How do I calculate my marathon pace?

Divide your goal time by the distance: 26.219 miles or 42.195 km. A 4-hour marathon works out to about 9:09 per mile (5:41 per km). The calculator also produces split times so you can check yourself at each mile or 5K mark.

What pace do common marathon goal times require?

Roughly: 3:00 needs 6:52/mi, 3:30 needs 8:00/mi, 4:00 needs 9:09/mi, 4:30 needs 10:18/mi, and 5:00 needs 11:27/mi. Remember course tangents add distance — most runners cover slightly more than 26.22 miles, so banking a few seconds per mile helps.

Should I run even splits or negative splits?

Most coaches recommend even or slightly negative splits — running the second half at the same pace or a touch faster. Starting faster than goal pace burns glycogen early and is the classic cause of hitting the wall around mile 20.

What is a BQ (Boston Qualifying) time?

A BQ is the qualifying standard for the Boston Marathon, which varies by age group and gender and has tightened in recent years — and because the race oversubscribes, runners often need a cushion under their standard to be accepted. Check the current standards on the BAA website for your group.

How should my training paces relate to race pace?

Most weekly mileage should be easy running, typically 60-90+ seconds per mile slower than marathon pace. Tempo runs sit near or slightly faster than marathon pace, while long runs are usually run slower with some race-pace segments mixed in late in the buildup.

Marathon Pace Calculator

Calculate your marathon pace per mile or kilometer based on goal time. See split times, training paces, and what BQ pace

Race Information

Calculation Type

Distance

Unit

Target Pace (per mile)

Split Distance

Split Unit

Runner Profile

Age

Gender

Fitness Level

Weekly Mileage

Marathon Experience

Finish Time

3:29:36

26.2 miles

Pace per Mile

8:00

Average pace

Pace per KM

4:58

Average pace

Race Milestones

Quarter Marathon:52:24

Half Marathon:1:44:48

20 Miles:2:37:12

Finish:3:29:36

Splits (1 miles)

1.0 miles:8:00 (8:00)

2.0 miles:8:00 (16:00)

3.0 miles:8:00 (24:00)

4.0 miles:8:00 (32:00)

5.0 miles:8:00 (40:00)

6.0 miles:8:00 (48:00)

7.0 miles:8:00 (56:00)

8.0 miles:8:00 (1:04:00)

9.0 miles:8:00 (1:12:00)

10.0 miles:8:00 (1:20:00)

Boston Qualifying

Required: 3:05:00

Status: ❌ Not qualifying

Age Grade: 59%

How it works

A pace calculator converts between race time, distance, and pace. Pace is simply total time divided by distance — minutes per mile or kilometre — which you can hold steady or use to predict a finish time.

Pace

Pace = total time ÷ distance        Finish time = pace × distance

total time: duration of the run
distance: miles or kilometres

Worked example

Goal: 4-hour marathon (240 min)
Distance = 26.2 miles

Pace = 240 ÷ 26.2

≈ 9:09 per mile to finish in 4:00.

Good to know

Even or slightly negative splits (running the second half as fast or faster) usually beat going out too hard.
Heat, hills, and fatigue slow late-race pace — build a small buffer into the plan.
Convert min/mile to min/km by multiplying by 0.621 (and vice versa by 1.609).