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Marathon Pace Calculator
Use this free marathon pace calculator to find the pace you need for your target finish time, or to work out your finish time from a pace you can hold. Pick a race distance, enter your time or your pace, and see your pace per mile and per kilometre, plus a splits table to guide you on race day.
How it works
Pace is simply time divided by distance. If you know your target finish time and your race distance, dividing the time by the distance tells you how fast each kilometre or mile must be. If you know the pace you can hold, multiplying the pace by the distance tells you your finish time. The calculator does both directions, so you can plan from a goal time or check what a comfortable training pace would give you on race day.
Choose your distance first. The list covers 5K, 10K, half marathon (21.0975 km, or 13.1 miles) and marathon (42.195 km, or 26.2 miles). If your race is a different length, pick Custom distance and type the distance in kilometres. Then pick what you want to find: target time to pace, or pace to finish time. Enter hours, minutes and seconds for a time, or minutes and seconds per kilometre for a pace.
The result shows your pace per kilometre and per mile, because race watches and signs use both. One mile is 1.60934 kilometres, so pace per mile is always about 1.61 times pace per kilometre. The splits table lists your expected time at each 5-kilometre mark, so you can check your watch during the race and see whether you are on target, ahead, or behind.
Times are rounded to whole seconds, which is how watches and race clocks show them. A pace of 5 minutes 41 seconds per kilometre means every kilometre should take about 5 minutes 41 seconds. Small changes matter over a long race: ten seconds per kilometre faster over a marathon changes your finish time by about seven minutes, so plan with a pace you have actually held in training, not one you hope to hold.
Worked example
Sara wants to finish a marathon in 4 hours. She opens the calculator, leaves the distance on Marathon (42.195 km), keeps the mode on Target time to required pace, and enters a target time of 4 hours, 0 minutes, 0 seconds.
Step 1: Convert the target time to minutes. 4 hours is 4 × 60 = 240 minutes.
Step 2: Divide by the distance in kilometres. 240 ÷ 42.195 = 5.688 minutes per kilometre. The 0.688 of a minute is 0.688 × 60 = 41 seconds, so the pace is 5:41 per kilometre.
Step 3: Convert to pace per mile. 5.688 × 1.60934 = 9.154 minutes per mile. The 0.154 of a minute is 0.154 × 60 = 9 seconds, so the pace is 9:09 per mile.
Step 4: Check the splits. At 5 km the time is 5 × 5.688 = 28.44 minutes, or 28:26. At 10 km it is 56:53, at 20 km it is 1:53:46, at 30 km it is 2:50:38, and at 40 km it is 3:47:31, leaving 2.195 km at the same pace to reach the finish in 4:00:00.
The tool shows the same result: 5:41 per km, 9:09 per mile, for a marathon in 4:00:00. Sara now knows to aim for about 28:26 at the 5 km mark and 56:53 at 10 km, and that drifting to 6:00 per kilometre would cost her roughly 13 minutes over the full distance.
FAQ
What pace do I need to run a marathon in 4 hours?
You need to average 5 minutes 41 seconds per kilometre, which is 9 minutes 9 seconds per mile, for the full 42.195 kilometres. That pace held evenly from start to finish gives a finish time of exactly 4 hours. Most runners plan a small cushion, aiming for a pace a few seconds per kilometre faster than the exact requirement.
How is marathon pace calculated?
Pace is your total finish time divided by the race distance. Divide the time in minutes by the distance in kilometres for pace per kilometre, or by the distance in miles for pace per mile. One mile equals 1.60934 kilometres, so pace per mile is always about 1.61 times pace per kilometre.
What is a good marathon pace for a beginner?
There is no single good pace, because it depends on your training, age, and running history. Many first-time marathon runners finish between 4 hours 30 minutes and 5 hours 30 minutes, which is roughly 6 minutes 24 seconds to 7 minutes 49 seconds per kilometre. A pace you can hold while still talking in short sentences is a sensible target for a first marathon.
Should I run even splits or negative splits?
Even splits, running each section at the same pace, are the simplest plan and the one this calculator shows. Negative splits, running the second half slightly faster than the first, work well for experienced runners who start conservatively. What rarely works is starting much faster than your target pace, because the extra effort early on usually costs far more time in the later kilometres.
Does this calculator work for a 5K, 10K, or half marathon too?
Yes. Choose 5K, 10K, half marathon, or marathon from the distance list, or enter any custom distance in kilometres. The same calculation applies at every distance: your finish time divided by the distance gives your required pace, and the splits table shows the time at each 5-kilometre mark.