Marathon pace chart by finish time
Pick your target marathon time and this chart tells you the exact average pace you need to hold, in both minutes per kilometre and minutes per mile, over the official 42.195 km (26.2188 mile) distance. Every row is computed from the target time and verified by hand.
Open the Running Pace calculatorNeed a target between these rows — say 3:22 or 4:12? The Running pace calculator gives the exact pace for any marathon finish time, and works for other distances too.
The marathon pace chart
Distances used: 42.195 km and 26.2188 miles (the same distance, since 1 mile = 1.609344 km). Paces are rounded to the nearest second.
| Finish time | Pace (min/km) | Pace (min/mile) |
|---|---|---|
| 3:00:00 | 4:16 | 6:52 |
| 3:15:00 | 4:37 | 7:26 |
| 3:30:00 | 4:59 | 8:01 |
| 3:45:00 | 5:20 | 8:35 |
| 4:00:00 | 5:41 | 9:09 |
| 4:30:00 | 6:24 | 10:18 |
| 5:00:00 | 7:07 | 11:27 |
How the chart is calculated
Each pace is the finish time divided by the distance. Convert the target to seconds, divide by the distance in the unit you want, then convert back to minutes and seconds:
Worked example for a 4:00:00 marathon:
- Convert:
4:00:00 = 14400 s. - Per km:
14400 / 42.195 = 341.3 s/km = 5:41 min/km. - Per mile:
14400 / 26.2188 = 549.2 s/mile = 9:09 min/mile.
The same steps give every other row. For a 3:30:00 target,
12600 / 42.195 = 298.6 s/km = 4:59 min/km and
12600 / 26.2188 = 480.6 s/mile = 8:01 min/mile.
How to read it
Find your goal time in the first column and read across to the pace you must average for the whole race. The chart assumes even pacing — the same speed from the first kilometre to the last. That is the mathematically optimal way to run a marathon, and it is why the single number matters: banking time early by going faster than your chart pace almost always costs more later than it saves.
A practical way to use it is to memorise your km or mile split and check it at each marker. If you are targeting 4:00, every kilometre should tick by in about 5:41; drifting to 5:50 for several kilometres quietly puts the goal out of reach.
What this chart does not account for
These are average paces assuming a perfectly even race over an exactly measured course. Real marathons have hills, wind, aid-station slowdowns and GPS watches that over-read distance because you rarely run the shortest legal line. Most watches show a total nearer 42.4–42.6 km, which makes your displayed pace look faster than your true course pace. The chart also says nothing about whether you are trained to hold a given pace — for that, project from a recent race with a race-time predictor.
Frequently asked questions
What pace is a 4-hour marathon?
About 5:41 per kilometre or 9:09 per mile, held evenly for the full 42.195 km.
Why does my watch show a faster pace than the chart?
GPS watches usually measure slightly more than the certified distance because you do not run the shortest legal line. Over that longer measured distance your pace looks faster than the true course pace the chart is based on.
Should I run even splits or start faster?
Even splits are optimal for almost all runners. Starting faster than your chart pace to “bank time” typically causes a larger slowdown later that costs more than it saved.
Related tools and reading
Running pace calculator
Get the exact pace for any marathon target, or any other distance and time.
ReadHow to calculate running pace
The formulas behind the chart, plus how to convert between min/km and min/mile.
Sources
- World Athletics, Competition and Technical Rules — official marathon distance of 42.195 km. Checked 23 Aug 2026.
- International yard and pound agreement (1959) — 1 mile = 1.609344 km exactly, giving the 26.2188-mile marathon distance used in the mile column. Checked 23 Aug 2026.