What Is the Average Marathon Time?
The 2024 US average is 4:34, or 10:27 per mile. Enter your own goal to compare.
| Split | Split time | Elapsed |
|---|---|---|
| Mile 1 | 10:27 | 0:10:27 |
| Mile 2 | 10:27 | 0:20:54 |
| Mile 3 | 10:27 | 0:31:21 |
| Mile 4 | 10:27 | 0:41:48 |
| Mile 5 | 10:27 | 0:52:15 |
| Mile 6 | 10:27 | 1:02:42 |
| Mile 7 | 10:27 | 1:13:09 |
| Mile 8 | 10:27 | 1:23:36 |
| Mile 9 | 10:27 | 1:34:03 |
| Mile 10 | 10:27 | 1:44:30 |
| Mile 11 | 10:27 | 1:54:57 |
| Mile 12 | 10:27 | 2:05:24 |
| Mile 13 | 10:27 | 2:15:51 |
| Half way | 1:09 | 2:17:00 |
| Mile 14 | 9:18 | 2:26:18 |
| Mile 15 | 10:27 | 2:36:45 |
| Mile 16 | 10:27 | 2:47:13 |
| Mile 17 | 10:27 | 2:57:40 |
| Mile 18 | 10:27 | 3:08:07 |
| Mile 19 | 10:27 | 3:18:34 |
| Mile 20 | 10:27 | 3:29:01 |
| Mile 21 | 10:27 | 3:39:28 |
| Mile 22 | 10:27 | 3:49:55 |
| Mile 23 | 10:27 | 4:00:22 |
| Mile 24 | 10:27 | 4:10:49 |
| Mile 25 | 10:27 | 4:21:16 |
| Mile 26 | 10:27 | 4:31:43 |
| Finish | 2:17 | 4:34:00 |
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The average marathon finish time in the US in 2024 was 4:34, which is 10:27 per mile or 6:30 per km. Men averaged 4:24 and women 4:51. These are US race results from RunRepeat’s State of US Marathons 2025 report, not a world figure.
The tool below is set to 4:34:00 so you can see the splits of an average marathon. Change the goal time to your own to compare. The table below it gives the pace of each group, and the sections after that cover training paces and how to predict your own time.
Everything is calculated in your browser, so nothing you type is uploaded, and the tool is free with no account or sign-up.
Want this on your phone? Get the RunPacePlan app for Android; the iPhone version is coming soon.
How to use the pace tool for this goal
- Check that Race is set to Marathon.
- Goal time is already 4:34:00. Type another time to see its pace and splits.
- Pick Pacing: Even, Negative split or Positive split. For the last two, set Difference between halves (%).
- Choose miles or km with the Units switch. Every pace and distance changes with it.
- Read the average pace and the split table: each row has the split time and the elapsed time.
- Use Print splits for a paper copy or Copy link to keep the exact result.
The split table has two columns that are easy to mix up. Split time is how long that one mile or km takes. Elapsed is the clock reading when you reach it, and it is the column to compare with your watch during the race. To compare goals, change only Goal time and watch the average pace and the Elapsed column update; nothing else needs resetting. Make a pace band for this time opens the pace band generator with the same race and goal. The tables scroll sideways inside their box on a small screen.
Everything runs in your browser and nothing you type is uploaded. Settings stay in the page address, so a copied link opens with the same goal. Prefer your phone? There is a RunPacePlan app for Android, with the iPhone version coming soon.
What is the average marathon time by age and gender?
In 2024 the US average was 4:34 overall, 4:24 for men and 4:51 for women. By age group the averages ran from 4:19 for 18 to 24 to 5:35 for 65 and over. The table adds the pace of each average, worked out by the tool.
| Group | Average finish | Pace per mile | Pace per km |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall average | 4:34 | 10:27 | 6:30 |
| Men | 4:24 | 10:04 | 6:15 |
| Women | 4:51 | 11:06 | 6:54 |
| Age 18–24 | 4:19 | 9:53 | 6:08 |
| Age 25–34 | 4:27 | 10:11 | 6:20 |
| Age 35–44 | 4:29 | 10:16 | 6:23 |
| Age 45–54 | 4:38 | 10:36 | 6:35 |
| Age 55–64 | 4:58 | 11:22 | 7:04 |
| Age 65+ | 5:35 | 12:47 | 7:56 |
Source: RunRepeat, The State of US Marathons 2025 (with World Athletics), 2024 averages. The age group 55 to 64 is 4:58:04 in the report. Averages mix first-time marathoners with experienced runners, so a time near the average is not the same as an easy time.
