Marathon pace

5:00 marathon pace

To run a marathon in 5:00 you need to average 7:07 per km, or 11:27 per mile, over 42.195 km. That is 8.4 km/h, and 2:30:00 at halfway.

Pace per km
7:07
Pace per mile
11:27
Speed
8.4 km/h
Halfway
2:30:00

Splits for a 5:00 marathon

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

KilometresRace clock
5 km35:33
10 km1:11:06
15 km1:46:39
20 km2:22:12
Half2:30:00
25 km2:57:45
30 km3:33:18
35 km4:08:51
40 km4:44:24
Finish5:00:00
MilesRace clock
1 mi11:27
5 mi57:13
10 mi1:54:25
13.1 mi2:30:00
15 mi2:51:38
20 mi3:48:51
25 mi4:46:03
26.2 mi5:00:00

Going out a little slower protects the second half. With a 1% negative split, the first half is 7:11 per km and the second 7:02 per km, for the same finish time.

Print a pace band for 5:00:00, with the race clock at every kilometre or mile.

What a 5:00 marathon takes

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

  • 5K · 31:17
  • 10K · 1:05:13
  • Half marathon · 2:23:53

A recent 10K faster than 1:05:13 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 5:00 marathon needs 10.5 to 11.3 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 5:00 marathon

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

Marathon pace 7:07 /km 11:27 /mile Your goal, held for the whole race.
Easy 8:11–9:02 /km Most of your running, long runs included.
Threshold 6:28–6:39 /km The pace you could race for about an hour.
VMA 6:02–6:11 /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 5:00 marathon ranks

A 5:00 finish is faster than 26% of finishers: top 81% among men and top 65% among women, from 35 million race results analysed by RunRepeat. See Average marathon time.

Train for 5:00

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 5:00 marathon?

7:07 per km, or 11:27 per mile, held for the whole 42.195 km: 8.4 km/h.

What is the halfway split for a 5:00 marathon?

2:30:00 at even pace. With a 1% negative split, you pass halfway in 2:31:30.

What 10K time do I need for a 5:00 marathon?

About 1:05:13, by Riegel’s formula. A 5K of about 31:17 or a half marathon of about 2:23:53 point to the same marathon.

Is a 5:00 marathon good?

It is faster than 26% of finishers: top 81% among men and top 65% among women.

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