Marathon pace chart in km and miles
A 4:00 marathon needs 5:41 per kilometre, or 9:09 per mile. The chart below covers finish times from 2:30 to 6:00 with both units and the halfway split on the same row, so you can find your target without converting anything.
How marathon pace is calculated
Divide your goal time by 42.195 kilometres. Four hours is 240 minutes, and 240 ÷ 42.195 gives 5.688 minutes per kilometre, which is 5:41.
Use the official distance. Rounding to 42 km looks harmless and hides about a minute of running at four hour pace, which is a minute you have not planned for and will meet somewhere after the 40 kilometre marker.
Marathon pace chart
Finish times in ten minute steps. The halfway column is an even split; most runners who negative split cross halfway a minute or two after this figure.
| Finish time | Pace per km | Pace per mile | Halfway |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2:30:00 | 3:33 /km | 5:43 /mi | 1:15:00 |
| 2:40:00 | 3:48 /km | 6:06 /mi | 1:20:00 |
| 2:50:00 | 4:02 /km | 6:29 /mi | 1:25:00 |
| 3:00:00 | 4:16 /km | 6:52 /mi | 1:30:00 |
| 3:10:00 | 4:30 /km | 7:15 /mi | 1:35:00 |
| 3:20:00 | 4:44 /km | 7:38 /mi | 1:40:00 |
| 3:30:00 | 4:59 /km | 8:01 /mi | 1:45:00 |
| 3:40:00 | 5:13 /km | 8:23 /mi | 1:50:00 |
| 3:50:00 | 5:27 /km | 8:46 /mi | 1:55:00 |
| 4:00:00 | 5:41 /km | 9:09 /mi | 2:00:00 |
| 4:10:00 | 5:55 /km | 9:32 /mi | 2:05:00 |
| 4:20:00 | 6:10 /km | 9:55 /mi | 2:10:00 |
| 4:30:00 | 6:24 /km | 10:18 /mi | 2:15:00 |
| 4:40:00 | 6:38 /km | 10:41 /mi | 2:20:00 |
| 4:50:00 | 6:52 /km | 11:04 /mi | 2:25:00 |
| 5:00:00 | 7:07 /km | 11:27 /mi | 2:30:00 |
| 5:10:00 | 7:21 /km | 11:49 /mi | 2:35:00 |
| 5:20:00 | 7:35 /km | 12:12 /mi | 2:40:00 |
| 5:30:00 | 7:49 /km | 12:35 /mi | 2:45:00 |
| 5:40:00 | 8:03 /km | 12:58 /mi | 2:50:00 |
| 5:50:00 | 8:18 /km | 13:21 /mi | 2:55:00 |
| 6:00:00 | 8:32 /km | 13:44 /mi | 3:00:00 |
Even splits and the number on the chart
The chart assumes you hold one pace for 42.195 kilometres. Almost nobody does. Courses have hills, aid stations cost seconds, and the last ten kilometres are where a marathon is actually decided.
Treat the chart pace as the average you have to end up with rather than the pace to run every kilometre at. Going through halfway thirty seconds slower than the even split is a far more common route to the target than going through faster.
Checking your pace against the clock mid-race
Milemark works the calculation the other way too. Enter the pace you are actually holding and it shows what that finishes in, for all four standard distances at once, so you can see what your current effort is worth before you decide whether to chase it back.
Questions about this
What pace is a sub 3 hour marathon?
4:15 per kilometre, or 6:50 per mile. Holding that for 42.195 km puts you at 2:59:20.
Is a marathon 42 km or 42.195 km?
42.195 km, which is 26.219 miles. The 195 metres matters: at five minute kilometres it is another minute of running.