Enter your goal marathon time and see your required pace per km or mile, plus projected split times at every major checkpoint.
Required pace
5:41/km
(9:09/mi)
Required pace per km and per mile for common marathon goal times.
A good marathon pace is one you can sustain for the full 42.2 km — typically 10–20 seconds per km slower than your half-marathon goal pace. Most recreational runners target 5:00–7:30/km (8:02–12:04/mi). Elite men race at around 2:55–3:00/km; elite women around 3:10–3:20/km.
Using the Riegel formula: marathon time = half marathon time × (42.195/21.1)^1.06. A 2:00 half marathon predicts a 4:11 marathon. In practice, most runners find the prediction 5–10 minutes optimistic unless they have a strong long-run base (weekly long runs of 28+ km).
Negative splits (faster second half) consistently produce better finish times than positive splits (faster first half). Starting 5–10 seconds per km slower than goal pace for the first 10 km, then settling into goal pace, is the most reliable strategy for recreational runners.
Every 30–45 minutes from around km 8–10 onwards. For a 4-hour marathon, plan 6–7 gels. Always take gels with water, not sports drink. Only use brands you've tested in long training runs — race day is not the time to try a new product.
Training for a half marathon first?
Most marathon runners use a half marathon block as their base. PaceForm builds a personalised 12-week plan calibrated to your goal time.
Build my HM plan — €29 →Instant PDF download · no subscription
Free preview · €29 when you're ready