Sub-20 5K pace
To finish a 5k in under 20 minutes, you need to average 4:00 per kilometre, or 6:26 per mile, for the full 5 km.
Required pace
4:00 /km
6:26 per mile · finish 20:00
Threshold effort
Even-paced splits
Elapsed time you should see at each marker if you run the whole thing at one effort.
| Distance | Elapsed |
|---|---|
| 1 km | 4:00 |
| 2 km | 8:00 |
| 3 km | 12:00 |
| 4 km | 16:00 |
| 5 km | 20:00 |
| Distance | Elapsed |
|---|---|
| 1 mi | 6:26 |
| 2 mi | 12:52 |
| 3 mi | 19:19 |
| 3.11 mi | 20:00 |
Pacing it in practice
These splits assume even effort on a flat course. Most personal bests are actually run slightly negative. That means a touch slower than target for the first half, then faster once you know the effort is sustainable. Going out fast and hanging on is the most common way to miss a time goal.
Open this target in the calculator to adjust it, switch units, or model a negative split.