5K Pace Calculator
Tell the calculator how fast you want to cover 5,000 meters and it returns the steady pace in minutes per kilometer and minutes per mile, plus the 1 km split times you should see on your watch at each marker. Useful for local 5K races, parkrun goal-setting, training blocks and treadmill workouts.
How to plan your 5K pace
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1
Enter target minutes
Start with the whole minutes of your target finish (for example 24 for a sub-25).
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2
Add the seconds
Type any additional seconds from 0 to 59 to get splits like 22:30 or 27:45.
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3
Read the per-km pace
Output appears in m:ss format. A 25:00 5K is 5:00/km, a 20:00 5K is 4:00/km.
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4
Check per-mile and 1K splits
The mile conversion handles the 1.609344 factor exactly, and the 1K split times show what each marker on a measured course should read.
A 5K is 5,000 meters or 3.10686 miles. It is a staple distance for road races, track time trials and weekly community runs, which is why “5K time” is often shorthand for a runner’s current fitness.
5K finish time vs. pace
| Finish time | Pace per km | Pace per mile | Average speed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15:00 | 3:00 | 4:50 | 20.0 km/h |
| 18:00 | 3:36 | 5:48 | 16.7 km/h |
| 20:00 | 4:00 | 6:26 | 15.0 km/h |
| 22:30 | 4:30 | 7:15 | 13.3 km/h |
| 25:00 | 5:00 | 8:03 | 12.0 km/h |
| 30:00 | 6:00 | 9:40 | 10.0 km/h |
| 35:00 | 7:00 | 11:16 | 8.6 km/h |
What “5K pace” means in training
- Sub-threshold work is usually run 10 to 15 seconds per km slower than 5K race pace.
- VO2 max intervals (3 to 5 minute reps) are typically 3 to 5 seconds per km faster than 5K pace.
- Recovery jogs between reps should sit 90 to 120 seconds per km slower than 5K pace.
First-kilometer trap
The most common 5K mistake is going out 10 to 20 seconds per km too fast. Because the distance is short, you cannot buffer a bad first km the way you can in a half marathon. Aim for a first km exactly on target pace and let the second half be slightly faster if you have legs.
Frequently Asked Questions
For most runners 5K pace is 10 to 15 seconds per km faster than 10K pace. If your 10K target is 4:30/km, your 5K target is around 4:15 to 4:20/km.
Most parkruns and community 5K events use a measured 5 km route, but many are on mixed surfaces (grass, gravel, trail) and few are completely flat. Expect 20 to 90 seconds slower than a flat road 5K of similar effort.
Use the km/h or mph output. A 25-minute 5K equals 12.0 km/h (7.46 mph); a 20-minute 5K equals 15.0 km/h (9.32 mph).
Run by effort on the hills, not by pace. Expect 5 to 10 seconds per km slower on a climb and 3 to 5 faster on the descent. Aim for the target average pace only in the flat kms.
Not directly. A 3-mile race is 4.828 km, slightly short of 5K. The per-mile pace is still valid, but the total time will be a few seconds lower than a true 5K at the same pace.
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