Goal time · Half Marathon
A 2:30:00 half marathon works out to 11:27 per mile, or 7:07 per kilometer. Below are the mile splits for a slightly faster second half, the halfway time to aim for, and the training paces that go with this goal.
The numbers
This plan starts about 1% slower than goal pace and finishes about 1% faster, so the second half is slightly quicker than the first. The elapsed column is what your watch should read as you pass each marker.
| Mile | Pace for That Mile | Elapsed Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11:34 | 11:34 |
| 2 | 11:33 | 23:07 |
| 3 | 11:32 | 34:39 |
| 4 | 11:30 | 46:09 |
| 5 | 11:29 | 57:38 |
| 6 | 11:28 | 1:09:06 |
| Halfway (6.6) | 11:27 | 1:15:27 |
| 7 | 11:26 | 1:20:33 |
| 8 | 11:25 | 1:31:58 |
| 9 | 11:24 | 1:43:22 |
| 10 | 11:23 | 1:54:45 |
| 11 | 11:22 | 2:06:06 |
| 12 | 11:20 | 2:17:27 |
| 13 | 11:19 | 2:28:46 |
| Finish (13.1) | 11:18 | 2:30:00 |
Measured against the latest published results of 1,366 half marathons on RunSesh.
One edition per race, from RunSignup races with published results. Fields include walkers and charity entrants, so this describes these races, not every runner in the country.
These are the paces for a runner who can already race a 2:30:00 half marathon, worked out with Daniels and Gilbert's VDOT formulas, the method behind the training tables in Daniels' Running Formula. If your most recent race is slower, train at the paces on the page for that time. This goal sits below the fitness range those tables cover, so treat these paces as a rough guide.
Most of your weekly miles, including the long run.
Steady longer runs at the pace this fitness would hold for a marathon.
A steady run of about 20 minutes, or longer repeats with short rests.
Repeats of 3 to 5 minutes, with easy jogs between.
McMillan Running calls negative splits its "preferred road-race strategy because it rewards patience and resists fading late, and the longer the race the bigger the payoff." That preference tilts a 2:30 plan toward a second half that moves slightly faster than the first. Reach the halfway marker and take stock: a controlled feeling there means you have room to work harder through to the finish.
Daniels and Gilbert's VDOT formulas treat a 5:06:57 marathon as the same performance as a 2:30 half marathon. If you have a recent full marathon result, comparing it to that time gives you a cross-distance read on whether this goal fits your current fitness.
The RRCA pace chart is direct: "don't begin with a future goal time." Your most recent finished race is a more reliable starting point than a target you haven't yet achieved.
USATF certification measures courses along the "Shortest Possible Route," so any drift from that line adds distance to your run. Pobiruchin et al. (2017) found GPS sport watches averaged 21.18 km on the half versus the official 21.0975 km, 83 meters beyond the stated distance. At this goal's pace, that gap works out to 35 seconds, so a watch could display a faster average than 11:27 while you are exactly on goal.
Daniels and Gilbert's formulas treat a 1:07:49 10K as an equivalent performance to a 2:30 half marathon. Knowing that mark lets you weigh whether the speed that time requires is something your current fitness can carry across the full half marathon distance.
