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Marathon Pace Calculator
Enter the finish time you are aiming for and get the pace you have to hold per mile and per kilometer, plus an even-pace split table to write on your arm. Works for the full marathon and the half.
- Pace per km
- 5:41
- Average speed
- 6.55 mph
- Halfway split
- 2:00:00
Even-pace splits
| Mark | Elapsed time |
|---|
Saved setups
Save a set of inputs you reuse — your usual rate, your loan, your room sizes — and load it back in one tap.
Your recent calculations
Results you calculate here are kept on this device so you can come back to them.
Formula
How to use it
- Choose marathon or half marathon.
- Enter your goal finish time as h:mm:ss.
- Choose mile or 5 km splits and read the elapsed time you should see at each marker.
Worked examples
A 4-hour marathon
- Pace per mile
- 9:09
- Pace per km
- 5:41
- Halfway split
- 2:00:00
- Average speed
- 6.55 mph
A 3-hour marathon
- Pace per mile
- 6:52
- Pace per km
- 4:16
- Halfway split
- 1:30:00
- Average speed
- 8.74 mph
A 2-hour half marathon
- Pace per mile
- 9:09
- Pace per km
- 5:41
Common goal paces
A 3:00 marathon needs 6:52 per mile (4:16 per km). A 3:30 marathon needs 8:01 per mile. A 4:00 marathon needs 9:09 per mile (5:41 per km). A 4:30 marathon needs 10:18 per mile, and a 5:00 marathon 11:27 per mile.
Racing to the splits
The table assumes perfectly even pacing. On the day, most runners cover a little more than the official distance because they cannot run the measured line through every bend, so a GPS watch will read long; aim to be a few seconds per mile ahead of the table rather than exactly on it. Going out faster than goal pace in the first few miles is the most common way to lose time later.
Questions people ask
What pace is a 4-hour marathon?
9:09 per mile or 5:41 per kilometer, reaching halfway in 2:00:00.
What pace is a sub-3 marathon?
Just under 6:52 per mile, or 4:16 per kilometer, with a halfway split of 1:30:00.
What pace is a 2-hour half marathon?
9:09 per mile or 5:41 per kilometer — the same pace as a 4-hour marathon.