Marathon pace

4:40 marathon pace

To run a marathon in 4:40 you need to average 6:38 per km, or 10:41 per mile, over 42.195 km. That is 9 km/h, and 2:20:00 at halfway.

Pace per km
6:38
Pace per mile
10:41
Speed
9 km/h
Halfway
2:20:00

Splits for a 4:40 marathon

The race clock at each marker at even pace, the steadiest way to run it.

KilometresRace clock
5 km33:11
10 km1:06:22
15 km1:39:32
20 km2:12:43
Half2:20:00
25 km2:45:54
30 km3:19:05
35 km3:52:15
40 km4:25:26
Finish4:40:00
MilesRace clock
1 mi10:41
5 mi53:24
10 mi1:46:48
13.1 mi2:20:00
15 mi2:40:11
20 mi3:33:35
25 mi4:26:59
26.2 mi4:40:00

Going out a little slower protects the second half. With a 1% negative split, the first half is 6:42 per km and the second 6:34 per km, for the same finish time.

Print a pace band for 4:40:00, with the race clock at every kilometre or mile.

What a 4:40 marathon takes

Riegel’s formula, the one Run 42 uses for every pace in your plan, puts these times on the same level:

  • 5K · 29:12
  • 10K · 1:00:52
  • Half marathon · 2:14:18

A recent 10K faster than 1:00:52 says the speed is there; the long runs of a plan build the rest. Slower than that, the race time predictor gives a goal to start from.

In VMA terms, a 4:40 marathon needs 11.2 to 12.1 km/h: the lower figure for a runner with strong endurance, the higher one for most amateurs. See VMA for the marathon.

Training paces for a 4:40 marathon

These are the paces Run 42 puts in a plan for this goal.

Marathon pace 6:38 /km 10:41 /mile Your goal, held for the whole race.
Easy 7:38–8:26 /km Most of your running, long runs included.
Threshold 6:03–6:14 /km The pace you could race for about an hour.
VMA 5:38–5:47 /km About your 3 km race pace, for short repeats.

Most of the week is easy running; threshold and VMA come in one or two sessions a week. See training pace zones for what each one does.

How a 4:40 marathon ranks

A 4:40 finish is faster than 39% of finishers: top 71% among men and top 48% among women, from 35 million race results analysed by RunRepeat. See Average marathon time.

Train for 4:40

Run 42 builds a 12 to 24-week plan for this goal to your own race day, with every session at these paces. For a sample, see the Sub-4:30 marathon plan.

Other goal times

Every goal from 2h30 to 6h00 in the marathon pace chart

Frequently asked

What pace is a 4:40 marathon?

6:38 per km, or 10:41 per mile, held for the whole 42.195 km: 9 km/h.

What is the halfway split for a 4:40 marathon?

2:20:00 at even pace. With a 1% negative split, you pass halfway in 2:21:24.

What 10K time do I need for a 4:40 marathon?

About 1:00:52, by Riegel’s formula. A 5K of about 29:12 or a half marathon of about 2:14:18 point to the same marathon.

Is a 4:40 marathon good?

It is faster than 39% of finishers: top 71% among men and top 48% among women.

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