What pace do you need to run a marathon?
A marathon is 26.2 miles (42.195 kilometers). To hit a specific finish time, you need to run every mile at a consistent pace — and knowing that number before race day is the difference between a smart race and blowing up at mile 20.
The table below shows the required pace per mile and per kilometer for every common marathon finish time. Click any row to load it into the calculator. The highlighted rows mark common goal times — sub-4:00, the Boston qualifying standard, and the sub-3:00 barrier.
Marathon pace chart
| Finish time | Pace / mile | Pace / km | Half split |
|---|
Marathon pace calculator
Enter a goal time to find your required pace
hr
min
sec
Pace per mile—
Pace per km—
Half marathon split—
Speed—
Marathon pacing strategy
Knowing your pace is only half the battle. How you distribute that pace across 26.2 miles determines whether you finish strong or struggle through the final miles.
Start conservative
Run your first 3 miles 10-15 seconds per mile slower than goal pace. The energy you save early comes back in the final 10K.
Negative splits
Nearly every marathon world record has been run with a faster second half. Aim to run miles 14-20 at exactly goal pace, then push the final 10K.
The 20-mile wall
Glycogen depletion hits around mile 18-20 for most runners. Consistent fueling every 45 minutes from mile 6 onward is the best defense.
Know your half split
Check the half marathon split in the table above. If you hit the halfway mark more than 2 minutes ahead of that, you're going out too fast.