How it works
Find your goal in the Finish column. The pace columns give the average to hold per kilometer or per mile, and the split columns show what your watch should read at 10 km, halfway, 30 km and 40 km for an even-paced race.
Most marathon runners slow down in the second half. A plan built on even pace, or a small negative split, protects the last 10 km. The calculator above builds a negative-split plan for any goal.
The formula
pace per km = finish time ÷ 42.195
pace per mile = finish time ÷ 26.2188
split at x km = finish time × x ÷ 42.195 (even pace)
1 mile = 1.609344 kmWorked example
For a marathon in 4:00:00:
- Pace per km: 4:00:00 ÷ 42.195 = 5:41.3, which rounds to 5:41 per km.
- Pace per mile: 4:00:00 ÷ 26.2188 = 9:09.2, which rounds to 9:09 per mile.
- Halfway at even pace: 2:00:00.
Popular marathon goals
These goals have their own pages with splits, a negative-split plan and the training paces that go with them.
- Sub-3 Hour Marathon Pace: 4:15 per km, 6:51 per mile
- 3:30 Marathon Pace: 4:58 per km, 8:00 per mile
- Sub-4 Hour Marathon Pace: 5:41 per km, 9:09 per mile
- 5 Hour Marathon Pace: 7:06 per km, 11:26 per mile
Why your watch disagrees with the chart
Race distances are measured along the shortest line a runner could take. Weaving through crowds and running wide on bends adds distance, and GPS watches also drift, so most runners see a little more than 42.2 km on their watch at the finish. If you pace by the watch alone, you can hit every split on your wrist and still finish slower than planned.
Two fixes help: aim a few seconds per kilometer quicker than the chart, or check your elapsed time at the official kilometer or mile markers, which is what the split columns are for.
Printing this chart
The page prints cleanly: the header, menus and side panels are left out, so the chart fits on paper. For race day, the pace band generator makes a narrow strip with the elapsed times for your goal that you can cut out and tape around your wrist.
Questions
How do I use a marathon pace chart?
Find your goal time in the first column and read across. The pace columns show the average pace to hold per kilometer or mile, and the split columns show the elapsed time at each marker if you run evenly.
How do I convert pace per km to pace per mile?
Multiply the pace per kilometer by 1.609344. For example, 5:00 per km is 300 seconds × 1.609344 = 482.8 seconds, or 8:03 per mile. To go the other way, divide pace per mile by 1.609344.
What if my goal is not in the chart?
Type it into the calculator at the top of the page. It gives the average pace, halfway split and speed, and lists the split for every kilometer or mile, with the option of a negative split.
Are the paces rounded?
Yes, to the nearest second. Rounding changes the finish by at most half a second per kilometer, which is up to about 21 seconds over a marathon. The split columns are not rounded before they are added up, so they always match the finish time.
Add this calculator to your site
Running club, coach or blog? You can put this calculator on your own site for free. Copy the code below into your page’s HTML. The calculator updates itself whenever we improve it.
The short script lets the frame grow to fit the calculator on your page. Please keep the credit line underneath it.