Pace Calculator
Running pace per mile and per km from your time and distance, finish times at any pace, splits and race-time predictions
Pace from time and distance, finish time from a pace, or distance from time and pace, with splits and race predictions
Race predictions assume you have trained for the distance. Heat, hills and wind slow everyone down, so treat them as a guide, not a promise.
Last updated: November 4, 2026
Gear that helps you hold a pace
A GPS watch shows your pace as you run, and shoes that fit keep you on the road. Replace running shoes roughly every 300 to 500 miles (500 to 800 km).
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How Running Pace Is Calculated
Pace is time divided by distance, written as minutes and seconds per mile or per kilometre. Speed is the same thing turned upside down. Any two of time, distance and pace give you the third:
Pace from a result
Pace = time / distance. A 10K in 55:00 is 3,300 seconds / 10 km = 330 seconds, or 5:30 per km (8:51 per mile).
Finish time from a pace
Time = pace x distance. 10:00 per mile over a half marathon (13.109 miles) is 2:11:06.
Distance from time and pace
Distance = time / pace. Running 45 minutes at 6:00 per km covers 7.5 km (4.66 miles).
Race distances use the official lengths: a mile is 1.609344 km, a marathon 42.195 km (26.219 miles) and a half marathon 21.0975 km (13.109 miles). Pacing a marathon as exactly 26.2 miles is less than a second per mile off, but over the whole race it adds up to about 10 seconds.
Pace Chart: Finish Times for 5K, 10K, Half Marathon and Marathon
Even pace from start to finish, from 6:00 to 13:00 per mile in 30-second steps:
| Per mile | Per km | mph | km/h | 5K | 10K | Half marathon | Marathon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6:00 | 3:44 | 10.00 | 16.09 | 18:38 | 37:17 | 1:18:39 | 2:37:19 |
| 6:30 | 4:02 | 9.23 | 14.86 | 20:12 | 40:23 | 1:25:13 | 2:50:25 |
| 7:00 | 4:21 | 8.57 | 13.79 | 21:45 | 43:30 | 1:31:46 | 3:03:32 |
| 7:30 | 4:40 | 8.00 | 12.87 | 23:18 | 46:36 | 1:38:19 | 3:16:38 |
| 8:00 | 4:58 | 7.50 | 12.07 | 24:51 | 49:43 | 1:44:53 | 3:29:45 |
| 8:30 | 5:17 | 7.06 | 11.36 | 26:24 | 52:49 | 1:51:26 | 3:42:52 |
| 9:00 | 5:36 | 6.67 | 10.73 | 27:58 | 55:55 | 1:57:59 | 3:55:58 |
| 9:30 | 5:54 | 6.32 | 10.16 | 29:31 | 59:02 | 2:04:32 | 4:09:05 |
| 10:00 | 6:13 | 6.00 | 9.66 | 31:04 | 1:02:08 | 2:11:06 | 4:22:11 |
| 10:30 | 6:31 | 5.71 | 9.20 | 32:37 | 1:05:15 | 2:17:39 | 4:35:18 |
| 11:00 | 6:50 | 5.45 | 8.78 | 34:11 | 1:08:21 | 2:24:12 | 4:48:24 |
| 11:30 | 7:09 | 5.22 | 8.40 | 35:44 | 1:11:27 | 2:30:45 | 5:01:31 |
| 12:00 | 7:27 | 5.00 | 8.05 | 37:17 | 1:14:34 | 2:37:19 | 5:14:38 |
| 12:30 | 7:46 | 4.80 | 7.72 | 38:50 | 1:17:40 | 2:43:52 | 5:27:44 |
| 13:00 | 8:05 | 4.62 | 7.43 | 40:23 | 1:20:47 | 2:50:25 | 5:40:51 |
Race-Time Predictions From One Result
Riegel's formula, T2 = T1 x (D2 / D1)1.06, turns one race into equivalent efforts at other distances. The predicted pace gets slower as the race gets longer:
| Your result | Its pace | 5K | 10K | Half marathon | Marathon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A 30:00 5K | 9:39 /mi | 30:00 | 1:02:33 | 2:18:00 | 4:47:44 |
| A 25:00 5K | 8:03 /mi | 25:00 | 52:07 | 1:55:00 | 3:59:47 |
| A 50:00 10K | 8:03 /mi | 23:59 | 50:00 | 1:50:19 | 3:50:01 |
| A 2:00:00 half marathon | 9:09 /mi | 26:05 | 54:23 | 2:00:00 | 4:10:12 |
The predictions assume you have trained for the longer race. A 5K runner without long runs in their legs usually finishes a first marathon slower than the formula says.
Using Splits on Race Day
The splits table in the results shows where you should be at every mile or kilometre to finish on time at an even pace. Even or slightly negative splits (a second half a little faster than the first) are how most personal bests are run. Starting 10 to 15 seconds per mile too fast feels easy in the first few miles and is paid back, with interest, near the end.
Write the times for a few checkpoints on your hand or set a target pace on a GPS watch, and remember that the watch usually reads a little long: course measurers use the shortest possible line, and almost nobody runs it.
Training Paces
Most of your running should be slower than race pace. A common rule is to keep easy runs 60 to 90 seconds per mile slower than your marathon pace, at an effort where you can talk in full sentences, and to save faster running for one or two sessions a week. Enter a recent race result above, read off the predicted marathon pace, and build your easy pace from there.
How we calculate this
- Method
- Pace = time / distance; finish time = pace x distance; Riegel race-time equivalents
- Formula
-
Seconds per km = time (s) / distance (km); seconds per mile = seconds per km x 1.609344. Finish time = pace x distance; distance = time / pace. Speed (km/h) = 3,600 / seconds per km; mph = km/h / 1.609344. Race equivalent (Riegel): T2 = T1 x (D2 / D1)^1.06. Distances: mile 1.609344 km, 5K 5 km, 10K 10 km, half marathon 21.0975 km, marathon 42.195 km. - Source
- Riegel PS, "Athletic Records and Human Endurance", American Scientist 1981;69(3):285-290 (exponent 1.06). Race distances from World Athletics Competition Rules (marathon 42.195 km). International mile = 1,609.344 m (International Yard and Pound Agreement, 1959).
- Limitations
- Even-pace splits and finish times are exact arithmetic. Riegel predictions are an average fit to race results: most reliable from about 1.5 km to the marathon, for runners trained for the longer distance; heat, hills, wind and fuelling are not modelled. GPS watches often record a race as slightly longer than its certified distance.
- Last reviewed
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