5K Pace Chart: Pace per KM, Mile & 400m Splits

5K pace chart: 15:00 to 60:00

Find your target 5K time in the first column. The remaining columns show the average pace required if the race is run at a perfectly even mathematical pace. On a real road course, hills, turns, wind, GPS error and crowding will make individual splits vary.

The values are calculated from exactly 5 km (3.10686 miles) and rounded to the nearest second. A 5000m track race is the same metric distance and equals 12.5 laps of a standard 400m track.

Common 5K goal paces

For the most common time goals, the pace targets are straightforward. A sub-20 5K requires slightly faster than 4:00/km or 6:26/mile. Sub-25 means slightly faster than 5:00/km or 8:03/mile. Sub-30 means slightly faster than 6:00/km or 9:39/mile, while sub-35 means slightly faster than 7:00/km or 11:16/mile.

Those targets are only useful if they match your current fitness. If you are not sure what is realistic, compare your recent performance with our guide to a good 5K time or use a recent time trial before selecting a race goal.

Popular 5K kilometre splits

The main chart gives average pace. This smaller table turns several common goals into cumulative 1K checkpoints, which is often easier to use on race day.

How to use a 5K pace chart

Start with a time that is supported by recent training, not the time you hope to run eventually. Then use the kilometre or mile pace as a baseline and the cumulative splits as checkpoints. You do not need to hit every split to the second. The purpose is to stop the race from drifting far faster or slower than the effort you intended.

On a flat course, lap pace or average lap pace is usually more useful than constantly reacting to instantaneous GPS pace. On hills or in strong wind, protect the intended effort and accept that the watch pace will move. If you want a broader explanation of how pace fits different workouts, see the Running Pace Guide.

What is the best pacing strategy for a 5K?

An even split is the simplest baseline for planning because it gives you a clear reference and reduces the risk of an adrenaline-driven opening. That does not mean every kilometre has to be identical, or that a slightly faster start is automatically wrong.

A small controlled treadmill study of 11 moderately trained women compared an even opening 1.63 km with openings 3% and 6% faster than each runner's baseline average pace. Overall finish-time differences between the three conditions were not statistically significant, although each runner's fastest experimental trial came from one of the two faster-start conditions. The authors therefore suggested that a modest fast start can work in that specific population. Because the sample was small and specific, it is not strong enough evidence to prescribe a 3–6% fast start to every runner.

Analyses of high-level 5000m performances also show that pacing is often not perfectly flat: the first and final kilometres can be faster than the middle of the race. For recreational runners, the practical takeaway is simpler: use even pace as the planning baseline, avoid an uncontrolled sprint in the opening few hundred metres, and save enough capacity to increase effort late if you can.

Should you negative split a 5K?

A slight negative split can be a sensible strategy if you tend to start too hard, but it is not a universal rule. Starting excessively slowly can leave time unused. Think of the chart as your average target, then adjust modestly for the course, competition and how the first kilometre feels.

How to train at 5K pace

5K pace is a useful workout intensity, but it should not become your default running speed. Easy runs should remain easy, and threshold or tempo running is generally performed at a lower intensity than current 5K race effort.

Common ways to practise current 5K pace include controlled 400m repeats, 800m repeats and 1K intervals with recovery between repetitions. The right volume and recovery depend on your training history and the goal of the session; the aim is repeatable quality rather than racing the first interval. Our running interval training guide covers the progression in more detail.

Most importantly, base those repetitions on current 5K fitness, not an aspirational future goal. If your current level is around 25:00, forcing every interval to the 4:00/km pace required for a 20:00 5K does not make that your current 5K pace; it simply turns the session into a harder workout.

If you are building specifically toward a race, pair pace work with the 8-week 5K training plan. If you are starting from a lower running base, the Couch to 5K plan is the better starting point.

How the 5K pace chart is calculated

The calculations are simple. Pace per kilometre is total finish time divided by 5. Pace per mile uses 5 km = 3.10685596 miles. A 400m split is total finish time divided by 12.5 because 5000m equals 12.5 standard 400m laps.

For example, a 25:00 5K is 1,500 seconds. Dividing by 5 gives 300 seconds, or 5:00/km. Dividing by 12.5 gives 120 seconds, or 2:00 per 400m. All displayed values in the chart are rounded to the nearest second.

5K pace chart FAQ

Sources and methodology

The chart values are calculated directly from distance and time rather than copied from another pace table. The pacing guidance is based on published research and official event information:

1. World Athletics — 5000 Metres, including the official 12.5-lap description for a standard 400m track.
2. Gosztyla et al. (2006) — The impact of different pacing strategies on five-kilometer running time trial performance.
3. Tucker et al. — Analysis of pacing strategies during men's world-record track performances, including 5000m performances.

Related 5K and running tools

Continue with the Running Pace Calculator, Good 5K Time guide, 8-Week 5K Training Plan, Running Pace Guide or the 10K Pace Chart.