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, the elapsed time at key splits 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 | Split columns | Rows |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 mile pace chart | 1.609344 | 1.0000 | 3:40 to 20:00 | 10 s | 400 m, 800 m, 1200 m | 99 |
| 5K pace chart | 5 | 3.1069 | 12:00 to 1:00:00 | 30 s | 1 mile, 2 miles | 97 |
| 8K pace chart | 8 | 4.9710 | 20:00 to 1:20:00 | 30 s | 1 mile, 5K | 121 |
| 10K pace chart | 10 | 6.2137 | 25:00 to 1:40:00 | 1 min | 5K | 76 |
| 15K pace chart | 15 | 9.3206 | 40:00 to 2:30:00 | 1 min | 5K, 10K | 111 |
| 10 mile pace chart | 16.09344 | 10.0000 | 50:00 to 2:40:00 | 1 min | 5K, 10K | 111 |
| Half marathon pace chart | 21.0975 | 13.1094 | 1:00:00 to 3:30:00 | 1 min | 5K, 10K, 10 mile | 151 |
| Marathon pace chart | 42.195 | 26.2188 | 2:00:00 to 7:00:00 | 1 min | 5K, 10K, Half marathon, 30K | 301 |
| 50K pace chart | 50 | 31.0686 | 2:30:00 to 13:00:00 | 5 min | 10K, Half marathon, Marathon | 127 |
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 the charts are laid out
Every chart follows the same template, sized to its distance. Rows run every 10 seconds on the 1 mile chart, every 30 seconds on the 5K and 8K charts, every minute on the 10K, 15K, 10 mile, half marathon and marathon charts and every 5 minutes on the 50K chart, so a short race gets fine steps and an ultra stays readable. Together the charts hold 1194 rows. Long charts are split into blocks (five minutes on the 5K, half an hour on the marathon, an hour on the 50K) with a row of jump links above the table, and each block and each row has its own anchor, so a link can point straight at one finish time.
Beside the pace per km and per mile, each chart has split columns: the elapsed time at even pace when you pass a marker that matters for that race, such as 400 m laps on the mile, the first mile of a 5K, halfway on a 10K or 30K on a marathon. The columns are listed per chart in the table above. Under the table sit the key numbers, a small table with the exact distance in both units and the pace for each marked milestone.
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 chart uses 21.0975 km and not a rounded 21.1.
Find your exact time on any chart
A chart only lists its own steps, but goals rarely land on them. Each chart page has a finder above the table that accepts any finish time and returns the exact pace, speed and split times, then marks and scrolls to the nearest row. The time is kept in the page address, so links such as a 3:47:30 marathon or a 23:15 5K open on the same answer for anyone. From there, Plan splits and a pace band carries the time into the splits calculator for a full split table and a printable wrist band.
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. The marathon goal pages publish a full split table per goal time.
Print, copy or download a chart
Under every chart, Copy table puts the whole table on the clipboard ready to paste into a spreadsheet, Download CSV saves it as a file, and Print produces a clean copy without the navigation or buttons. Each chart also comes as a printable image, one A4 page at 150 dpi, free to reuse with a credit under the same licence as the PaceLab dataset:
Where the marathon goal pages fit
A chart gives you one line: the average pace for a finish time, plus a few split times. 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, the elapsed time at the main split distances, and 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.
Can I look up a time that is not in the chart?
Yes. Every chart has a finder above the table: type any finish time, in a form like 3:47:30, 3h47 or 47:30, and it gives the exact pace, speed and split times, marks the nearest row and keeps the time in the page address so the link can be shared.
Are these pace charts printable?
Yes, in two ways. The Print button under each chart prints the table without the site navigation, the finder or the buttons, with the column header repeated on every page; choose Save as PDF in the print dialog for a file. Every chart also has a ready-made A4 image (1240 by 1754 pixels, 150 dpi) to download.
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.
Checked against: marathon 42.195 km (World Athletics), 1 mile = 1.609344 km.