# Running pace benchmarks > What pace is a world-record marathon, a Boston qualifier, an army fitness test, or a sub-4 mile? Running benchmarks in min/km and min/mile, elite to everyday. What pace does it take to set a world record, qualify for Boston, pass an army fitness test, or break four minutes for the mile? Here they are, from the fastest humans to a Sunday walk. ## Recreational milestones The targets most runners chase. | Benchmark | Pace / km | Pace / mile | | --- | --- | --- | | Sub-30 5K30:00 over 5 km, the point where a jog becomes a run | 6:00 | 9:39 | | Sub-25 5K25:00 over 5 km, solid recreational | 5:00 | 8:03 | | Sub-60 10K60:00 over 10 km, the classic 10K threshold | 6:00 | 9:39 | | Sub-2:00 half marathon1:59:59 over 21.1 km, most amateurs’ headline goal | 5:41 | 9:09 | | Sub-4:00 marathon3:59:59 over 42.2 km, the same pace as the sub-2 half | 5:41 | 9:09 | | Sub-3:00 marathon2:59:59 over 42.2 km, the elite-amateur barrier | 4:16 | 6:52 | ## Boston Marathon qualifying Marathon standards to enter Boston (2026/2027), by age and sex. | Benchmark | Pace / km | Pace / mile | | --- | --- | --- | | BQ, Men 18-342:55:00 marathon · Boston 2026/2027 standard | 4:09 | 6:41 | | BQ, Women 18-343:25:00 marathon · Boston 2026/2027 standard | 4:52 | 7:50 | | BQ, Men 50-543:20:00 marathon · Boston 2026/2027 standard | 4:44 | 7:37 | | BQ, Women 50-543:50:00 marathon · Boston 2026/2027 standard | 5:27 | 8:46 | ## Military fitness standards Run standards from armed-forces fitness tests. | Benchmark | Pace / km | Pace / mile | | --- | --- | --- | | US Army AFT, pass21:00 over 3.2 km · 60-point minimum, sex-neutral | 6:31 | 10:29 | | USMC PFT, max score18:00 over 4.8 km · perfect score, males 17-26 | 3:44 | 6:00 | | British Army Infantry 2 km8:15 over 2 km · Role Fitness Test infantry standard | 4:08 | 6:39 | ## World records The fastest humans have run these distances. Records as tracked in the app, mid-2026, and marked where ratification is pending. Records fall often, so check [World Athletics](https://worldathletics.org/records) for the current mark. | Benchmark | Pace / km | Pace / mile | | --- | --- | --- | | Marathon · MenSabastian Sawe (KEN) · London 2026 · 1:59:30Pending World Athletics ratification. | 2:50 | 4:34 | | Marathon · Women (mixed)Ruth Chepngetich (KEN) · Chicago 2024 · 2:09:56 | 3:05 | 4:58 | | Marathon · Women-onlyTigst Assefa (ETH) · London 2026 · 2:15:41 | 3:13 | 5:11 | | Half marathon · MenJacob Kiplimo (UGA) · Lisbon 2026 · 57:20 | 2:43 | 4:22 | | Half marathon · WomenLetesenbet Gidey (ETH) · Valencia 2021 · 1:02:52 | 2:59 | 4:48 | | 10 km road · MenYomif Kejelcha (ETH) · Castellón 2024 · 26:31 | 2:39 | 4:16 | | 10 km road · Women (mixed)Agnes Ngetich (KEN) · Valencia 2024 · 28:46 | 2:53 | 4:38 | | 5 km road · MenBerihu Aregawi (ETH) · Barcelona 2021 · 12:49 | 2:34 | 4:08 | | 5 km road · WomenBeatrice Chebet (KEN) · Barcelona 2024 · 13:54 | 2:47 | 4:29 | | Mile · MenHicham El Guerrouj (MAR) · Rome 1999 · 3:43.13The longest-standing men’s distance world record. | 2:19 | 3:44 | | Mile · WomenFaith Kipyegon (KEN) · Monaco 2023 · 4:07.64 | 2:34 | 4:08 | ## Iconic runs Barriers and firsts that changed the sport. | Benchmark | Pace / km | Pace / mile | | --- | --- | --- | | Sub-2 marathon · KipchogeEliud Kipchoge · INEOS 1:59 Challenge, Vienna 2019Exhibition format with rotating pacers; not ratified, but the first marathon ever run under two hours. | 2:50 | 4:34 | | First sub-4 mile · BannisterRoger Bannister · Oxford 1954 · 3:59.4 | 2:29 | 4:00 | ## For scale Everyday paces, for perspective. | Benchmark | Pace / km | Pace / mile | | --- | --- | --- | | Bolt at 100 m paceUsain Bolt 9.58 (Berlin 2009), extrapolated for funWildly unsustainable. Listed because runners ask. | 1:36 | 2:34 | | Average walking pace~5 km/h · the speed a healthy adult walks | 12:00 | 19:19 | | Brisk walking pace~6.5 km/h · CDC threshold for moderate exercise | 9:14 | 14:52 | ## Every goal pace Chasing a round-number goal instead of a benchmark? Each of these breaks down the exact pace, a split table, and equivalent times at other distances. ### 5K goals - [Sub-30 5K, 6:00/km](https://steadypace.ca/pace/sub-30-minute-5k) - [Sub-25 5K, 5:00/km](https://steadypace.ca/pace/sub-25-minute-5k) - [Sub-22 5K, 4:24/km](https://steadypace.ca/pace/sub-22-minute-5k) - [Sub-20 5K, 4:00/km](https://steadypace.ca/pace/sub-20-minute-5k) - [Sub-18 5K, 3:36/km](https://steadypace.ca/pace/sub-18-minute-5k) ### 10K goals - [Sub-60 10K, 6:00/km](https://steadypace.ca/pace/sub-60-minute-10k) - [Sub-55 10K, 5:30/km](https://steadypace.ca/pace/sub-55-minute-10k) - [Sub-50 10K, 5:00/km](https://steadypace.ca/pace/sub-50-minute-10k) - [Sub-45 10K, 4:30/km](https://steadypace.ca/pace/sub-45-minute-10k) - [Sub-40 10K, 4:00/km](https://steadypace.ca/pace/sub-40-minute-10k) ### Half marathon goals - [Sub-2:30 half, 7:07/km](https://steadypace.ca/pace/sub-2-30-half-marathon) - [Sub-2:15 half, 6:24/km](https://steadypace.ca/pace/sub-2-15-half-marathon) - [Sub-2:00 half, 5:41/km](https://steadypace.ca/pace/sub-2-hour-half-marathon) - [Sub-1:50 half, 5:13/km](https://steadypace.ca/pace/sub-1-50-half-marathon) - [Sub-1:45 half, 4:59/km](https://steadypace.ca/pace/sub-1-45-half-marathon) - [Sub-1:40 half, 4:44/km](https://steadypace.ca/pace/sub-1-40-half-marathon) - [Sub-1:30 half, 4:16/km](https://steadypace.ca/pace/sub-1-30-half-marathon) ### Marathon goals - [Sub-5:00 marathon, 7:07/km](https://steadypace.ca/pace/sub-5-hour-marathon) - [Sub-4:30 marathon, 6:24/km](https://steadypace.ca/pace/sub-4-30-marathon) - [Sub-4:00 marathon, 5:41/km](https://steadypace.ca/pace/sub-4-hour-marathon) - [Sub-3:45 marathon, 5:20/km](https://steadypace.ca/pace/sub-3-45-marathon) - [Sub-3:30 marathon, 4:59/km](https://steadypace.ca/pace/sub-3-30-marathon) - [Sub-3:00 marathon, 4:16/km](https://steadypace.ca/pace/sub-3-hour-marathon) ## How is running pace measured here? Every benchmark is shown as the pace you'd have to hold the whole way, in minutes per kilometre and per mile. A world-record marathon and a Sunday jog are the same kind of number, just far apart. To see what any finish time means as a pace, use the [pace calculator](https://steadypace.ca/pace-calculator) or the [pace charts](https://steadypace.ca/pace-chart). Set any of these benchmarks as your target in [Steady Pace](https://apps.apple.com/app/steady-pace/id6773682525) and hold the pace by ear with a tone that rises when you slow and falls when you speed up. ## Sources World Athletics (world records); Boston Athletic Association (qualifying standards 2026/2027); USMC PFT scoring and British Army Role Fitness Test (military standards); the INEOS 1:59 Challenge and World Athletics Heritage (iconic runs). Paces are computed from official times and were verified against these sources in 2026. --- Source: https://steadypace.ca/pace-benchmarks App Store: https://apps.apple.com/app/steady-pace/id6773682525