Marathon Pace Charts

Have you ever wondered how fast you could run a marathon?

I'm quite often asked by runners how fast I think they could complete a marathon. It's quite normal for people to consider the best performance that they're capable of. 

It's also quite normal to wonder how well you might perform at longer distance races based on your average running pace. Though there's more to predicting race performance than your average pace for a leisurely trot around the block.

Target race time

If however, you'd like to achieve a specific target marathon finish time. Then the pace charts below could be quite a useful tool to get an idea of the average pace and speed you'd need to maintain for the entire 26.2 miles or 42.195 km.

The charts below provide finishing times in 5-minute increments from 2 hours and 25 minutes all the way up to 7 hours and 30 minutes. Alongside each finishing time is the pace per mile and the average speed that equates to. There are three charts one in miles, one in km and finally one with both units.

For context, the first two entries are for Eluid Kipchoge's sub 2 hour marathon (the INEOS Challenge, Vienna Oct 2019) and the current official world record of 2:00:35 set by Kelvin Kiptum set at Chicago in October 2023. Where he beat Kipchoge's previous world record time set at Berlin Marathon in Sept 2022 by 34seconds.

Just in case you have a hankering to try and beat the fastest marathon performances of all time!

If you want to check out half-marathon race paces, I've created separate charts for that distance which you can see by clicking here.

UPDATE: Since publishing my pace chart articles I've created several calculators. So, if you can't find the exact time in these charts head over to Running Calculators page and check out the race finish time or pace and speed calculators.

As I live in the UK and I'm old enough to remember an era before decimal currency (yes, I'm truly an old fart). We'll start with the old fashioned imperial unit of measure = miles.

Marathon Pace Chart in Miles:

If you prefer to use metric units - this is the chart for you

Marathon Pace Chart in Km:

In case you want to be able to compare miles to km or easily convert from one to the other to help you converse with a friend who uses a different unit of measure - this is the chart for you.

Marathon Pace Chart in Miles and Km:

Most people that take part in a major road marathon race, manage to complete it within 7 and a half hours. Many marathons have cut-off times for completion, for logistical and practical purposes. As the London Marathon has a cut off time of 8 hours, I've included that finishing time too - for context.

Also in case you were wondering:

What's the slowest marathon finishing time ever?

In April 2002 Lloyd Scott completed the London Marathon dressed in an antique deep-sea diving suit that weighed 130 lbs (58.97 kg). His finishing time was 5 days, 8 hours, 29 minutes and 46 seconds.

That equates to:

• an average pace of 04:52:02/mile or 03:02:37/km
• an average speed of 0.2 mph or 0.33 kph

The above performance is recognised and included in the Guinness Book of World Records. 

However, some people contend that Shiso Kanakuri holds the record for the slowest ever marathon finishing time at 54 years, 8 months, 6 days, 5 hours, 32 minutes and 20.3 seconds. 

Shiso Kanakuri started a marathon race as part of the 1912 Olympic games in Stockholm, Sweden. But dropped out during the race, due to exhaustion from the heat and his efforts to get there. It took 18 days! 

There were no international flights at the time. Not surprising when you consider that the Wright brother's first manned flight only happened 9 years earlier.

Shiso was subsequently invited back to complete the race in 1967 at the age of 76. 

Whilst it's a great story, I don't consider it to be a record for the slowest marathon time. Simply because it's really a DNF (Did Not Finish). As Shiso understandably dropped out of the race and at the time had no intention of completing it.

Closing the Gap

On Sunday 13th of October 2024 at the Chicago Marathon Ruth Chepngetich of Kenya smashed the Women's Marathon World Record by almost 2 minutes! With a finishing time of 2:09:56!

The previous record of 2:11:53 lasted less than a year, having been set on Sunday 24th of October 2023 at the Berlin Marathon by Tigst Assefa of Etheopia. Assefa beat the previous world record (2:14:04 was set by Brigid Kosgei at the Chicago Marathon in October of 2019) by just over 2 minutes. 

Prior to Brigid Kosgei's world record Paula Radcliffe's marathon time of 2:15:25 remained unchallenged for over 16 years! As it was set at London marathon in April 2003 at the time Paula beat her own record of 2:17:18 set at Chicago in 2002.