# Sub-30:00 5K pace

> The pace for a sub-30:00 5K is 6:00 per km (9:39 per mile). Full split table, equivalent race times, and how to hold it. Free, no sign-up.

Hold 6:00 per kilometre, or 9:39 per mile, for the whole 5K, and you finish in 30:00. Here are the splits, the equivalents, and how to hold it.

6:00

per kilometre

9:39

per mile

10.0

km/h

6.2

mph

## What pace is a sub-30:00 5K?

To run a sub-30:00 5K, you need to hold **6:00 per kilometre**. That is
**9:39 per mile**, or 10.0 km/h (6.2 mph), held for the whole
5K. Hold that pace evenly from start to finish and you cross the line right on 30:00.
The table below shows the clock at every checkpoint if you run it even. Training indoors, dial the
belt to 10.0 km/h (6.2 mph) directly, or use the [treadmill
pace calculator](https://steadypace.ca/treadmill-pace-calculator) to convert any other pace to a belt speed.

## Sub-30:00 5K splits

| Distance | Target elapsed time |
| --- | --- |
| 1 km | 6:00 |
| 2 km | 12:00 |
| 3 km | 18:00 |
| 4 km | 24:00 |
| 5 km (finish) | 30:00 |

Even-pace splits for 30:00 over the 5K. Aim to reach halfway a few
seconds behind these and finish a few ahead. A slight [negative
split](https://steadypace.ca/guides/negative-splits) is safer than banking time early.

## Is a sub-30:00 5K a realistic goal?

It depends on where you are now, but the honest test is whether you can already hold close to
6:00 per kilometre for a shorter effort. This is the classic first 5K goal. Most beginner training plans are built to get a new runner across this exact line. The usual mistake is starting near sprint pace for the first few hundred metres and paying for it with a walk before the finish.

The 5K rewards speed you can sustain. Sharpen it with intervals (repeats at or a touch faster than goal pace) and a weekly tempo run, on a base of easy miles. Race it even or a whisker negative. The first kilometre is the one people spend too fast.

## What times does sub-30:00 5K pace predict at other distances?

If you can run a sub-30:00 5K, you're roughly capable of these times at other distances, estimated
with the Riegel formula, which scales a known time by distance. Real results vary with training and
terrain, but it's a useful reality check.

| Distance | Equivalent time | Pace / km |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 5K (this goal) | 30:00 | 6:00 |
| 10K | 1:02:33 | 6:15 |
| Half marathon | 2:18:00 | 6:32 |
| Marathon | 4:47:44 | 6:49 |
| Mile | 9:01 | 5:36 |

## How do you hold sub-30:00 5K pace on the day?

Know the number, then hold it evenly. Most people miss a goal like this by starting too fast and
fading late, when they still had the fitness to finish. Read the full [5K pacing guide](https://steadypace.ca/guides/how-to-pace-a-5k),
work splits with the [pace calculator](https://steadypace.ca/pace-calculator), and see how this pace compares
on the [pace charts](https://steadypace.ca/pace-chart).

Set **6:00/km** as your target in
[Steady Pace](https://apps.apple.com/app/steady-pace/id6773682525) and hold it by ear:
a tone rises the moment you slow below sub-30:00 5K pace and falls when you drift too fast, so you catch the
surge in the first kilometre instead of the last.

- [sub-25:00 5K pace](https://steadypace.ca/pace/sub-25-minute-5k): 5:00 per km · 8:03 per mile.
- [sub-22:00 5K pace](https://steadypace.ca/pace/sub-22-minute-5k): 4:24 per km · 7:05 per mile.
- [How to pace a 5K](https://steadypace.ca/guides/how-to-pace-a-5k): Strategy, mistakes, and how to hold 5K goal pace.

**What pace do I need for a sub-30:00 5K?**

6:00 per kilometre, or 9:39 per mile, held for the full 5K (5 km). At that pace you finish in 30:00.

**How do I convert sub-30:00 5K pace to miles?**

6:00 per kilometre is 9:39 per mile. Multiply the per-km pace by 1.609. Over the 5K that adds up to a 30:00 finish.

**Should I run a sub-30:00 5K as an even or negative split?**

Even, or a slight negative split. Reach halfway just behind goal pace and finish just ahead. Going out faster than 6:00/km almost always costs you more time later than it saves early.


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Source: https://steadypace.ca/pace/sub-30-minute-5k
App Store: https://apps.apple.com/app/steady-pace/id6773682525