Know your target. Plan your splits.
Marathon pace chart
Compare marathon finish times with kilometre and mile pace over the full 42.195 km. Choose a target from two to eight hours, or enter your own time for a complete split plan.
A 4:00:00 marathon means an average pace of 5:41 per km or 9:09 per mile, over 42.195 km.
Marathon finish times and average pace
Every row assumes even pace. Select a finish time for the full split plan. The table covers 2:00:00 to 8:00:00; use the custom planner for other targets.
| Finish | Pace / km | Pace / mile | Halfway |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2:00:00 | 2:51 | 4:35 | 1:00:00 |
| 2:10:00 | 3:05 | 4:57 | 1:05:00 |
| 2:20:00 | 3:19 | 5:20 | 1:10:00 |
| 2:30:00 | 3:33 | 5:43 | 1:15:00 |
| 2:40:00 | 3:48 | 6:06 | 1:20:00 |
| 2:50:00 | 4:02 | 6:29 | 1:25:00 |
| 3:00:00 | 4:16 | 6:52 | 1:30:00 |
| 3:10:00 | 4:30 | 7:15 | 1:35:00 |
| 3:20:00 | 4:44 | 7:38 | 1:40:00 |
| 3:30:00 | 4:59 | 8:01 | 1:45:00 |
| 3:40:00 | 5:13 | 8:23 | 1:50:00 |
| 3:50:00 | 5:27 | 8:46 | 1:55:00 |
| 4:00:00 | 5:41 | 9:09 | 2:00:00 |
| 4:10:00 | 5:55 | 9:32 | 2:05:00 |
| 4:20:00 | 6:10 | 9:55 | 2:10:00 |
| 4:30:00 | 6:24 | 10:18 | 2:15:00 |
| 4:40:00 | 6:38 | 10:41 | 2:20:00 |
| 4:50:00 | 6:52 | 11:04 | 2:25:00 |
| 5:00:00 | 7:07 | 11:27 | 2:30:00 |
| 5:10:00 | 7:21 | 11:49 | 2:35:00 |
| 5:20:00 | 7:35 | 12:12 | 2:40:00 |
| 5:30:00 | 7:49 | 12:35 | 2:45:00 |
| 5:40:00 | 8:03 | 12:58 | 2:50:00 |
| 5:50:00 | 8:18 | 13:21 | 2:55:00 |
| 6:00:00 | 8:32 | 13:44 | 3:00:00 |
| 6:10:00 | 8:46 | 14:07 | 3:05:00 |
| 6:20:00 | 9:00 | 14:30 | 3:10:00 |
| 6:30:00 | 9:15 | 14:52 | 3:15:00 |
| 6:40:00 | 9:29 | 15:15 | 3:20:00 |
| 6:50:00 | 9:43 | 15:38 | 3:25:00 |
| 7:00:00 | 9:57 | 16:01 | 3:30:00 |
| 7:10:00 | 10:11 | 16:24 | 3:35:00 |
| 7:20:00 | 10:26 | 16:47 | 3:40:00 |
| 7:30:00 | 10:40 | 17:10 | 3:45:00 |
| 7:40:00 | 10:54 | 17:33 | 3:50:00 |
| 7:50:00 | 11:08 | 17:56 | 3:55:00 |
| 8:00:00 | 11:23 | 18:18 | 4:00:00 |
Halfway is 21.0975 km. These are target examples, not finish-time benchmarks or race cutoff limits.
Custom target
Build your Marathon split plan
Set a target finish time, then read every kilometre or mile checkpoint through the exact finish.
Displayed pace and split times are rounded to the nearest second. The calculations use the unrounded pace from your target finish time.
