Running Pace Charts
One chart per race distance, each mapping every finish time to the pace it needs, per kilometre and per mile.
PaceLab publishes 9 pace charts, from one mile (1.609344 km) up to 50 kilometres. Each one lists finish times in the left column and the pace per km, the pace per mile and the average speed in kph and mph beside it. Pick the chart that matches your race distance exactly, because pace is time divided by distance and a chart built for one distance is wrong for any other.
| Chart | Exact distance (km) | Exact distance (mi) | Finish times covered | Step | Rows |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 mile pace chart | 1.609344 | 1.0000 | 3:45 to 12:00 | 0:15 | 34 |
| 5K pace chart | 5 | 3.1069 | 15:00 to 45:00 | 1:00 | 31 |
| 8K pace chart | 8 | 4.9710 | 24:00 to 1:04:00 | 2:00 | 21 |
| 10K pace chart | 10 | 6.2137 | 32:00 to 1:20:00 | 2:00 | 25 |
| 15K pace chart | 15 | 9.3206 | 48:00 to 2:00:00 | 3:00 | 25 |
| 10 mile pace chart | 16.09344 | 10.0000 | 1:00:00 to 2:10:00 | 2:00 | 36 |
| Half marathon pace chart | 21.0975 | 13.1094 | 1:15:00 to 2:45:00 | 5:00 | 19 |
| Marathon pace chart | 42.195 | 26.2188 | 2:30:00 to 6:00:00 | 5:00 | 43 |
| 50K pace chart | 50 | 31.0686 | 3:00:00 to 8:00:00 | 10:00 | 31 |
Quick reference: five common goals
If you only want one number, it is probably one of these. Each row is the goal time divided by that race's exact distance, calculated the same way as the full charts.
| Goal | Pace / km | Pace / mile | Full chart |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25:00 5K | 5:00 /km | 8:03 /mi | 5K |
| 50:00 10K | 5:00 /km | 8:03 /mi | 10K |
| 1:20:00 10 mile | 4:58 /km | 8:00 /mi | 10 mile |
| 1:45:00 Half marathon | 4:59 /km | 8:01 /mi | Half marathon |
| 4:00:00 Marathon | 5:41 /km | 9:09 /mi | Marathon |
How to read any chart on this page
Find the finish time you want in the left column and read across. The pace per kilometre is what you want on your watch if you train in metric, the pace per mile if you train in imperial, and the kph or mph column is what to set on a treadmill for a goal-pace session. Every row is the finish time divided by the exact distance in the table above, which is why the half marathon charts use 21.0975 km and not a rounded 21.1.
Charts answer the question in one direction, which is what makes them fast. If you want the other direction, or a distance nobody publishes a chart for, the pace calculator solves for pace, time or distance from the other two. If you want the splits rather than the average, the splits calculator builds them, and the marathon goal pages publish a full split table per goal time.
Where the marathon goal pages fit
A chart gives you one line: the average pace for a finish time. A goal page gives you the whole race: every kilometre split, every mile split, the time at each checkpoint and what the finish becomes if the second half fades. If you already know the time you want to run, the goal page is the more useful of the two.
Frequently asked questions
What is a running pace chart?
A pace chart is a lookup table for one fixed race distance. It lists finish times down one side and, for each of them, the pace per kilometre and per mile you would have to hold to finish in that time, plus the equivalent speed in kph and mph.
Which pace chart should I use?
The one for the exact distance you are racing. Pace is time divided by distance, so a chart built for 10 km gives wrong answers for 15 km. The table above lists the exact distance behind every chart, including the awkward ones like 21.0975 km for the half marathon.
Are these pace charts printable?
Yes. Every chart page prints without the navigation, the footer or any highlight colours, so it comes out as a clean table on A4 or Letter. Use your browser's print command.
Why does my watch disagree with the pace chart?
A chart assumes the official course distance. A GPS watch records the path you actually ran, which on a crowded course is longer than the shortest legal route the course was measured along. That gap is a measurement difference, not an error in either one. The methodology page explains how courses are measured.
Last reviewed . Formulas, constants and sources: methodology. Changes to any calculation are logged in the changelog.