Running Pace Calculator

Pace chart: time per distance

This pace chart shows the finish time for popular race distances at a range of steady paces. Find your target pace in the first column and read across to see what each race would take. It is one of the quickest ways to set a realistic goal time.

A complete guide to running pace

What is running pace?

Pace is how long it takes you to cover a set distance — usually written as minutes and seconds per kilometre (min/km) or per mile (min/mile). It is the runner's most useful number because, unlike speed, it maps directly onto how a run feels: a 5:30/km pace tells you exactly how each kilometre should tick by on your watch. Speed (km/h or mph) measures the same thing from the other direction — distance covered per unit of time — and is more common in cycling and on treadmills.

How is pace calculated?

The formula is simple division:

Pace = Total time ÷ Distance

If you run 10 km in 50 minutes, your pace is 50 ÷ 10 = 5:00 per kilometre. To go the other way and predict a finish time, multiply: Time = Pace × Distance. And to find how far you went, divide time by pace: Distance = Time ÷ Pace. Because the three quantities are linked, knowing any two always gives you the third — which is exactly what the calculator above does.

Converting between pace and speed

To turn pace into speed, divide 60 by your pace in minutes per kilometre:

Speed (km/h) = 60 ÷ pace (min/km)

So 5:00 min/km is 60 ÷ 5 = 12 km/h. To convert kilometres to miles, multiply by 0.621; to convert miles to kilometres, multiply by 1.609. A mile is 1,609 metres, so a per-mile pace is always a larger number than the equivalent per-kilometre pace.

Common race distances

• 5K — 5 kilometres (3.11 miles). The classic parkrun and entry-race distance.
• 10K — 10 kilometres (6.21 miles).
• Half marathon — 21.0975 km (13.11 miles).
• Marathon — 42.195 km (26.22 miles).
• Mile — 1.609 km, the benchmark track distance.

Training paces every runner should know

Good training mixes several paces rather than running every session at the same effort. The labels below are widely used in coaching plans:

• Easy / recovery pace — conversational, the bulk of your weekly mileage. You should be able to talk in full sentences.
• Long-run pace — slightly faster than easy, held for longer to build endurance.
• Tempo (threshold) pace — comfortably hard, the fastest pace you could sustain for about an hour. It lifts the pace at which lactate builds up.
• Interval / VO₂ pace — fast repeats of 2–5 minutes with recovery jogs, around 5K race effort, to raise your top-end aerobic power.
• Race pace — the specific pace you plan to hold on race day, practised in shorter blocks during training.

How to pace a race well

The most common race-day mistake is starting too fast. Adrenaline and a fresh feeling make your goal pace seem easy in the first kilometre, but the cost arrives later. A few reliable principles:

• Run even or negative splits. Aim to cover the second half of the race at the same pace or slightly faster than the first. The pace chart and splits above help you rehearse this.
• Respect the conditions. Heat, humidity, wind and hills all slow you down. Add a few seconds per kilometre on a hot day rather than fighting to hold a flat-course pace.
• Practise goal pace in training so it feels familiar and you can settle into it without staring at your watch.
• Fuel and hydrate on anything longer than about 90 minutes — pace falls apart when energy runs out.

Why longer races are run slower

The "equivalent finish times" in the results section assume you hold one pace across every distance. In reality, most runners slow as distance grows because the body cannot sustain the same effort indefinitely. A common rule of thumb — Riegel's formula — predicts that each time you double the distance, your time roughly increases by about 6%. Use the same-pace projection as an optimistic ceiling, then add a realistic margin for the longer events.

How to use this pace calculator

1. Pick what you want to find — pace, time or distance — and leave that field blank.
2. Enter the other two values. Use the quick-distance chips (5K, 10K, Half, Marathon) to fill the distance in one tap.
3. Choose your units — kilometres or miles for distance, and per-km or per-mile for pace.
4. Press Calculate. You'll get pace in both units, speed in km/h and mph, a split-time table and equivalent race finish times.
5. Adjust and recalculate as often as you like — nothing is sent anywhere, and the maths runs instantly in your browser.

Popular pace goals & tools

Chasing a specific finish time? These guides give you the exact pace, the splits and a pacing plan — or jump into the calculator above for a goal of your own.

• Sub-4 hour marathonAverage 5:41/km · full checkpoint splits
• Sub-2 hour half marathonAverage 5:41/km · 5K & 10K splits
• Sub-25 minute 5KAverage 5:00/km · km & mile splits
• Min/km to min/milePace converter & full chart

Frequently asked questions