Pace chart · Marathon
Every marathon finish time from 2:30 to 6:30 in 5-minute steps, with the pace per mile, the pace per kilometer, and the even-pace split at 10K, Half and 20 Miles. Highlighted times open a full page of mile splits and training paces.
Splits assume an even pace from start to finish.
| Finish | Per Mile | Per Km | 10K | Half | 20 Miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2:30:00 | 5:43 | 3:33 | 35:33 | 1:15:00 | 1:54:25 |
| 2:35:00 | 5:55 | 3:40 | 36:44 | 1:17:30 | 1:58:14 |
| 2:40:00 | 6:06 | 3:48 | 37:55 | 1:20:00 | 2:02:03 |
| 2:45:00 | 6:18 | 3:55 | 39:06 | 1:22:30 | 2:05:52 |
| 2:50:00 | 6:29 | 4:02 | 40:17 | 1:25:00 | 2:09:41 |
| 2:55:00 | 6:40 | 4:09 | 41:28 | 1:27:30 | 2:13:30 |
| 3:00:00 | 6:52 | 4:16 | 42:40 | 1:30:00 | 2:17:18 |
| 3:05:00 | 7:03 | 4:23 | 43:51 | 1:32:30 | 2:21:07 |
| 3:10:00 | 7:15 | 4:30 | 45:02 | 1:35:00 | 2:24:56 |
| 3:15:00 | 7:26 | 4:37 | 46:13 | 1:37:30 | 2:28:45 |
| 3:20:00 | 7:38 | 4:44 | 47:24 | 1:40:00 | 2:32:34 |
| 3:25:00 | 7:49 | 4:52 | 48:35 | 1:42:30 | 2:36:23 |
| 3:30:00 | 8:01 | 4:59 | 49:46 | 1:45:00 | 2:40:11 |
| 3:35:00 | 8:12 | 5:06 | 50:57 | 1:47:30 | 2:44:00 |
| 3:40:00 | 8:23 | 5:13 | 52:08 | 1:50:00 | 2:47:49 |
| 3:45:00 | 8:35 | 5:20 | 53:19 | 1:52:30 | 2:51:38 |
| 3:50:00 | 8:46 | 5:27 | 54:31 | 1:55:00 | 2:55:27 |
| 3:55:00 | 8:58 | 5:34 | 55:42 | 1:57:30 | 2:59:16 |
| 4:00:00 | 9:09 | 5:41 | 56:53 | 2:00:00 | 3:03:05 |
| 4:05:00 | 9:21 | 5:48 | 58:04 | 2:02:30 | 3:06:53 |
| 4:10:00 | 9:32 | 5:55 | 59:15 | 2:05:00 | 3:10:42 |
| 4:15:00 | 9:44 | 6:03 | 1:00:26 | 2:07:30 | 3:14:31 |
| 4:20:00 | 9:55 | 6:10 | 1:01:37 | 2:10:00 | 3:18:20 |
| 4:25:00 | 10:06 | 6:17 | 1:02:48 | 2:12:30 | 3:22:09 |
| 4:30:00 | 10:18 | 6:24 | 1:03:59 | 2:15:00 | 3:25:58 |
| 4:35:00 | 10:29 | 6:31 | 1:05:10 | 2:17:30 | 3:29:46 |
| 4:40:00 | 10:41 | 6:38 | 1:06:22 | 2:20:00 | 3:33:35 |
| 4:45:00 | 10:52 | 6:45 | 1:07:33 | 2:22:30 | 3:37:24 |
| 4:50:00 | 11:04 | 6:52 | 1:08:44 | 2:25:00 | 3:41:13 |
| 4:55:00 | 11:15 | 6:59 | 1:09:55 | 2:27:30 | 3:45:02 |
| 5:00:00 | 11:27 | 7:07 | 1:11:06 | 2:30:00 | 3:48:51 |
| 5:05:00 | 11:38 | 7:14 | 1:12:17 | 2:32:30 | 3:52:39 |
| 5:10:00 | 11:49 | 7:21 | 1:13:28 | 2:35:00 | 3:56:28 |
| 5:15:00 | 12:01 | 7:28 | 1:14:39 | 2:37:30 | 4:00:17 |
| 5:20:00 | 12:12 | 7:35 | 1:15:50 | 2:40:00 | 4:04:06 |
| 5:25:00 | 12:24 | 7:42 | 1:17:01 | 2:42:30 | 4:07:55 |
| 5:30:00 | 12:35 | 7:49 | 1:18:12 | 2:45:00 | 4:11:44 |
| 5:35:00 | 12:47 | 7:56 | 1:19:24 | 2:47:30 | 4:15:33 |
| 5:40:00 | 12:58 | 8:03 | 1:20:35 | 2:50:00 | 4:19:21 |
| 5:45:00 | 13:10 | 8:11 | 1:21:46 | 2:52:30 | 4:23:10 |
| 5:50:00 | 13:21 | 8:18 | 1:22:57 | 2:55:00 | 4:26:59 |
