Marathon Pace Chart
| Goal | Pace /km | Pace /mi | 10K | Half | 30K | 35K |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3:00 | 4:16 /km | 6:52 /mi | 42:40 | 1:30:00 | 2:07:59 | 2:29:18 |
| 3:15 | 4:37 /km | 7:26 /mi | 46:13 | 1:37:30 | 2:18:39 | 2:41:45 |
| 3:30 | 4:59 /km | 8:01 /mi | 49:46 | 1:45:00 | 2:29:18 | 2:54:11 |
| 3:45 | 5:20 /km | 8:35 /mi | 53:19 | 1:52:30 | 2:39:58 | 3:06:38 |
| 4:00 | 5:41 /km | 9:09 /mi | 56:53 | 2:00:00 | 2:50:38 | 3:19:05 |
| 4:15 | 6:03 /km | 9:44 /mi | 1:00:26 | 2:07:30 | 3:01:18 | 3:31:31 |
| 4:30 | 6:24 /km | 10:18 /mi | 1:03:59 | 2:15:00 | 3:11:58 | 3:43:58 |
| 4:45 | 6:45 /km | 10:52 /mi | 1:07:33 | 2:22:30 | 3:22:38 | 3:56:24 |
| 5:00 | 7:07 /km | 11:27 /mi | 1:11:06 | 2:30:00 | 3:33:18 | 4:08:51 |
Race day asks one number over and over: am I on pace? This chart answers with even-split checkpoints for every common goal — pick your target, read the pace in minutes per kilometer or per mile, and know exactly what 10K, the half and 30K should feel like on the watch.
Bottom line: a 3:30 marathon is 4:59 per kilometer (8:01 per mile), 49:46 at 10K, 1:45 at the half and 2:29 at 30K. Every row scales the same way — the table is pure division, so the checkpoints are only as honest as the goal you feed them.
The honest part: nobody runs even. Crowding costs 10-20 seconds in the first kilometer, bridges and hills take their cut, and the last 10K collects interest on everything you borrowed early. Coaches who study splits keep finding the same thing — the fastest finishers are the ones whose first half was the slowest relative to their second.
How to use
- Pick a goal from evidence, not hope: double a recent half-marathon and add 5-10 minutes, or take your best 20-24 km training run and ask what another 18 km at that effort costs.
- Read that row's pace column and the checkpoints — tape the 10K, half and 30K times to your wristband; those three are the race's real story.
- On race day, run 10-15 seconds per kilometer slower than the column for the first 5K and let the table catch up — the chart's times still land if the early debt stays small.
Frequently asked questions
What pace is a 3:30 marathon?
4:59 per kilometer, 8:01 per mile - the row in the table above. The checkpoints: 49:46 at 10K, 1:45:00 at the half, 2:29:18 at 30K and 2:54:11 at 35K. If the half comes up much faster than 1:45, the last 10K is borrowing against a very high rate.
Is even pacing actually realistic?
As an average, yes; as a split-by-split script, no. Elite race reports and big-city data both show medal-free runners banking time early and paying double late. The workable version: even effort, slightly positive time splits on hilly courses, and a first 5K that is deliberately 10-15 seconds per kilometer slower than the table.
How do I choose between a 4:00 and a 4:15 goal?
Check the pace gap - 5:41 versus 6:03 per kilometer. If your long training runs held 5:45-6:00 comfortably, 4:15 is the honest row and 4:00 is the stretch; if half-marathon fitness says 1:55 or faster, 4:00 has room. The wall punishes fantasy goals far harder than hills do.
Do walk breaks ruin a goal time?
Not if they are in the plan from kilometer one. Run-walk methods budget 30-60 second walk breaks on a fixed interval and still land inside these rows, because average pace is what the table measures - and a walk at kilometer 32 costs far less than a bonk at kilometer 35. Walking only after the wheels fall off is the one pattern the chart cannot save.