Marathon pace

6:00 marathon pace

To run a marathon in 6:00 you need to average 8:32 per km, or 13:44 per mile, over 42.195 km. That is 7 km/h, and 3:00:00 at halfway.

Pace per km
8:32
Pace per mile
13:44
Speed
7 km/h
Halfway
3:00:00

Splits for a 6:00 marathon

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

KilometresRace clock
5 km42:40
10 km1:25:19
15 km2:07:59
20 km2:50:38
Half3:00:00
25 km3:33:18
30 km4:15:57
35 km4:58:37
40 km5:41:16
Finish6:00:00
MilesRace clock
1 mi13:44
5 mi1:08:39
10 mi2:17:18
13.1 mi3:00:00
15 mi3:25:58
20 mi4:34:37
25 mi5:43:16
26.2 mi6:00:00

Going out a little slower protects the second half. With a 1% negative split, the first half is 8:37 per km and the second 8:27 per km, for the same finish time.

Print a pace band for 6:00:00, with the race clock at every kilometre or mile.

What a 6:00 marathon takes

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

  • 5K · 37:32
  • 10K · 1:18:15
  • Half marathon · 2:52:40

A recent 10K faster than 1:18:15 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 6:00 marathon needs 8.9 to 9.4 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 6:00 marathon

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

Marathon pace 8:32 /km 13:44 /mile Your goal, held for the whole race.
Easy 9:49–10:50 /km Most of your running, long runs included.
Threshold 7:40–7:54 /km The pace you could race for about an hour.
VMA 7:14–7:26 /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 6:00 marathon ranks

A 6:00 finish is faster than 4% of finishers: top 99% among men and top 91% among women, from 35 million race results analysed by RunRepeat. See Average marathon time.

Train for 6:00

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

5:45 5:50 5:55 6:00

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

Frequently asked

What pace is a 6:00 marathon?

8:32 per km, or 13:44 per mile, held for the whole 42.195 km: 7 km/h.

What is the halfway split for a 6:00 marathon?

3:00:00 at even pace. With a 1% negative split, you pass halfway in 3:01:48.

What 10K time do I need for a 6:00 marathon?

About 1:18:15, by Riegel’s formula. A 5K of about 37:32 or a half marathon of about 2:52:40 point to the same marathon.

Is a 6:00 marathon good?

It is faster than 4% of finishers: top 99% among men and top 91% among women.

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