Average finish times for 5K, 10K, HM, and FM

A few days ago, I met a nice gentleman who reached out to me for some tips about beginning his running journey. He was keen to start running with a target of completing a 5K in 2-3 months. The first thing he asked was, “Aashu, what is the average finish time for a 5K?”

I was not surprised at all by this question. In fact, I almost expect this question every time I meet someone who is about to begin their running journey or has just started. There is a genuine curiosity about knowing how long an average runner takes to finish a particular distance. It is quite natural for all of us to set some goal at the beginning of a journey, and the most obvious target to aim for is to get better than average.

This inspired me to undertake a bit of secondary research and document the average finish times for a 5K, 10K, half marathon, and full marathon. The good folks at Run Repeat have been conducting regular studies on finish times for various distances over a long period, and they have the largest dataset of recorded finish times over the years. I am just reproducing some insights from those studies. So, let us dig in.

5K

A 5K is one of the first milestones for a runner. All running often begins with some form of a “couch to 5K” program. It is also one of the most run distances in the world, with over 30% of runners practicing this distance.

Here is the average finish time for a 5K across three categories – overall average, male average, and female average.

Category	Avg Finish Time (hh:mm:ss)
Overall	00:34:40
Male	00:31:30
Female	00:37:30

10K

A 10K is the second most popular running distance in the world. Nearly 20-25% of runners practice this distance.

Here is the average finish time for a 10K across three categories – overall average, male average, and female average.

Category	Avg Finish Time (hh:mm:ss)
Overall	01:02:10
Male	00:57:15
Female	01:07:00

Half Marathon (HM)

A half marathon (HM) is considered the real deal as far as long-distance running is concerned. There is a significant step up for runners as they move from a 10K to an HM. About 20-25% of runners practice this distance.

Here is the average finish time for an HM across three categories – overall average, male average, and female average.

Category	Avg Finish Time (hh:mm:ss)
Overall	02:15:00
Male	02:00:00
Female	02:24:00

Full Marathon (FM)

A full marathon (FM) is considered the holy grail of long-distance running. Runners all over the world yearn to run full marathons. An FM challenges a runner to the core but also brings out the greatest joy and satisfaction at the finish line. About 10-15% of runners practice this distance.

Here is the average finish time for an FM across three categories – overall average, male average, and female average.

Category	Avg Finish Time (hh:mm:ss)
Overall	04:26:30
Male	04:14:30
Female	04:42:09

Disclaimers:

• The source of the data is the study (or series of studies) conducted by Run Repeat along with IAAF.
• They covered a large percentage of races across the world for all distances in this research.
• The timings of elite runners are not considered in calculating the average relevant for amateur or recreational runners.
• The average times keep changing year by year. According to their studies, finish times are getting slower across all distances year by year. This is largely because of the increasing number of first-time runners participating in races.
• I have rounded the timings to the nearest 10 seconds to enhance the readability.

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If you liked reading this piece, may I request you to share this within your network and help other runners become more aware of the average finish times of various distances? Also, having more readers would motivate and inspire a hobby writer like me to write more. As always, if you want to share your feedback or know more details, please DM me at aashutosh[dot]chaudhari[at]gmail[dot]com. Thank you!