Marathon pace chart
The pace required for every common marathon goal time, over 42.195 km (26.22 miles). Pick a target for its full split table.
| Goal time | Per km | Per mile | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sub-2:45 | 3:55 | 6:18 | Splits → |
| Sub-3:00 | 4:16 | 6:52 | Splits → |
| Sub-3:15 | 4:37 | 7:26 | Splits → |
| Sub-3:30 | 4:59 | 8:01 | Splits → |
| Sub-3:45 | 5:20 | 8:35 | Splits → |
| Sub-4:00 | 5:41 | 9:09 | Splits → |
| Sub-4:30 | 6:24 | 10:18 | Splits → |
| Sub-5:00 | 7:07 | 11:27 | Splits → |
How to pace a marathon
The marathon punishes pacing errors more than any other distance, and it punishes them late, when nothing can be done. A mistake in the first ten kilometres does not present itself until after thirty, by which point the only remaining decision is how much time you lose.
Against a half marathon, expect roughly 4.2% slower per kilometre. Runners who set a marathon target by doubling a half time and adding a few minutes almost always end up with a number that was never achievable.
Five seconds per kilometre faster than planned feels like nothing for the first hour. Across the full distance it is about three and a half minutes, and because the deficit is repaid in the last ten kilometres rather than spread out, it is the difference between finishing strongly and walking.
An even pace or a slight negative split is what almost every good marathon looks like. Banking time is the single most common plan and the single most reliable way to run a slow marathon: the energy cost of running faster than your sustainable pace is not linear, so the minute you gain early costs several later.
Common mistakes
- Banking time early against the hills, the heat or the finish. It does not work, and the mechanism by which it fails is well understood.
- Setting the goal from a half marathon time without applying the endurance penalty.
- Changing anything on race day. Shoes, gels, breakfast and kit should all be things you have already run long in.
Marathon questions
- How far is a marathon in miles?
- A marathon is 42.195 kilometres, or 26.22 miles. The awkward figure is the officially fixed distance rather than a rounding of something tidier, and every certified marathon course is measured to it.
- Should I bank time early in a marathon?
- No. It is intuitive and it is wrong. Running above your sustainable pace costs disproportionately more energy than running at it, so time gained early is repaid with interest in the final ten kilometres. Nearly every personal best is run at an even pace or slightly negative.
- How much slower is marathon pace than half marathon pace?
- Around 4.2% slower per kilometre by the Riegel formula, and often more than that for anyone who has not done marathon specific long runs. Riegel assumes you are equally trained for both distances, which is rarely true of the marathon.
Work out your own target
Any distance, any pace, in kilometres or miles, with split times and negative-split pacing.
Other distances
Not sure which goal is realistic?
Predict your marathon time from a race you have already run.