:35 per km (9:00 per mile): courses are measured on the shortest line, so your watch will usually show a few hundred metres extra.
Goal timeWhat pace do I need for a sub-2-hour half marathon?
The same 5:41 per km (9:09 per mile) for exactly 2:00:00. With a small buffer, 5:35 per km brings you in at about 1:58.
Goal timeWhat is my marathon pace based on my 5k or 10k?
Riegel's formula: time × (new distance ÷ old distance) to the power of 1.06. A 50:00 10k gives about 3:50 for the marathon, roughly 5:27 per km. That only holds if you have trained for the marathon with regular long runs; otherwise your real time will usually be slower.
Goal timeWhat is a realistic goal time for a first marathon?
It depends on your training, not on an average. Run a half marathon first and treat its prediction as the upper limit. For a first marathon, a buffer of ten to fifteen minutes is wise. Finishing with a second half you don't suffer through is a better first goal than a round number.
Goal timeWhat is a negative split?
Running the second half faster than the first. It only works if you hold back early. For most amateur runners an even pace is the more realistic target, with a small push over the last few kilometres.
Goal timeWhy does my watch show more than 42.2 km after a marathon?
Official courses are measured on the shortest possible line. In the race you run wider through corners, cross the road and weave around aid stations, and GPS adds its own error. 300 to 500 metres extra is normal, which is why a goal pace a few seconds faster than the maths pays off.
Ready?
Train with a coach who listens. Connect your apps and let YOUB handle planning and analysis – try it free for 4 weeks.