Marathon pace

4:55 marathon pace

To run a marathon in 4:55 you need to average 6:59 per km, or 11:15 per mile, over 42.195 km. That is 8.6 km/h, and 2:27:30 at halfway.

Pace per km
6:59
Pace per mile
11:15
Speed
8.6 km/h
Halfway
2:27:30

Splits for a 4:55 marathon

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

KilometresRace clock
5 km34:57
10 km1:09:55
15 km1:44:52
20 km2:19:50
Half2:27:30
25 km2:54:47
30 km3:29:44
35 km4:04:42
40 km4:39:39
Finish4:55:00
MilesRace clock
1 mi11:15
5 mi56:15
10 mi1:52:31
13.1 mi2:27:30
15 mi2:48:46
20 mi3:45:02
25 mi4:41:17
26.2 mi4:55:00

Going out a little slower protects the second half. With a 1% negative split, the first half is 7:04 per km and the second 6:55 per km, for the same finish time.

Print a pace band for 4:55:00, with the race clock at every kilometre or mile.

What a 4:55 marathon takes

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

  • 5K · 30:45
  • 10K · 1:04:08
  • Half marathon · 2:21:29

A recent 10K faster than 1:04:08 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 4:55 marathon needs 10.7 to 11.4 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 4:55 marathon

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

Marathon pace 6:59 /km 11:15 /mile Your goal, held for the whole race.
Easy 8:02–8:53 /km Most of your running, long runs included.
Threshold 6:22–6:33 /km The pace you could race for about an hour.
VMA 5:56–6:05 /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 4:55 marathon ranks

A 4:55 finish is faster than 29% of finishers: top 80% among men and top 61% among women, from 35 million race results analysed by RunRepeat. See Average marathon time.

Train for 4:55

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-5 marathon plan.

Other goal times

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

Frequently asked

What pace is a 4:55 marathon?

6:59 per km, or 11:15 per mile, held for the whole 42.195 km: 8.6 km/h.

What is the halfway split for a 4:55 marathon?

2:27:30 at even pace. With a 1% negative split, you pass halfway in 2:28:59.

What 10K time do I need for a 4:55 marathon?

About 1:04:08, by Riegel’s formula. A 5K of about 30:45 or a half marathon of about 2:21:29 point to the same marathon.

Is a 4:55 marathon good?

It is faster than 29% of finishers: top 80% among men and top 61% among women.

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