Pace & Speed

How to Use

Select Pace or Speed: Choose whether to calculate pace (time per distance) or speed (distance per time).

Calculate Pace:

• Select the distance (e.g., 5km)
• Enter the total time (e.g., 30:00 for 30 minutes)
• Choose the preferred pace unit (e.g., km or mile)

Calculate Total Time:

• Select the distance
• Enter the target pace or speed (e.g., 5:00 for 5 minutes per km, or 12 for 12 km/h)
• Choose the pace or speed unit

Time Format Examples:

• 5km in 25 minutes: enter 25:00
• 10km in 50 minutes 30 seconds: enter 50:30
• Marathon in 3 hours 45 minutes: enter 3:45:00

Share & History: Click the share button on a result to copy a shareable link. Click any row in the history table to re-run that calculation.

Pace vs Speed — which should you use?

Pace expresses how long it takes you to cover a fixed distance — for example, 5:00 per kilometre or 8:00 per mile. Pace is the default for most runners because it makes race planning intuitive: if you know your 5km race pace, you know exactly what your splits should look like on the watch.

Speed expresses distance covered per unit of time — for example, 12 km/h or 7.5 mph. Speed is the default for cycling, rowing, and treadmill displays, and is the more convenient unit for short sprints or interval sessions where times are small.

This calculator lets you switch between the two freely. Enter whatever you have and it converts between min/km, min/mile, km/h, mph, m/s, ft/s, and yd/s without rounding errors.

Common race paces

Some reference points for popular distances. Enter any of these finish times into the calculator to see the equivalent pace and speed in every supported unit.

• 5km in 25:00 — 5:00 min/km, 8:03 min/mile, 12.0 km/h
• 5km in 20:00 — 4:00 min/km, 6:26 min/mile, 15.0 km/h
• 10km in 50:00 — 5:00 min/km, 8:03 min/mile, 12.0 km/h
• 10km in 40:00 — 4:00 min/km, 6:26 min/mile, 15.0 km/h
• Half marathon in 2:00:00 — 5:41 min/km, 9:09 min/mile, 10.55 km/h
• Half marathon in 1:30:00 — 4:16 min/km, 6:52 min/mile, 14.07 km/h
• Marathon in 4:00:00 — 5:41 min/km, 9:09 min/mile, 10.55 km/h
• Marathon in 3:00:00 — 4:16 min/km, 6:52 min/mile, 14.07 km/h

Advanced mode

Standard mode covers the common race distances (100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1km, 1 mile, 5km, 10km, half marathon, marathon, and more). Switch to Advanced if you need a non-standard distance — a 3km tempo, an 8-mile long run, a 600yd test, or a custom pace interval such as minutes per 400m for track reps. Every unit combination is available in advanced mode.

Splits

When you calculate a finish time from a pace, the result includes split times at each kilometre (or mile, depending on your unit preference) so you can take them onto the track or into the race.

Related Calculators

Once you know your pace, convert any track or field performance into points with the World Athletics Score Calculator, or total up a multi-event competition using the Combined Event Score Calculator.