Eliminate the Guesswork from Your Pacing
Every runner knows that consistent pacing is the key to a personal best. Whether you are a high school athlete trying to break 18:00 in the 5K or a marathoner aiming for a Boston Qualifier, knowing exactly what splits you need to hit is the first step toward achieving your goal.
Simply enter your target pace per mile, and it will instantly calculate your projected finish time for every major race distance from the 3000m to the Marathon.
Common Ways to Use This Tool:
- Goal Setting: Enter your “dream 5K pace.”
- Workout Planning: If you run a tempo run at 6:45/mile pace, use this to see what 10K time that equates to.
- Race Strategy: Calculate the specific pace you need to hold to break specific barriers (e.g., a sub-3 hour marathon).
Race Predictor
| Distance | Projected Time |
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
“Does this calculator predict my race time based on my fitness?”
No, this tool is a pure mathematical calculator. It tells you exactly what time you will run if you hold a specific pace (e.g., “If I run 6:00/mile, I will finish a 5k in 18:38”). If you want to know what you are physically capable of running based on a previous race result, use our Race Time Predictor instead.
“How do I use this for race day strategy?”
You can use this to build your race plan backward. If your goal is to break 20:00 in the 5K, enter that goal time to find the exact pace per mile you need to average.
“Why doesn’t this match my GPS watch splits?”
GPS watches often measure slightly long (e.g., showing 3.15 miles for a 5k course) because you may not run the “perfect tangents.” This calculator gives you the official finish time for the standard distance. To hit your goal time on the official clock, you often need to run slightly faster than your GPS pace suggests to account for these extra meters.
About the Coach
Coach Saltmarsh specializes in high school distance running and athlete development. With a focus on data-driven training and consistent progression, this site provides the tools and insights coaches and athletes need to reach their peak performance. This app was built to solve a common problem for coaches: making running math simple, making the progression appropriate, and making summer training individualized and optimized for every runner on your team.
Looking for more training resources? Explore the Training Articles or view Coaching Resources.