What is the average marathon finish time? – Runner’s World (UK)

Whether you’re the kind of runner who shares your PB’s in your Instagram bio or not, we’re all a little bit competitive when it comes to running. We care about how fast celebrity runners ran at the London Marathon, or which celebs have the best PB’s, and we’ve all Strava-stalked someone at one point or another.

But how long does it take the average runner to run 26.2 miles? When it comes to answering this question, we took a look at recent data collated by RunRepeat, who analysed 107.9 million race results, from over 70 thousand events in 209 countries between 1986 and 2018.

What is the average finish time for a marathon?

The data shows that as running became more popular, the world got slower, well, kind of. Between 1986 and 2001, the average marathon finish time went from 3:52:35 to 4:28:56 – an increase of 15.6%. Since 2001, the average marathon finish time has only increased by 1.4%, making it 4:32:49.

What is the average marathon finish time for a man?

In 1986, the average marathon finish time for a male runner was 3:48:15. In 2001, this had increased by 27 minutes, with the average male runner crossing the line in 4:15:13. After this, the average male finish time has increased slightly to 4:22:13.

What is the average marathon finish time for a woman?

In comparison, as more women signed up for marathons, the average female marathon time also got slower between 1986 and 2001, increasing by 14.8%, but after 2001, females seem to have got faster, declining on average by 4 minutes. According to Running USA the average marathon finish time for a woman is now 4:47:40.

What is the average pace for marathon runners?

According to the RunRepeat data, the average pace for a male marathon runner is 6.43 minutes per kilometre, which works out as 10.34 minutes per mile. The average pace for a female runner over 26.2 miles is 7.26 minutes per kilometre, or an 11.55 minute mile.

Which country runs the fastest marathons?

According to the data, the USA and the UK are the slowest marathon nations (although this could be down to having larger numbers of race runners). Since 2001, Spain has been the fastest marathon nation, followed by Germany.

What about other distances – what is the average finish time for a half marathon?

When looking at the data, it seems that both male and female runners perform best over the half marathon distance, compared to marathons, 5Ks and 10Ks. The average half marathon pace for a man is 5.57 minutes per kilometre, or 8.96 minutes per mile. For a female runner, the average half marathon pace is reportedly 6.40 minutes per kilometre, or 10.29 minute miles.