Tool · Pace
Running pace calculator.
Enter two values and the third appears at once.
Calculate a run
Splits and chart
Even splits keep the same pace. Negative splits start a little slower and finish a little faster. Positive splits start a little faster and fade. Either way, the times still add up to your total.
Enter a pace
Other distances
From a recent race
Enter one result you have already run. The other distances and the training ranges below use that result, not a goal you have not raced yet.
This copies the plan above. It is not a race you have already run.
Add a recent distance and time to estimate other races.
Training pace ranges
The quicker pace is listed first. Ranges come from the recent result, turned into an equivalent 5K, then sliced as a percentage of that speed. On easy days you should still manage full sentences.
Treadmill
The same pace written as speed. Editing any box updates the other two. A flat treadmill is a bit easier than the road, and belts are often slightly off.
How to use it
Work out pace, time or distance from the other two, lay out splits for a race, and see a rough estimate for other distances. It all runs in the browser.
- Choose kilometres or miles. This device remembers the choice.
- Pick what you want to find: pace, time or distance. Enter the other two. The race buttons fill a standard distance.
- Choose even, negative or positive splits, per kilometre or per mile.
- Add a recent race if you want estimates for other distances and training ranges.
- Copy the splits, print them, or copy the page link. The link stores what you entered.
How the numbers are calculated
Pace, time and distance are one relationship. Time equals pace times distance. Pace equals time divided by distance. Distance equals time divided by pace. A 25:00 5K is 5:00 per kilometre. Switching units uses 1 mile = 1.609344 kilometres.
Other distances use Riegel’s formula: T2 = T1 × (D2 / D1) ^ 1.06. T1 is a recent time over distance D1. T2 is the estimate for D2. Peter Riegel described it in Runner’s World in 1977 and again in American Scientist in 1981, for efforts of roughly 3.5 to 230 minutes. It assumes you are trained for the longer distance. A 5K does not know if you have done long runs. Heat, hills and a bad day move the result.
Peter Riegel’s formula, summarised on Wikipedia
Training ranges start from that same formula. The recent result becomes an equivalent 5K time, and each range is a slice of that 5K speed: easy 65–75%, steady 76–84%, tempo or threshold 86–92%, interval 95–100%, repetition 105–115%. These slices are a general way of describing effort. They are not a lab test and they are not a branded score.
Splits cut the distance into kilometres or miles. Even splits share the time in proportion to distance. Negative and positive splits tilt the pace by up to 3% at the two ends, then rescale so the times still add up to the total. The last row is shorter when the race is not a whole number of units. Treadmill speed is the same pace: kilometres per hour equals 60 divided by minutes per kilometre.
Related
- Zone 2 heart rate calculator
Easy pace and easy heart rate answer different questions. That page shows three heart-rate formulas and the talk test.
- Running plan
A week-by-week plan for 5K, 10K or half marathon, from distance and experience.
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Shoes for the paces
- Shoes for easy days
The Novablast 5 page collects ASICS’s published specs for a cushioned daily trainer. Rooted Glow has not run in it.
- Shoes for tempo days
The intermediate shoe guide sorts daily trainers and quicker shoes, including what people use when the pace picks up.
- Shoes for race day
The Alphafly 4 page lists Nike’s published weight, stack and price for a marathon racing shoe. It is not a wear test.
Common questions
What is a good 5K pace for beginners?
There is no official beginner 5K pace. As a planning bracket, not a published average: a first 5K that mixes running and walking often takes about 35 to 50 minutes. That is about 7:00 to 10:00 per kilometre, or about 11:15 to 16:05 per mile. A continuous run closer to 25 to 35 minutes is a common later step for people who already run the distance. Hills, heat, age and health move the clock. Use a pace to plan the outing. It does not grade you.
How do you calculate running pace?
Divide the time by the distance. A 30:00 5K is 6:00 per kilometre, because 30 divided by 5 is 6. The same run is about 9:39 per mile, because a mile is 1.609344 kilometres. Time is pace times distance. Distance is time divided by pace.
How do you predict a marathon time from a 5K?
This page uses Riegel’s formula. The new time equals the recent time times (new distance divided by recent distance) to the power 1.06. A 25:00 5K comes out near 3:59 for a marathon. That is arithmetic, not a promise. The formula assumes you are trained for the marathon. A 5K does not know whether you have done long runs. Peter Riegel framed it for efforts of roughly 3.5 to 230 minutes.
What is a negative split?
A negative split means the second half is faster than the first. A positive split means you slow down. Even splits hold one pace. This page tilts the negative and positive versions by up to 3 percent at the two ends, then rescales them so they still add up to the time you entered. Wind, hills and how the day feels will not follow the table exactly.
What pace is tempo or threshold?
Tempo, or threshold, is a comfortably hard pace many runners can hold for about 40 to 60 minutes. It is quicker than easy running and a bit slower than 5K effort. This calculator estimates a range from a recent race: it builds an equivalent 5K, then takes about 86 to 92 percent of that speed. It is not a lab lactate test. If you cannot speak in short phrases, you are working harder than tempo.
How do I convert pace to treadmill speed?
Divide 60 by your minutes per kilometre to get kilometres per hour. 5:00 per kilometre is 12.0 km/h. Miles per hour are that figure divided by 1.609344, so 12.0 km/h is about 7.5 mph. The other direction is the reverse: pace in minutes per kilometre is 60 divided by the speed in km/h. Treat it as a treadmill setting. Belts are often slightly off, and a flat belt is a bit easier than outside.