Health

Pace Calculator

Calculate running or walking pace per km or mile, predict your race finish time, or find how far you can go in a given time.

Unit:
hrs
min
sec

Fill in the fields above to see your result.

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Pace, Time, and Distance Formulas

The three running metrics are directly related. Knowing any two lets you calculate the third.

Pace = Time ÷ Distance

Time = Pace × Distance

Distance = Time ÷ Pace

Example: 45:00 over 9 km → 5:00/km pace

How to Use a Pace Calculator for Training

Pace is the fundamental metric for runners and walkers. Unlike speed, which tells you kilometres per hour, pace tells you how many minutes it takes to cover each kilometre or mile — a number that maps directly to split markers on race courses and GPS watch readouts.

Training plans commonly prescribe workouts by pace zone. Easy runs are done at a comfortable conversational pace, tempo runs push into a comfortably-hard zone, and interval sessions hit faster paces for short bursts. Knowing your current pace range lets you follow these plans precisely.

For race planning, enter your goal finish time and race distance to find the exact pace you need to maintain. You can also plug in a known comfortable pace to predict your finish time across different distances, from a 5K to a marathon.

Frequently asked questions

How do I calculate my running pace?
Divide your total time in seconds by the distance covered in kilometres or miles. For example, completing 10 km in 50 minutes gives a pace of 5:00 per km. The calculator above handles this automatically and formats the result as minutes and seconds.
What is a good running pace for a beginner?
A comfortable beginner pace is typically between 8:00 and 12:00 minutes per km (about 12:00 to 20:00 per mile). The most important goal when starting out is maintaining a conversational effort where you can speak in short sentences without gasping, regardless of the exact pace on the watch.
How do I use pace to predict my race finish time?
Multiply your pace in seconds per km (or mile) by the race distance in that same unit. If your pace is 5:30 per km and the race is 21.1 km (a half marathon), your estimated finish time is 5:30 × 21.1 = 116 minutes 5 seconds, or about 1:56:05. The 'Calculate Finish Time' mode does this for you.
What is the difference between pace and speed?
Pace expresses how long it takes to cover one unit of distance (e.g., minutes per km), while speed expresses how much distance you cover in one unit of time (e.g., km per hour). They are reciprocals of each other. Runners typically use pace because it maps directly to the splits shown on GPS watches and race markers.
How do I convert pace between kilometres and miles?
To convert a pace from per km to per mile, multiply by 1.60934. A 5:00 per km pace equals roughly 8:03 per mile. To convert from per mile to per km, multiply by 0.62137. The calculator supports both units via the km/mi toggle at the top.
How can I use pace to plan a negative split race strategy?
A negative split means running the second half of a race slightly faster than the first. To plan one, use the 'Calculate Finish Time' mode with a slightly slower pace for your target first-half distance and a slightly faster pace for the second half. Adding both times gives your projected total, and the pace difference between halves defines your split strategy.

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