Target paces for the 10K, half marathon, and marathon

Pace per kilometer is the key benchmark for measuring your progress in running, particularly over the three key distances: the 10K, the half-marathon, and the marathon. So, depending on your level and your goal, what pace should you aim for for a given time objective over these three major running distances?

Below are the different target paces in minutes per kilometer with 5-minute intervals for the 10km, 10 minutes for the half-marathon and 15 and then 30 minutes for the marathon. These target paces are established for rolling courses without relief (minimal elevation) and an optimal temperature level for running. They are divided into four levels:

1. Elites - Performance,
2. Confirmed,
3. Intermediaries,
4. Beginners - Leisure. 

The first level 'elite-performance' represents on average around 5% of runners (8 to 10% for men and 3 to 5% for women), the second at the 'confirmed' level around 20% of runners (25 to 30% for men and 15% for women), the third at the 'intermediate' level around 45% of runners (40% for men and 45 to 50% for women) and the fourth at the 'beginner/leisure' level the remaining 30% (20% for men and 30 to 35% for women).

Elites - Performance

Be careful, at this 'elite-performance' level, it's no laughing matter. At these paces, refreshments are all taken on the fly and the podium (at least by age category) can be decided at the finish line depending on the importance of the race and the competition present on the day.

10K	< 30 min	< 35 min	< 40 min
Pace per kilometer	< 3:00	< 3:30	< 4:00

Half marathon	< 1h10 min	< 1h20 min	< 1h30 min
Pace per kilometer	< 3:19	< 3:47	< 4:16

Marathon	< 2h30 min	< 2h45 min	< 3h00 min
Pace per kilometer	< 3:34	< 3:55	< 4:16

Confirmed

At the 'advanced' level, it's still fast. There's not really time to stop at aid stations, let alone walk and catch your breath at the end of a half or marathon. The fastest paces for this level are listed in the last column of the 'elite/performance' level.

10K	< 40 min	< 45 min	< 50 min
Pace per kilometer	< 4:00	< 4:30	< 5:00

Half marathon	< 1h30 min	< 1h40 min	< 1h50 min
Pace per kilometer	< 4:16	< 4:44	< 5:13

Marathon	< 3h00 min	< 3h15 min	< 3h30 min
Pace per kilometer	< 4:16	< 4:37	< 4:58

Intermediaries

At the 'intermediate' level, we find the bulk of the pack with normally nearly half of the participants in these pace zones. The highest paces for this level also take the last column of the level above, except for the marathon since the time gaps increase significantly over this distance when the paces decrease.

10K	< 50 min	< 55 min	< 1h00 min
Pace per kilometer	< 5:00	< 5:30	< 6:00

Half marathon	< 1h50 min	< 2h00 min	< 2h10 min
Pace per kilometer	< 5:13	< 5:41	< 6:10

Marathon	< 3h45 min	< 4h00 min	< 4h15 min
Pace per kilometer	< 5:19	< 5:41	< 6:02

Beginners - Leisure

At the 'beginner/leisure' level, we generally find less than a third of participants (20% for men and 30 to 35% for women). Everything has to start somewhere and endurance is acquired through patience and training. And as Pierre de Coubertin said, "the important thing is to participate." So congratulations to all the finishers, from the first to the last to cross the finish line.

10K	< 1h05 min	< 1h10 min	< 1h15 min
Pace per kilometer	< 6:30	< 5:30	< 7:30

Half marathon	< 2h20 min	< 2h30 min	< 2h40 min
Pace per kilometer	< 6:38	< 7:06	< 7:35

Marathon	< 4h30 min	< 5h00 min	< 5h30 min
Pace per kilometer	< 6:23	< 7:06	< 7:49

Grab your stopwatches, you now have what you need to establish your training plan according to your target goal. Also remember from one race to another if you want to beat your best time on 10K, half or marathon that you must remain cautious about the possible gains: on 10K, the gain is counted in seconds or tens of seconds at the elite/performance level, and from one to a few minutes for the other levels, on half less than a minute to max. 2 or 3 minutes for elite or confirmed runners and about 3 to 10 minutes for intermediate or beginner/recreational runners. Finally on marathon, the elite will aim for an improvement in seconds or one or two minutes, confirmed runners between 2 to 5 minutes, intermediate runners 5 to 10 minutes and beginners up to 20 minutes.

In summary: in running, to improve your time on key distances such as the 10K, the half-marathon and the marathon, you must be patient, reasonable and determined. Good luck and good luck.