| 5:55:00 | 13:32 | 8:25 | 1:24:08 | 2:57:30 | 4:30:48 |
| 6:00:00 | 13:44 | 8:32 | 1:25:19 | 3:00:00 | 4:34:37 |
| 6:05:00 | 13:55 | 8:39 | 1:26:30 | 3:02:30 | 4:38:26 |
| 6:10:00 | 14:07 | 8:46 | 1:27:41 | 3:05:00 | 4:42:14 |
| 6:15:00 | 14:18 | 8:53 | 1:28:52 | 3:07:30 | 4:46:03 |
| 6:20:00 | 14:30 | 9:00 | 1:30:03 | 3:10:00 | 4:49:52 |
| 6:25:00 | 14:41 | 9:07 | 1:31:15 | 3:12:30 | 4:53:41 |
| 6:30:00 | 14:52 | 9:15 | 1:32:26 | 3:15:00 | 4:57:30 |
Each page has the mile splits for a slightly faster second half, the halfway time, and easy, tempo and interval training paces for that goal.
The 10K, Half and 20 Miles elapsed times work the same way a pace band does: at each course marker, glance at the race clock and compare it to your target. The marker is your reference point, not the watch's lap alerts.
Santos-Lozano et al. (2014) in the International Journal of Sports Medicine analyzed 190,228 New York City Marathon finishes from 2006 to 2011 and found that runners at every level slowed as the race progressed, with faster finishers varying least between segments.
Barry Smyth's 2018 analysis of 1.7 million recreational marathoners, published in the Journal of Sports Analytics, found that starting too quickly can result in poorer finish times. Even pacing is the floor; the individual goal-time pages address how to structure a slightly faster second half.
Ely et al. (2007) tracked seven marathons and found a progressive slowing of performance as the WBGT, a heat-stress index combining temperature, humidity, sun and wind, rises from 41°F to 77°F, with finishers from 25th to 300th place slowing more than faster runners.
El Helou et al. (2012) examined 1,791,972 finishing performances across six major marathons from 2001 to 2010 and found that speeds fell and withdrawals rose above each performance level's optimum air temperature, which sat at about 43°F to 45°F for every level except the top 1%.
USATF certification measures courses along the Shortest Possible Route, so any runner who strays from that line covers more than the course requires. In a field study at one German marathon event, Pobiruchin et al. (2017) found that GPS sport watches averaged 42.33 km on a course with an official distance of 42.195 km. Check the course markers, not the watch's laps.
Sabastian Sawe's world record, 1:59:30 in London in 2026, was a negative split: 1:00:29 at halfway and 59:01 for the second half. Kelvin Kiptum's previous record, 2:00:35 in Chicago in 2023, was also a negative split: 1:00:48 then 59:47. Eliud Kipchoge's 2:01:09 in Berlin in 2022, the record before that, had a slower second half; he later said, "I wanted to run the first half so fast."
