What pace is a 4 hour marathon?

A 4-hour marathon requires a pace of 5:41 per km (9:09 per mile). The marathon distance is 42.195 km (26.219 miles). Dividing 240 minutes by 42.195 km gives 5:41 min/km, or dividing by 26.219 miles gives 9:09 min/mile.

How do I convert min/km to min/mile?

To convert min/km to min/mile, multiply by 1.60934 (since 1 mile = 1.60934 km). For example, 5:00 min/km × 1.60934 = 8:03 min/mile. To go the other way (min/mile to min/km), divide by 1.60934.

What is a good running pace for a beginner?

A good easy pace for beginners is 7:00–8:30 min/km (11:15–13:40 min/mile). At this pace you should be able to hold a conversation without gasping. Most running coaches recommend spending 80% of weekly training time at easy pace and only 20% at harder efforts. A beginner 5K finish time of 30–40 minutes is entirely respectable.

Marathon Training Paces: min/km to min/mile Conversion & Race Finish Times

Pace Conversion: min/km to min/mile

Running pace is expressed as minutes per kilometer (min/km) in most of the world and minutes per mile (min/mile) in the United States and United Kingdom. Because 1 mile = 1.60934 km, you multiply min/km by 1.60934 to get min/mile, or divide min/mile by 1.60934 to get min/km.

The table below covers paces from 4:00 to 8:00 min/km with their equivalent in min/mile, km/h, and mph.

min/km	min/mile	km/h	mph
4:00	6:26	15.0	9.32
4:15	6:50	14.1	8.77
4:30	7:14	13.3	8.27
4:45	7:38	12.6	7.84
5:00	8:03	12.0	7.46
5:15	8:27	11.4	7.11
5:30	8:51	10.9	6.78
5:45	9:15	10.4	6.48
6:00	9:39	10.0	6.21
6:30	10:28	9.2	5.73
7:00	11:16	8.6	5.34
7:30	12:04	8.0	4.97
8:00	12:52	7.5	4.66

Race Finish Times and Required Pace

The table below shows goal finish times across four standard distances and the exact pace required in both min/km and min/mile. Race distances: 5K = 5 km, 10K = 10 km, Half Marathon = 21.0975 km, Marathon = 42.195 km.

Goal Finish	Distance	Pace (min/km)	Pace (min/mile)
20:00	5K	4:00	6:26
25:00	5K	5:00	8:03
30:00	5K	6:00	9:39
35:00	5K	7:00	11:16
40:00	10K	4:00	6:26
50:00	10K	5:00	8:03
60:00	10K	6:00	9:39
1:30:00	Half Marathon	4:16	6:52
1:45:00	Half Marathon	4:58	8:00
2:00:00	Half Marathon	5:41	9:09
2:30:00	Half Marathon	7:06	11:26
3:00:00	Marathon	4:15	6:50
3:30:00	Marathon	4:58	8:00
4:00:00	Marathon	5:41	9:09
4:30:00	Marathon	6:24	10:18
5:00:00	Marathon	7:06	11:26

Training Pace Zones Explained

Easy Pace (60–70% of max HR)

Easy runs should feel conversational. They make up 70–80% of total weekly mileage for most runners. Easy pace is typically 60–90 seconds per km slower than your goal marathon pace. Building your aerobic base at easy pace reduces injury risk and improves fat-burning efficiency.

Tempo Pace (85–90% of max HR)

Tempo pace is the pace you could sustain for roughly 60 minutes in a race — approximately 15–30 seconds per km faster than marathon pace. Tempo runs develop your lactate threshold, which is the single biggest predictor of endurance race performance.

Race Pace

Your goal race pace is the target you want to hold on race day. Most coaches recommend doing 10–20% of weekly volume at or near race pace during the final 8–10 weeks of a training cycle.

The 80/20 Rule

Research on elite and recreational runners consistently shows that the most effective training distribution is 80% easy pace (Zones 1–2) and 20% hard effort (Zones 3–5). Doing too much at moderate intensity — sometimes called "the grey zone" — slows progress compared to polarized training.

Use our speed converter to switch between km/h, mph, min/km, and min/mile for any pace.