Whether you’re the kind of runner who shares your PB’s in your Instagram bio or not, we’re all a little bit competitive when it comes to running. We care about how fast celebrity runners ran at the London Marathon, or which celebs have the best PB’s, and we’ve all Strava-stalked someone at one point or another.
But how long does it take the average runner to run 26.2 miles? When it comes to answering this question, we took a look at recent data collated by RunRepeat, who analysed 107.9 million race results, from over 70 thousand events in 209 countries between 1986 and 2018.
What is the average finish time for a marathon?
The data shows that as running became more popular, the world got slower, well, kind of. Between 1986 and 2001, the average marathon finish time went from 3:52:35 to 4:28:56 - an increase of 15.6%. Since 2001, the average marathon finish time has only increased by 1.4%, making it 4:32:49. In the UK, the average marathon finish time was 4:37:09.
What is the average marathon finish time for a man?
In 1986, the average marathon finish time for a male runner was 3:48:15. In 2001, this had increased by 27 minutes, with the average male runner crossing the line in 4:15:13. After this, the average male finish time has increased slightly to 4:22:13. The average male finish time in the UK was 4:23:27.
What is the average marathon finish time for a woman?
In comparison, as more women signed up for marathons, the average female marathon time also got slower between 1986 and 2001, increasing by 14.8%, but after 2001, females seem to have got faster, declining on average by 4 minutes. The average marathon female finish time in the UK is 5:00:39.
What is the average pace for marathon runners?
According to the RunRepeat data, the average pace for a male marathon runner is 6.43 minutes per kilometre, which works out as 10.34 minutes per mile. The average pace for a female runner over 26.2 miles is 7.26 minutes per kilometre, or an 11.55 minute mile.
Which country runs the fastest marathons?
According to the data, the USA and the UK are the slowest marathon nations (although this could be down to having larger numbers of race runners). Since 2001, Spain has been the fastest marathon nation, followed by Germany.
What are the average split times over the marathon distance?
According to updated research from Run Repeat, runners who stared a bit slower were more likely to run the marathon at a more even pace than those who set off from the start line as quickly as possible. But, what were the average split times for runners over 26.2 miles?
From the race results of 941,851 male finishers and 570,655 female finishers, the average pace during each 5K of a marathon was:
Male runners:
- 5K: 8.43 min/mile
- 10K: 8.47 min/mile
- 15K: 8.53 min/mile
- 20K: 9.03 min/mile
- 25K: 9.34 min/mile
- 30K: 9.52 min/mile
- 35K: 10.25 min/mile
- 40K: 10.45 min/mile
Female runners:
- 5K: 9.41 min/mile
- 10K: 9.52 min/mile
- 15K: 10.03 min/mile
- 20K: 10.21 min/mile
- 25K: 10.51 min/mile
- 30K: 11.04 min/mile
- 35K: 11.31 min/mile
- 40K: 11.37 min/mile
The findings prove that although men had better average finish times, women are better at pacing, with a less dramatic pace change in the second half of the race.
What about other distances - what is the average finish time for a half marathon?
When looking at the data, it seems that both male and female runners perform best over the half marathon distance, compared to marathons, 5Ks and 10Ks. The average half marathon finish time in the UK is 2:02:43. Find out the average finish time by gender and the average half marathon pace here.
