Marathon pace

5:55 marathon pace

To run a marathon in 5:55 you need to average 8:25 per km, or 13:32 per mile, over 42.195 km. That is 7.1 km/h, and 2:57:30 at halfway.

Pace per km
8:25
Pace per mile
13:32
Speed
7.1 km/h
Halfway
2:57:30

Splits for a 5:55 marathon

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

KilometresRace clock
5 km42:04
10 km1:24:08
15 km2:06:12
20 km2:48:16
Half2:57:30
25 km3:30:20
30 km4:12:24
35 km4:54:28
40 km5:36:32
Finish5:55:00
MilesRace clock
1 mi13:32
5 mi1:07:42
10 mi2:15:24
13.1 mi2:57:30
15 mi3:23:06
20 mi4:30:48
25 mi5:38:30
26.2 mi5:55:00

Going out a little slower protects the second half. With a 1% negative split, the first half is 8:30 per km and the second 8:20 per km, for the same finish time.

Print a pace band for 5:55:00, with the race clock at every kilometre or mile.

What a 5:55 marathon takes

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

  • 5K · 37:01
  • 10K · 1:17:10
  • Half marathon · 2:50:16

A recent 10K faster than 1:17:10 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 5:55 marathon needs 9 to 9.5 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 5:55 marathon

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

Marathon pace 8:25 /km 13:32 /mile Your goal, held for the whole race.
Easy 9:41–10:41 /km Most of your running, long runs included.
Threshold 7:34–7:48 /km The pace you could race for about an hour.
VMA 7:08–7:19 /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 5:55 marathon ranks

A 5:55 finish is faster than 6% of finishers: top 99% among men and top 89% among women, from 35 million race results analysed by RunRepeat. See Average marathon time.

Train for 5:55

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 5:55 marathon?

8:25 per km, or 13:32 per mile, held for the whole 42.195 km: 7.1 km/h.

What is the halfway split for a 5:55 marathon?

2:57:30 at even pace. With a 1% negative split, you pass halfway in 2:59:17.

What 10K time do I need for a 5:55 marathon?

About 1:17:10, by Riegel’s formula. A 5K of about 37:01 or a half marathon of about 2:50:16 point to the same marathon.

Is a 5:55 marathon good?

It is faster than 6% of finishers: top 99% among men and top 89% among women.

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