Pace Calculator
Calculate your running or walking pace per mile or kilometer.
Results
Your Pace
0:00
per mile
About Pace Calculation
Pace is a measure of how fast you are moving. It is commonly used by runners and walkers to track their performance and set goals.
This calculator converts your total time and distance into pace per mile and per kilometer, allowing you to compare performances across different race distances.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is pace in running?
Pace is the time it takes you to cover one mile or one kilometer. It is typically expressed as minutes:seconds per mile (min/mi) or per kilometer (min/km).
How do you calculate pace?
Pace is calculated by dividing the total time taken by the distance covered. For example, if you run 5 miles in 45 minutes, your pace is 9 minutes per mile.
What is a good running pace?
A good pace varies by fitness level and distance. For beginners, 10-12 min/mile is common. Intermediate runners may aim for 8-10 min/mile, while advanced runners may run under 8 min/mile.
Overview
Pace is the running, cycling, or swimming metric that tells how long it takes to cover a given distance, the inverse of speed. Runners quote it as minutes per kilometer or minutes per mile, cyclists sometimes use minutes per kilometer or kilometers per hour, and swimmers use minutes per 100 m. The pace calculator on this page converts between pace, speed, finish time, and race distance for the most common endurance events, from a 1-mile time trial to a full marathon.
The core relationship is simple. Pace (min/km) = time (min) ÷ distance (km), and speed (km/h) = 60 ÷ pace (min/km). They are reciprocals. A 5:00 min/km pace is 12 km/h, a 4:00 min/km pace is 15 km/h, and a 6:00 min/km pace is 10 km/h. To go from pace to speed, divide 60 by the pace in minutes; to go from speed to pace, divide 60 by the speed in km/h. For miles, 1 mi = 1.60934 km, so a 8:00 min/mi pace is 4:58 min/km, and a 4:00 min/km pace is 6:26 min/mi.
For race planning, the most common reference points are: a sub-20 5K is roughly a 6:27 min/mi pace (4:00 min/km); a sub-1:30 half marathon is around 6:51 min/mi (4:15 min/km); a sub-3:00 marathon is about 6:50 min/mi (4:15 min/km); and a sub-4:00 marathon is about 9:09 min/mi (5:41 min/km). The same distance gives different times at different paces, which is why training plans target a specific pace band rather than a single number. A common beginner plan builds long runs at 9:30-10:30 min/mi, easy runs at 10:00-11:00 min/mi, and race-paced efforts at 8:00-9:00 min/mi.
For VO2 max estimates, the most cited formula is the Daniels-Gilbert VDOT, which combines a recent race result with a target pace. A 20-minute 5K, for example, gives a VDOT of about 51, which predicts an equivalent marathon time near 3:18. While the calculator here is a pace and time tool rather than a full VDOT calculator, the same logic applies: a faster recent race predicts a faster equivalent time, and the relationship is roughly proportional to distance with a small exponent.
Interval training uses pace targets to set work and recovery. A 400 m repeat at 5K pace of 6:27 min/mi is about 1:36 per 400 m, with 1:36 to 2:00 of jogging recovery. A 1,000 m repeat at the same effort is roughly 4:00, with 3:00 of recovery. Pacing by feel, especially in the first 200 m, is a common mistake: starting faster than goal pace and slowing through the workout gives worse outcomes than even-splitting the work intervals.
How to use
- Enter a recent race distance and finish time, or a target pace and a distance, to get the matching values.
- Use the pace or speed field to plan a workout: target pace in min/km or min/mi, or target speed in km/h or mph.
- Switch units (km ↔ mi) to match the local convention; the conversion is 1 mi = 1.60934 km.
- For interval workouts, set the work pace and the recovery pace separately and read the total time per set.
Formula
Interpreting your results
Faster paces are smaller numbers, since less time per unit distance means higher speed. A pace of 4:30 is faster than 5:00. For races, even splitting (running the second half at the same pace as the first) is usually the most efficient strategy; most runners slow 1-3 percent from the first half to the second half on a hard effort, which the calculator can show by comparing predicted to actual time.