Half Marathon Pace Chart: Pace Per Mile and Kilometer for Every Finish Time

Your half marathon pace is the average pace per mile or kilometer you need to reach your goal finish time. The charts below cover every five-minute target from 1:00 to 3:30, with useful checkpoints in both miles and kilometers.

Half marathon pace chart by finish time

The official half marathon distance is 13.1094 miles or 21.0975 km. In the tables below, pace is rounded to the nearest second, while every checkpoint is calculated from the exact race distance and finish time, so a rounded pace multiplied by 13.1 miles can differ from the finish time in the same row by up to 7 seconds.

Each row assumes an even average pace. Your individual splits can change with hills, wind, aid stations, and other race conditions.

Half marathon pace chart in miles

Half marathon pace chart in kilometers

How to use the half marathon pace chart

Choose the finish time you are chasing and read across the row. The first column gives the average pace you need, while the checkpoint columns show your cumulative race time.

Keep in mind that GPS distance will not always match the official course exactly. Use official mile or kilometer markers when they are available rather than trying to correct every small change in the pace shown on your watch.

What pace you need for common half marathon goals

If your goal is to finish under a round number, aim slightly inside it. The table below gives about one minute of margin.

For example, exactly two-hour pace is 9:09 per mile or 5:41 per kilometer. A 1:59 target changes that to about 9:05 per mile or 5:38 per kilometer.

How to choose a realistic half marathon goal pace

Your goal pace should reflect your current race fitness, not the time you hope to run after several more months of training.

A recent 10K is the best place to start, because it is long enough to show your endurance and close enough to the half marathon to make the conversion reliable. Our guide to race time equivalents gives the full set of conversions. If you do not have a recent result, a hard 10K time trial can serve the same purpose.

If your calculator predicts 1:45 but goal pace repeatedly becomes unsustainable during race-specific sessions, do not keep 1:45 just because the number looks good. Move to a pace your recent training supports.

The opposite also applies. If you are completing your goal-pace sessions under control and recovering normally, you may be ready to aim a little faster.

How to use half marathon pace in training

You should practice half marathon pace before race day, especially if you have a specific finish-time goal. The aim is to make the pace familiar and confirm that you can hold it after you are already several miles into a run.

Examples of half marathon pace sessions:

• Mile repeats: Run 3 × 1 mile (1.6 km) at goal pace with an easy jog between repetitions.
• Longer repeats: Run 2 × 2 miles (3.2 km) at goal pace with a short easy recovery.
• Continuous race-pace running: Build toward 3 to 5 miles (5 to 8 km) continuously at goal pace.
• Long-run finish: Complete the early part of a long run easily and run the final 2 to 4 miles (3 to 6 km) at goal pace.

Keep most of your running easy and place race-pace work inside selected quality sessions.

How to pace your half marathon on race day

A good target is a controlled, fairly even race with the option to increase effort later. Half marathon pacing is more even than marathon pacing, and faster runners usually hold a steadier speed than slower ones.

Breaking the race into 5K sections makes the plan easier to follow:

• First 5 km (3.1 miles): Settle at goal pace. Do not try to run faster to build a time cushion.
• 5 to 10 km (3.1 to 6.2 miles): Hold the pace you planned and check your first major cumulative split.
• 10 to 15 km (6.2 to 9.3 miles): Stay controlled. Feeling good at halfway is not a reason to make a large pace change.
• 15 to 20 km (9.3 to 12.4 miles): If you are still on pace, start judging whether you can gradually raise the effort.
• Final 1.1 km: Use what you have left. At this point there is no reason to hold anything back.

Do not force identical splits on a course with major hills or strong wind. Keep your overall effort controlled and use cumulative time to see whether you remain close to your target.

How half marathon pace compares with 10K and marathon pace

For the same runner, half marathon pace normally falls between 10K pace and marathon pace.

Your 10K pace is faster because the race is shorter. Marathon pace is slower because you need to sustain it for much longer.

There is no fixed number of seconds per mile that works for every runner. The gap depends on your speed, endurance, training volume, and how well prepared you are for each distance. Use our race time predictor or a recent race result to estimate your half marathon time, and confirm the result with race-specific training.

Choose your goal time from the chart, save your target pace and splits, and use your next race-specific workout to see how that pace feels.

FAQ

What pace is a 2-hour half marathon?

A two-hour half marathon requires about 9:09 per mile (5:41 per kilometer). For a finish under two hours, a 1:59 target requires about 9:05 per mile (5:38 per kilometer).

What pace is a 1:45 half marathon?

A 1:45 finish requires about 8:01 per mile (4:59 per kilometer). For a sub-1:45 goal, a 1:44 target works out to about 7:56 per mile (4:56 per kilometer).

What pace is a 1:30 half marathon?

A 1:30 finish requires about 6:52 per mile (4:16 per kilometer). A 1:29 target gives you a small margin at about 6:47 per mile (4:13 per kilometer).

Should you run long runs at half marathon pace?

No. Most long runs should not be one continuous half marathon pace effort. Keep the easier sections easy and use selected long runs to include controlled blocks at goal pace when your training plan calls for them.

How much slower should half marathon pace be than 10K pace?

There is no single correct difference. Faster runners may have a smaller gap, while runners with less endurance may need a larger one. Use a recent 10K result with a race calculator rather than adding a fixed number of seconds per mile.

Should you run a half marathon at an even pace?

For most runners, an even pace is a good starting plan. Observational research on large race fields shows that better half marathon performances go together with steadier pacing, and that runners of every level slow down somewhat in the second half.

A slight negative split can work as a coaching strategy if you stay controlled early and have enough left to increase the pace late. What you should avoid is deliberately starting much faster than goal pace.