Running Pace Calculator

Understanding running pace

Pace is how long it takes to cover a set distance, expressed as minutes per kilometre or per mile, and it is the number runners actually train and race by. It is the inverse of speed: a faster runner has a lower pace number. To find your pace, divide your total time by the distance; to predict a finish time, multiply your target pace by the race distance. The calculator above converts between pace, speed and finish time.

Train at different paces for different goals. Most of your running should be at an easy, conversational pace to build endurance; harder sessions (tempo runs near your threshold, and short intervals faster than race pace) build speed. A common mistake is running every session at the same middling effort, which is too hard to recover from and too easy to improve fast.

Predicting a race. Your pace over a shorter race can estimate a longer one, but expect to slow slightly as distance grows, because you cannot hold 5K pace for a marathon. Use a recent race result and add a realistic margin per extra kilometre rather than assuming even pace across every distance.