5 kilometres pace calculator
Pace, speed and splits for the 5 kilometres. Enter a target time to see what pace it requires, or a pace to see the finish time it produces.
Enter a finish time
Result
These are estimates from population-level equations, not a measurement of you and not medical advice. Individual results vary widely. Talk to a doctor or a registered dietitian before making significant changes to how you eat or train.
The 5 kilometres
The 5k is the most widely run race distance in the world, largely because of parkrun and because it is achievable on modest training.
Aerobic, run close to lactate threshold. It is short enough that glycogen depletion is not a factor and long enough that pure speed is not the limiter.
Even pacing, or a very slight negative split. Most amateur 5ks are lost in the first kilometre, run 15 to 20 seconds too fast on adrenaline.
Distance: 5 km (5,000 m).
5 kilometres pace chart
Finish time, pace per mile and speed for each pace per kilometre. Everything is computed in metres and seconds and converted once, so no rounding accumulates down the table.
| Pace / km | Finish time | Pace / mile | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3:00 | 15:00 | 4:50 | 20 km/h |
| 3:30 | 17:30 | 5:38 | 17.1 km/h |
| 4:00 | 20:00 | 6:26 | 15 km/h |
| 4:30 | 22:30 | 7:15 | 13.3 km/h |
| 5:00 | 25:00 | 8:03 | 12 km/h |
| 5:30 | 27:30 | 8:51 | 10.9 km/h |
| 6:00 | 30:00 | 9:39 | 10 km/h |
| 6:30 | 32:30 | 10:28 | 9.2 km/h |
| 7:00 | 35:00 | 11:16 | 8.6 km/h |
Split times
5:00 / km · 25:00
| Distance | Elapsed |
|---|---|
| 1 km | 5:00 |
| 2 km | 10:00 |
| 3 km | 15:00 |
| 4 km | 20:00 |
| 5 km | 25:00 |
Questions
- What pace do I need for a given 5 km time?
- Divide the target time by the distance in kilometres. For the 5 kilometres, 5:00 per kilometre gives 25:00. The chart below covers the range most runners race in.
- How should I pace a 5 km?
- Even pacing, or a very slight negative split. Most amateur 5ks are lost in the first kilometre, run 15 to 20 seconds too fast on adrenaline.
- What limits performance over the 5 km?
- Aerobic, run close to lactate threshold. It is short enough that glycogen depletion is not a factor and long enough that pure speed is not the limiter.
- Are the projections to other distances reliable?
- No, and the page says so. They assume the same pace holds over a different distance, which it does not — pace falls as distance rises. Riegel's formula applies a fatigue exponent and is the right tool for actual prediction.
- Why does the split table have a partial final segment?
- Because 5 kilometres is 5 km, which is not a whole number of split intervals. The final partial segment is shown rather than dropped, since a table that ends before the finish line is wrong exactly where it matters.