What pace is the average marathon time?
The overall average of 4:34 is 10:27 per mile or 6:30 per km. At that pace you pass 10 km at 1:04:56, halfway at 2:17:00, 30 km at 3:14:49 and mile 20 at 3:29:01. The split table in the tool lists every mile.
What training paces go with a 4:34 marathon?
For a 4:34:00 goal the easy pace is 12:01 to 13:35 per mile (7:28 to 8:27 per km), threshold 9:41 per mile (6:01 per km) and interval 8:44 per mile. Matching race times, as estimates of equal fitness, are a 5K of about 28:56, a 10K of 1:00:09 and a half marathon of 2:13:16.
How do I predict my marathon time from a shorter race?
Enter a recent 5K, 10K or half marathon in the race time predictor to see where you would land against these averages. For a 5K of 25:00 the Daniels and Gilbert estimate is 3:57:55, which is more than half an hour ahead of the 4:34 average. Predictions assume you have done the long runs a marathon needs.
Should I run even or negative splits for an average marathon?
Even splits mean 10:27 for every mile at the 4:34 average. With a negative split and a 2% gap, the first half of a 4:34:00 marathon takes 2:18:23 and the second 2:15:37. Most finishers run the second half slower than the first, not faster, so planning for even or slightly negative splits is already ahead of the field. Change Pacing in the tool to see the gap for your own goal time.
Who does the average describe?
The 4:34 is the average of US finishers in 2024, from first-time runners who walk part of it to club runners. It is not a target or a normal time for a trained runner. A time near the average is a solid result for a first marathon.
What mistakes do people make with averages?
Comparing a hilly or hot race with a flat course average, mixing US results with other countries, and comparing a first marathon with the average of all runners. Age and gender matter: the table shows 4:19 for ages 18 to 24 and 5:35 for 65 and over.
How does the average compare with Boston qualifying?
The Boston qualifying standards are much faster than the average, and they differ by age and gender. Use the Boston qualifying times page for the current table.
How this tool works and where the numbers come from
Average finish times are the 2024 US figures published by RunRepeat in The State of US Marathons 2025, made with World Athletics. We did not collect the times ourselves; the paces, splits and training paces are computed by the tool from those averages.
Sources
- RunRepeat (2025). The State of US Marathons 2025, with World Athletics (published 2025-08-28; US results, averages for 2024) · checked
- Methodology: pace, time and distance (RunPacePlan)
- Methodology: training paces (RunPacePlan)
Frequently asked questions
What is the average marathon time?
4:34 for the US in 2024 (RunRepeat), which is 10:27 per mile. Men averaged 4:24 and women 4:51.
What is a good marathon time?
That depends on your age, your history and your goal. As a reference, finishing in about four hours is faster than the 4:34 average, and 3:30 is roughly an hour faster. The sub 4 hour and 3:30 pages give the paces.
Is 5 hours a bad marathon time?
No. 5:00:00 is 26 minutes behind the overall average and close to the women’s average of 4:51. The pace is 11:27 per mile (7:07 per km).
How do I compare my time with the average?
Enter your goal or finish time in the tool and compare its average pace with the table. If your pace is under 10:27 per mile you are ahead of the 2024 US average; the age and gender rows show how far.
Do these averages cover the whole world?
No. The report analyses US marathon results, and the figures here are its 2024 averages. Averages in other countries or other years differ.
Does the tool use miles or km?
Either. The Units switch changes every pace and distance on the page, and your choice is remembered in this browser.
Is this medical or coaching advice?
No. The averages are published figures and the paces are calculated. Build up gradually and ask a doctor first if you have a health condition.
Take this question with you
The RunPacePlan app puts the plan, the paces and the splits for this question on your phone: get it on Google Play. The iPhone version is coming soon.
Related questions
- What Pace for a 3:30 Marathon?: Another question runners ask.
- How Many Weeks to Train for a Marathon?: Another question runners ask.
- How Many Miles a Week to Run a Marathon?: Another question runners ask.
- How Do I Calculate Marathon Pace From My 5K Time?: Another question runners ask.
- What Pace Is a Sub 2 Hour Half Marathon?: Another question runners ask.
Related tools
- Marathon pace chart: Compare pace and splits for finish times from 2:00 to 7:00.
- Sub 4 hour marathon pace: The pace for a 4:00 goal.
- Race time predictor: Estimate a marathon time from a shorter race.
- Boston qualifying times: Standards by age and gender.
- Marathon training plan: Build a week-by-week plan with paces from your goal.