What pace do I need for a sub-4-hour marathon?

Faster than 9:09 per mile, or 5:41 per km, held for the whole race. On the negative split that is 9:15 per mile to halfway (2:01:12) and 9:04 per mile after it.

What is a negative split in a marathon?

Running the second half faster than the first. This page gives the first half 50.5% of your goal time and the second 49.5%, so the second half is about 2% quicker: for a 3:00:00 goal, 6:56 per mile and then 6:48.

What does the Cardiac Drift plan do?

It is a steady speed-up, not a heart-rate model. Pace starts 1% slower than average for every hour of goal time and ends the same amount faster, so a 4:00:00 plan opens at 9:30 per mile and finishes at 8:48. The 1% per hour figure is this calculator’s own assumption, and the plan is a steeper negative split than the Negative option.

Why is the last split 0.2 miles?

A marathon is 42.195 km, which is 26.2188 miles, so after mile 26 there is 0.219 mile left (0.195 km after km 42). The table shows its average pace and a cumulative time that equals your goal.

What should my 10K and half marathon splits be for a 4-hour marathon?

At an even pace, 28:26 at 5K, 56:53 at 10K, 2:00:00 at halfway and 2:50:38 at 30K. On the Negative plan they are 28:43, 57:27, 2:01:12 and 2:51:20, because the first half is run a little slower. The Checkpoints table on the page shows these for any goal and plan, and Print pace band prints them with the splits.

Marathon Pace Strategy

Marathon splits for every mile or km from a goal time of 1:30 to 8:00, run at an even pace, a 2% negative split or a pace that quickens all race. How it works

Target Finish Time

Hours

Minutes

Seconds

Strategy

Constant pace throughout the race

Distance Unit

Total time

4:00:00

Average pace 9:09/mi · Strategy Even Splits

Strategy Comparison

Even Splits

9:09/mi

avg pace

Negative Splits

9:09/mi

avg pace

Cardiac Drift

9:09/mi

avg pace

Checkpoints

Checkpoint	Distance	Time
5K	5 km / 3.11 mi	28:26
10K	10 km / 6.21 mi	56:53
Half marathon	21.098 km / 13.11 mi	2:00:00
30K	30 km / 18.64 mi	2:50:38

Mile Splits

Mile	Pace	Cumulative
1	9:09	9:09
2	9:09	18:18
3	9:09	27:28
4	9:09	36:37
5	9:09	45:46
6	9:09	54:55
7	9:09	1:04:05
8	9:09	1:13:14
9	9:09	1:22:23
10	9:09	1:31:32
11	9:09	1:40:41
12	9:09	1:49:51
13	9:09	1:59:00
14½	9:09	2:08:09
15	9:09	2:17:18
16	9:09	2:26:28
17	9:09	2:35:37
18	9:09	2:44:46
19	9:09	2:53:55
20	9:09	3:03:05
21	9:09	3:12:14
22	9:09	3:21:23
23	9:09	3:30:32
24	9:09	3:39:41
25	9:09	3:48:51
26	9:09	3:58:00
26.219	9:09	4:00:00

About the Marathon Pace Strategy

A 4:00:00 marathon is 9:09 per mile or 5:41 per km at an even pace, with 2:00:00 at halfway. The page lists every split for that pace, for a negative split that spends 50.5% of the goal on the first half, and for a plan that starts slower than average and speeds up evenly to the finish.

Marathon pace by goal time

Goal time	Even pace per mile	Even pace per km	Negative split: first half / second half per mile	Halfway on the negative split
2:00:00	4:35	2:51	4:37 / 4:32	1:00:36
2:15:00	5:09	3:12	5:12 / 5:06	1:08:11
2:30:00	5:43	3:33	5:47 / 5:40	1:15:45
2:45:00	6:18	3:55	6:21 / 6:14	1:23:20
3:00:00	6:52	4:16	6:56 / 6:48	1:30:54
3:15:00	7:26	4:37	7:31 / 7:22	1:38:29
3:30:00	8:01	4:59	8:05 / 7:56	1:46:03
3:45:00	8:35	5:20	8:40 / 8:30	1:53:38
4:00:00	9:09	5:41	9:15 / 9:04	2:01:12
4:15:00	9:44	6:03	9:49 / 9:38	2:08:47
4:30:00	10:18	6:24	10:24 / 10:12	2:16:21
4:45:00	10:52	6:45	10:59 / 10:46	2:23:56
5:00:00	11:27	7:07	11:33 / 11:20	2:31:30
5:30:00	12:35	7:49	12:43 / 12:28	2:46:39
6:00:00	13:44	8:32	13:52 / 13:36	3:01:48
6:30:00	14:52	9:15	15:01 / 14:44	3:16:57
7:00:00	16:01	9:57	16:11 / 15:52	3:32:06

Paces to the second as the calculator shows them, for a marathon of 42.195 km (26.2188 miles). Halfway on the even plan is exactly half the goal. For a pace you already run, the Pace Calculator turns minutes per km or mile into 5K to marathon finish times.

