Pace ⇄ Time ⇄ Distance Calculator

Running pace: minutes per kilometre

Pace is how long it takes you to cover one kilometre, written as pace = time / distance. Run 10 km in 50 minutes and your pace is 5:00 min/km. To turn that into speed, use speed (km/h) = 60 / pace_min, so 5:00/km comes out to 12 km/h. At the elite end, world-class athletes hold 5K under 2:40/km, 10K near 2:45/km, the half around 3:00/km and the full marathon roughly 3:00/km. Amateurs targeting a sub-3 marathon need about 4:15/km, while a sub-4 sits closer to 5:40/km. Training zones spread out a lot too. Easy runs land at 5:30–6:30/km, tempo and threshold work at 4:00–4:30/km, and VO₂max intervals at 3:30–4:00/km. Pace also drops off at altitude, where O₂ is scarcer, and in the heat, which piles on cardiovascular load.

Applications and context

Pace is the metric every platform tracks, from Strava, Garmin Connect, Polar Flow and Coros, and it's what structured plans like Jack Daniels' VDOT and Pfitzinger are built around. Lean on it to hold back on long runs, set realistic race targets and check whether your threshold workouts are landing where they should.

FAQ

Pace or speed — which to use? Runners tend to think in pace (min/km): lower is better, and even small differences are easy to feel on the legs. Speed (km/h) is more the cyclist's currency.

Why does my pace slow on long runs? Mostly glycogen running low, dehydration, and the cardiovascular drift that builds up over the miles. Fuelling along the way and a solid aerobic base both blunt the effect.

How much does altitude affect pace? For endurance efforts, figure on roughly 1–2% slower for every 300 m above 1500 m, at least until your body acclimatises.