How to Calculate Running Pace and Finish Time

What is running pace?

Running pace tells you how long it takes to cover a unit of distance, usually minutes per kilometre or minutes per mile. A pace of 5:00 per km means each kilometre takes five minutes at that speed.

Pace is different from speed. Speed tells you distance per hour, while pace tells you time per unit of distance.

Want to try the idea yourself? Use the Running Pace Calculator.

How to calculate pace

Divide your total running time by the distance covered. If you run 5 km in 25 minutes, 25 ÷ 5 gives a pace of 5 minutes per kilometre.

If the division produces part of a minute, convert the decimal part into seconds by multiplying it by 60.

How to estimate finish time

Multiply your pace by the race distance. At exactly 5:00 per km, a 10 km run would take 50 minutes if you maintained the same pace throughout.

For a 5 km race at 4:30 per km, multiply 4 minutes 30 seconds by five, giving an estimated finish time of 22 minutes 30 seconds.

Why real race times vary

Maintaining one exact pace is difficult. Hills, weather, fatigue, congestion, surface and pacing strategy can all affect individual kilometres or miles.

A pace-based finish time is therefore a useful target or estimate rather than a guarantee.

Convert pace and finish time quickly

The Running Pace Calculator can work backwards or forwards: enter distance and time to find pace, or use pace and distance to estimate a finish time.

When comparing runs, make sure you are consistently using miles or kilometres so the pace figures mean the same thing.