Checkpoint times at an even pace, by goal time

Goal time	5K	10K	Half marathon	30K
3:00:00	21:20	42:40	1:30:00	2:07:59
3:30:00	24:53	49:46	1:45:00	2:29:18
4:00:00	28:26	56:53	2:00:00	2:50:38
4:30:00	32:00	1:03:59	2:15:00	3:11:58
5:00:00	35:33	1:11:06	2:30:00	3:33:18

The Checkpoints table the calculator shows for the Even plan; the times are the same in miles and kilometers. On the Negative plan a 4:00:00 goal reaches 10K in 57:27 and halfway in 2:01:12.

How to use this tool

Type the goal finish time in hours, minutes and seconds, from 1:30:00 to 8:00:00.
Pick Even, Negative or Cardiac Drift, and Miles or Kilometers.
Read the Checkpoints table for your 5K, 10K, half and 30K times.
Copy the split table onto a pace band or into a watch workout, or press Print pace band. The last row is the final 0.219 mile (0.195 km).

Frequently asked questions

What pace do I need for a sub-4-hour marathon?: Faster than 9:09 per mile, or 5:41 per km, held for the whole race. On the negative split that is 9:15 per mile to halfway (2:01:12) and 9:04 per mile after it.
What is a negative split in a marathon?: Running the second half faster than the first. This page gives the first half 50.5% of your goal time and the second 49.5%, so the second half is about 2% quicker: for a 3:00:00 goal, 6:56 per mile and then 6:48.
What does the Cardiac Drift plan do?: It is a steady speed-up, not a heart-rate model. Pace starts 1% slower than average for every hour of goal time and ends the same amount faster, so a 4:00:00 plan opens at 9:30 per mile and finishes at 8:48. The 1% per hour figure is this calculator’s own assumption, and the plan is a steeper negative split than the Negative option.
Why is the last split 0.2 miles?: A marathon is 42.195 km, which is 26.2188 miles, so after mile 26 there is 0.219 mile left (0.195 km after km 42). The table shows its average pace and a cumulative time that equals your goal.
What should my 10K and half marathon splits be for a 4-hour marathon?: At an even pace, 28:26 at 5K, 56:53 at 10K, 2:00:00 at halfway and 2:50:38 at 30K. On the Negative plan they are 28:43, 57:27, 2:01:12 and 2:51:20, because the first half is run a little slower. The Checkpoints table on the page shows these for any goal and plan, and Print pace band prints them with the splits.

Choosing a pacing plan for race day

Copy the split table onto a pace band or into a watch workout the week before the race; the comparison shows how much each plan asks of the second half. Goals from 1:30:00 to 8:00:00 are accepted, in miles or kilometers.

For a 4:00:00 goal the even plan runs every mile at 9:09. The negative split runs 9:15 per mile to halfway and 9:04 after it, and the cardiac-drift plan opens at 9:30 and quickens to 8:48 by mile 26.

A Checkpoints table gives the time at 5K, 10K, the half and 30K for the chosen plan: 28:26, 56:53, 2:00:00 and 2:50:38 for an even 4:00:00. Print pace band prints the checkpoints and splits on their own.

How each plan sets its splits

Even: pace = goal ÷ 26.2188 mi (42.195 km ÷ 1.609344, or 42.195 km directly).

Negative: first-half pace = 0.505 × goal ÷ half distance, second-half pace = 0.495 × goal ÷ half distance. Halfway is 13.11 miles (21.0975 km), so the split that contains it, mile 14 (km 22), is marked ½ and mixes the two paces.

Cardiac drift: pace(x) = average × (1 + 0.01 × h × (1 − 2 × x ÷ distance)), where h is the goal in hours and x the distance covered. A 4-hour plan opens 4% slower than average and closes 4% faster. The 1% per hour is this calculator's own assumption, not a heart-rate model.

Paces are shown to the second. The last row is the partial 0.219 mile (0.195 km) at its own average pace, so its cumulative time equals the goal. Every plan assumes a flat course and steady weather. A time outside 1:30:00 to 8:00:00 shows a warning and no splits.

Fun Fact: The 42.195 km marathon distance traces back to the 1908 London Olympic course, which ran from Windsor Castle to the White City Stadium.

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Marathon Pace Strategy

Use the Marathon Pace Strategy

Strategy Comparison

Checkpoints

Mile Splits

Related Tools

About the Marathon Pace Strategy

Marathon pace by goal time

Checkpoint times at an even pace, by goal time

How to use this tool

Frequently asked questions

Choosing a pacing plan for race day

How each plan sets its splits

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