Marathon Pace Calculator
Enter your marathon goal time to find the exact pace per kilometre and per mile you need to hold, plus even-effort split projections for 5K, 10K, the half-marathon, and the full marathon.
h
min
= 5:41 /km
- 1
Total goal time in minutes
4 × 60 + 0 = 240 - 2
Required pace = total time ÷ 42.195 km
240 ÷ 42.195 = 5.69Divide total minutes by the marathon distance to get minutes per kilometre.
How does this calculator work?
Divide your goal time in minutes by 42.195 to get required pace per km. A 4-hour marathon needs 5:41 /km (9:09 /mi); a 3-hour marathon needs 4:16 /km (6:52 /mi). The calculator also gives pace per mile, average speed km/h, and projected split times at 5K, 10K, half-marathon, and the finish.
Formula
How this is calculated
The full marathon distance is exactly 42.195 km (26.2188 miles). If you run at a perfectly constant pace from start to finish, the required pace is your total goal time in minutes divided by 42.195. For example, a 4-hour marathon (240 minutes) requires 240 ÷ 42.195 ≈ 5.69 min/km, displayed as 5:41 per kilometre.
Pace per mile is obtained by multiplying the km pace by 1.609344 (the exact number of kilometres per statute mile). Average speed in km/h equals 60 divided by the pace in min/km. All three figures describe the same effort — km pace is standard outside the US and UK, while mile pace is conventional in those countries.
The split projections assume a perfectly even effort: the same pace at every kilometre. In practice, most coaches recommend even splits or a very slight negative split (second half marginally faster). Starting too fast — positive splitting — is the most common cause of hitting the wall in the final 10 km, because glycogen depletion and lactate accumulation accelerate faster than a simple pace model predicts.
Frequently asked questions
A 4-hour marathon (240 min ÷ 42.195 km) needs a pace of approximately 5:41 per km (9:09 per mile). Enter 4 hours and 0 minutes to see the exact figure and all split projections.
A marathon is 42.195 km (26.2188 miles). The distance was standardised at the 1908 London Olympics and has remained unchanged since 1921.
Even splits (same pace throughout) or a slight negative split (second half a few seconds per km faster) both work well. Positive splits — going out too fast — are the most common reason runners hit the wall in the last 10 km.
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team. (2026). Marathon Pace Calculator [Online calculator]. TG we-Calculate. https://we-calculate.com/calculator/marathon-pace-calculator
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team. "Marathon Pace Calculator." TG we-Calculate. 2026. https://we-calculate.com/calculator/marathon-pace-calculator.
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team, "Marathon Pace Calculator," TG we-Calculate, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://we-calculate.com/calculator/marathon-pace-calculator
@misc{wecalculate_marathon_pace_calculator, title = {Marathon Pace Calculator}, author = {{TG we-Calculate Editorial Team}}, howpublished = {\url{https://we-calculate.com/calculator/marathon-pace-calculator}}, year = {2026}, note = {TG we-Calculate} }
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