| Checkpoint | Segment | Elapsed |
|---|---|---|
| 1 km | 5:41 | 5:41 |
| 2 km | 5:41 | 11:23 |
| 3 km | 5:41 | 17:04 |
| 4 km | 5:41 | 22:45 |
| 5 km | 5:41 | 28:26 |
| 6 km | 5:41 | 34:08 |
| 7 km | 5:41 | 39:49 |
| 8 km | 5:41 | 45:30 |
| 9 km | 5:41 | 51:11 |
| 10 km | 5:41 | 56:53 |
| 11 km | 5:41 | 1:02:34 |
| 12 km | 5:41 | 1:08:15 |
| 13 km | 5:41 | 1:13:57 |
| 14 km | 5:41 | 1:19:38 |
| 15 km | 5:41 | 1:25:19 |
| 16 km | 5:41 | 1:31:00 |
| 17 km | 5:41 | 1:36:42 |
| 18 km | 5:41 | 1:42:23 |
| 19 km | 5:41 | 1:48:04 |
| 20 km | 5:41 | 1:53:45 |
| 21 km | 5:41 | 1:59:27 |
| 22 km | 5:41 | 2:05:08 |
| 23 km | 5:41 | 2:10:49 |
| 24 km | 5:41 | 2:16:31 |
| 25 km | 5:41 | 2:22:12 |
| 26 km | 5:41 | 2:27:53 |
| 27 km | 5:41 | 2:33:34 |
| 28 km | 5:41 | 2:39:16 |
| 29 km | 5:41 | 2:44:57 |
| 30 km | 5:41 | 2:50:38 |
| 31 km | 5:41 | 2:56:19 |
| 32 km | 5:41 | 3:02:01 |
| 33 km | 5:41 | 3:07:42 |
| 34 km | 5:41 | 3:13:23 |
| 35 km | 5:41 | 3:19:05 |
| 36 km | 5:41 | 3:24:46 |
| 37 km | 5:41 | 3:30:27 |
| 38 km | 5:41 | 3:36:08 |
| 39 km | 5:41 | 3:41:50 |
| 40 km | 5:41 | 3:47:31 |
| 41 km | 5:41 | 3:53:12 |
| 42 km | 5:41 | 3:58:53 |
| Finish — Marathon | 1:07 | 4:00:00 |
Anchor the plan to 42.195K
World Athletics lists the marathon as 42.195K. A 4:00:00 goal is 14,400 seconds, or about 5:41.27 per kilometre. At that constant pace, rounded cumulative times are 56:53 at 10K, 1:53:45 at 20K, 2:50:38 at 30K and 3:47:31 at 40K.
The final 2.195K takes about 12:29, bringing the arithmetic back to exactly four hours. A shortcut based on 42K would omit 195 metres. The chart calculates from the full official distance first and rounds only the displayed split.
Use halfway as a full-plan check
The half-marathon point is 21.0975K and arrives at exactly 2:00:00 in an even four-hour plan. It is 1.0975K beyond the 20K marker, which is why a 20K split cannot simply be doubled to describe the marathon finish.
Static rows are spaced ten minutes apart to keep the page navigable. They are reference points, not recommended ability bands. Enter a precise target such as 3:47:30 in the custom planner to generate one internally consistent row rather than interpolating rounded values by eye.
Include elapsed stops and the correct start clock
Every water, toilet or congestion stop remains inside elapsed race time. If a four-hour chip target includes two minutes stationary, the moving time must total 3:58:00. The even chart does not reserve that buffer automatically or prescribe where to recover it.
Gun time begins with the race's starting signal; chip time begins when the runner crosses the start line. World Athletics treats gun time as official for order, while races may publish net time too. Check which clock governs cutoffs, qualification or your personal goal before using the splits.
Take the baseline to the course page
Constant pace is the simplest comparison case. It does not model elevation, surface, weather, turns, aid-station flow or late-race fatigue. GPS drift and environmental factors can also make a watch's distance and current pace differ from the certified route and official markers.
Use the chart to understand the arithmetic, then inspect a specific marathon's course and operations evidence before deciding how to distribute effort. Use the PB predictor only when the question is what another performance might imply; this page starts after a target has been chosen.
How this pace chart is calculated
Average pace is target time divided by distance. For 42.195 km, pace per kilometre is target seconds ÷ 42.195. Pace per mile multiplies the seconds-per-metre value by 1609.344 metres. Each elapsed checkpoint is calculated directly from that unrounded value.
The finish row retains the exact distance, including any partial kilometre or mile. Segment time covers the distance since the previous checkpoint. Rounding happens only for display; adding displayed segment times can differ slightly from the displayed finish. CSV includes unrounded seconds as well as readable times.
This is an even-pace calculation. It does not forecast fitness, adjust for hills or weather, or determine whether an event permits walking. Use the PB predictor to explore performance estimates, and the cutoff guide to interpret official checkpoint rules.
Put your target in context
Find the race for your plan
Compare the course and its current rules, choose a training calendar, and keep your race tasks together.
Sources and review
RaceIndex calculations and editorial guidance, prepared with AI assistance. Arithmetic and references checked .