20:00 5K pace
Target pace
6:26 / mile
4:00 / km
for 3.1069 miles · 5 km
To finish a 5k in 20:00 you need to average 6:26 per mile or 4:00 per kilometre. Halfway should come up on the watch at 10:00.
Both paces are rounded down, so they are targets to beat rather than to match exactly — hold them and you finish a few seconds inside 20:00 rather than a few seconds outside it.
Mile splits for 20:00
| Mile | Pace | Elapsed |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6:26 | 6:26 |
| 2 | 6:26 | 12:52 |
| 3 | 6:26 | 19:18 |
| 3.1069 (final 0.11 mi) | 6:26 | 20:00 |
Kilometre splits for 20:00
| Split | Elapsed |
|---|---|
| 1 km | 4:00 |
| 2 km | 8:00 |
| 3 km | 12:00 |
| 4 km | 16:00 |
| 5 km (finish) | 20:00 |
How to pace it
Five kilometres is short enough that the whole race is an exercise in holding one uncomfortable pace, and long enough that going out hard is still a mistake.
- Bank nothing. Time gained in the first mile is borrowed at a punitive rate. Running the opening mile 15 seconds quick almost never returns 15 seconds at the end.
- Check at halfway, not at every mile. 10:00 is the number that matters. Mile-to-mile variation of a few seconds is normal and chasing it wastes attention.
- Know your slow-down plan. Decide in advance which splits you will accept losing if conditions or the day turn against you, so the decision is not made mid-race.
- Run the pace in training. A goal pace you have never held for a sustained effort is a guess. Practise it in blocks long enough to feel like the race.
Adjust the target
Not quite the time you are chasing? The running pace calculator will take any distance and any goal time and give you the same numbers.