Race Pace Calculator

Training for a race and wondering how fast you need to run? Enter your finish time and a distance below to get your pace per mile and per km — or flip the mode around, enter a pace, and predict your finish time. It works for a 5K, 10K, half marathon, marathon, or any custom distance you type in.

Race Pace Chart

Prefer to look it up? This chart converts popular per-mile paces into finish times for the four classic race distances. Find your pace in the first column and read across.

Pace (per mile)	5K	10K	Half Marathon	Marathon
6:00	18:38	37:17	1:18:39	2:37:19
7:00	21:45	43:30	1:31:46	3:03:32
8:00	24:51	49:43	1:44:53	3:29:45
9:00	27:58	55:55	1:57:59	3:55:58
10:00	31:04	1:02:08	2:11:06	4:22:11
11:00	34:11	1:08:21	2:24:12	4:48:24
12:00	37:17	1:14:34	2:37:19	5:14:38

Times are rounded to the nearest second and assume perfectly even pacing on an accurately measured course.

How to Pick a Realistic Goal Pace

Start from a recent race or time trial. The best predictor of your next race is your most recent one. If you do not have a recent race, run a solo time trial: warm up well, then run a hard, even 5K and note the time. A recent 5K predicts longer races roughly like this — doubling the distance costs about 4-7% in pace. So a 25-minute 5K (about 8:03 per mile) points to a 10K around 52-54 minutes, not 50 flat, and a half marathon a little under two hours.

Train most miles slower than goal pace. That prediction is your race-day ceiling, not your Tuesday pace. Most of your weekly miles should feel easy — about 1-2 minutes per mile slower than goal pace — so you arrive at workouts and race day fresh enough to actually hit the number.

Re-test every 4-6 weeks. Fitness moves. A fresh time trial every month or so keeps your goal honest: adjust your target pace up if the test says you are fitter, and do not be afraid to soften a goal if life, weather, or an injury has cost you training time.

Coming from a walking base? Plenty of runners start there. Our walking time guide shows how long 1-10 miles take on foot — a useful baseline before you start running them.

Even Splits vs Negative Splits

Even splits — running both halves of the race at the same pace — are the efficient default for most runners. Even effort across the distance wastes the least energy, keeps your form together late in the race, and is the simplest plan to execute: pick your pace from the calculator and hold it.

A slight negative split — the second half run a touch faster than the first — suits experienced runners who know they tend to fade, or who race well off a cautious start. Think a few seconds per mile, not a dramatic surge.

The classic mistake is the opposite: going out too fast and trying to bank time. It never works for long — the interest payments arrive in the final miles, with interest. A controlled start almost always beats a brave one.

However you pace it, race training piles up the miles and the steps. To see what all that movement adds up to, try our step calorie calculator.

Frequently Asked Questions