Type a time like 3:45:00 or 1:50:00.
4:00:00 · 5:41 /km
- 15:41
- 211:23
- 317:04
- 422:45
- 528:26
- 634:08
- 739:49
- 845:30
- 951:11
- 1056:53
- 111:02:34
- 121:08:15
- 131:13:57
- 141:19:38
- 151:25:19
- 161:31:00
- 171:36:42
- 181:42:23
- 191:48:04
- 201:53:45
- 211:59:27
- Half2:00:00
- 222:05:08
- 232:10:49
- 242:16:31
- 252:22:12
- 262:27:53
- 272:33:34
- 282:39:16
- 292:44:57
- 302:50:38
- 312:56:19
- 323:02:01
- 333:07:42
- 343:13:23
- 353:19:05
- 363:24:46
- 373:30:27
- 383:36:08
- 393:41:50
- 403:47:31
- 413:53:12
- 423:58:53
- Finish4:00:00
Why a pace band beats your watch
A GPS watch measures the line you run, and it drifts. Between tall buildings, under bridges and in tunnels it can read a few seconds per kilometre fast or slow, and over a marathon it usually shows more than 42.195 km because nobody runs every tangent. By 30 km the pace on your wrist and the markers on the course can disagree by a minute or more.
The course markers don’t drift. A pace band tells you where the race clock should be at each one, so you compare like with like: the marker you just passed against the time you planned for it.
Even pace or negative split?
Even pace is the simplest plan that works: every kilometre at the same pace. The effort it takes rises through the race, which is why holding the pace in the last 10 km feels so much harder than in the first.
A negative split runs the first half a little slower and the second half as much faster, so the finish time stays the same. Choosing 1% on a 4:00 marathon means about 5:45 per km to halfway and 5:38 after. Its point is to protect you from the most common marathon mistake: going out too fast on fresh legs and a race-day crowd, then paying for it after 30 km. If you are unsure, choose 1%.
How to use it on race day
- Print the band, cut along the dashes, and tape it round your wrist or forearm with clear tape so sweat and water don’t wash it out.
- Check it at the markers, not between them. The shaded rows, every 5 km plus halfway, are the ones that matter.
- If you are behind, don’t win the seconds back in one kilometre. Spread them over the next 5 km, or let them go.
- Start your watch on the start line, not when the gun fires: with a big field the band only works on your own clock.
The band assumes a flat course. On a hilly one, expect to be behind after the climbs and ahead after the descents, and judge yourself at the 5 km marks. For what to eat and drink between the markers, see marathon race day.
Marathon splits for common goal times
The race clock at each 5 km and at halfway, at even pace:
| Goal | Pace | 5 km | 10 km | 15 km | Half | 25 km | 30 km | 35 km | 40 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3h00 | 4:16 | 21:20 | 42:40 | 1:03:59 | 1:30:00 | 1:46:39 | 2:07:59 | 2:29:18 | 2:50:38 |
| 3h15 | 4:37 | 23:06 | 46:13 | 1:09:19 | 1:37:30 | 1:55:32 | 2:18:39 | 2:41:45 | 3:04:51 |
| 3h30 | 4:59 | 24:53 | 49:46 | 1:14:39 | 1:45:00 | 2:04:25 | 2:29:18 | 2:54:11 | 3:19:05 |
| 3h45 | 5:20 | 26:40 | 53:19 | 1:19:59 | 1:52:30 | 2:13:19 | 2:39:58 | 3:06:38 | 3:33:18 |
| 4h00 | 5:41 | 28:26 | 56:53 | 1:25:19 | 2:00:00 | 2:22:12 | 2:50:38 | 3:19:05 | 3:47:31 |
| 4h15 | 6:03 | 30:13 | 1:00:26 | 1:30:39 | 2:07:30 | 2:31:05 | 3:01:18 | 3:31:31 | 4:01:44 |
| 4h30 | 6:24 | 32:00 | 1:03:59 | 1:35:59 | 2:15:00 | 2:39:58 | 3:11:58 | 3:43:58 | 4:15:57 |
| 5h00 | 7:07 | 35:33 | 1:11:06 | 1:46:39 | 2:30:00 | 2:57:45 | 3:33:18 | 4:08:51 | 4:44:24 |
Half marathon splits
| Goal | Pace | 5 km | 10 km | 15 km | 20 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1h30 | 4:16 | 21:20 | 42:40 | 1:03:59 | 1:25:19 |
| 1h45 | 4:59 | 24:53 | 49:46 | 1:14:39 | 1:39:32 |
| 2h00 | 5:41 | 28:26 | 56:53 | 1:25:19 | 1:53:45 |
| 2h15 | 6:24 | 32:00 | 1:03:59 | 1:35:59 | 2:07:59 |
Not sure what goal to put on the band? The race time predictor turns a recent 10K or half into a marathon time, and the marathon pace chart lists the pace for every goal from 2h30 to 6h00.
