Quick answer: a 50-minute 10K is 8:03 per mile or 5:00 per kilometre, with 5K in 25:00. A 1-hour 10K is 9:39 per mile (6:00 per km); 45 minutes is 7:15 per mile (4:30 per km).
10K pace chart, 30:00 to 1:30:00
A 10K is 10,000 metres, or 6.214 miles. Each row shows the finish time, the pace to hold and the elapsed time at 1 mile, 5K and 5 miles at even pace.
| Finish | Per mile | Per km | 1 mi | 5K | 5 mi |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30:00 | 4:50 | 3:00 | 4:50 | 15:00 | 24:08 |
| 32:00 | 5:09 | 3:12 | 5:09 | 16:00 | 25:45 |
| 34:00 | 5:28 | 3:24 | 5:28 | 17:00 | 27:22 |
| 36:00 | 5:48 | 3:36 | 5:48 | 18:00 | 28:58 |
| 38:00 | 6:07 | 3:48 | 6:07 | 19:00 | 30:35 |
| 40:00 | 6:26 | 4:00 | 6:26 | 20:00 | 32:11 |
| 42:00 | 6:46 | 4:12 | 6:46 | 21:00 | 33:48 |
| 44:00 | 7:05 | 4:24 | 7:05 | 22:00 | 35:24 |
| 46:00 | 7:24 | 4:36 | 7:24 | 23:00 | 37:01 |
| 48:00 | 7:43 | 4:48 | 7:43 | 24:00 | 38:37 |
| 50:00 | 8:03 | 5:00 | 8:03 | 25:00 | 40:14 |
| 52:00 | 8:22 | 5:12 | 8:22 | 26:00 | 41:51 |
| 54:00 | 8:41 | 5:24 | 8:41 | 27:00 | 43:27 |
| 56:00 | 9:01 | 5:36 | 9:01 | 28:00 | 45:04 |
| 58:00 | 9:20 | 5:48 | 9:20 | 29:00 | 46:40 |
| 1:00:00 | 9:39 | 6:00 | 9:39 | 30:00 | 48:17 |
| 1:02:00 | 9:59 | 6:12 | 9:59 | 31:00 | 49:53 |
| 1:04:00 | 10:18 | 6:24 | 10:18 | 32:00 | 51:30 |
| 1:06:00 | 10:37 | 6:36 | 10:37 | 33:00 | 53:07 |
| 1:08:00 | 10:57 | 6:48 | 10:57 | 34:00 | 54:43 |
| 1:10:00 | 11:16 | 7:00 | 11:16 | 35:00 | 56:20 |
| 1:12:00 | 11:35 | 7:12 | 11:35 | 36:00 | 57:56 |
| 1:14:00 | 11:55 | 7:24 | 11:55 | 37:00 | 59:33 |
| 1:16:00 | 12:14 | 7:36 | 12:14 | 38:00 | 1:01:09 |
| 1:18:00 | 12:33 | 7:48 | 12:33 | 39:00 | 1:02:46 |
| 1:20:00 | 12:52 | 8:00 | 12:52 | 40:00 | 1:04:22 |
| 1:22:00 | 13:12 | 8:12 | 13:12 | 41:00 | 1:05:59 |
| 1:24:00 | 13:31 | 8:24 | 13:31 | 42:00 | 1:07:36 |
| 1:26:00 | 13:50 | 8:36 | 13:50 | 43:00 | 1:09:12 |
| 1:28:00 | 14:10 | 8:48 | 14:10 | 44:00 | 1:10:49 |
| 1:30:00 | 14:29 | 9:00 | 14:29 | 45:00 | 1:12:25 |
45, 50 and 55 minute 10K pace
- 45:00: 7:15 per mile or 4:30 per km (8.28 mph). Halfway in 22:30, 5 miles in 36:13, 400 m laps of 1:48.0.
- 50:00: 8:03 per mile or 5:00 per km (7.46 mph). Halfway in 25:00, 5 miles in 40:14, laps of 2:00.0.
- 55:00: 8:51 per mile or 5:30 per km (6.78 mph). Halfway in 27:30, 5 miles in 44:15, laps of 2:12.0.
For a "sub" goal, aim a second or two per kilometre under the row, because the line you actually run is rarely the one the course was measured on.
Pacing a 10K
The 10K rewards patience. The first two kilometres feel easy at goal pace, which is exactly when runners go out too fast. Aim to pass 5K within 15 seconds of half your goal; a 50:00 runner should see 24:45 to 25:15 at halfway. A small negative split, picked above, builds that patience into the plan.
Practising 10K pace
10K pace is hard but sustainable, so it rewards rehearsal in pieces. A 50:00 goal is 5:00 per kilometre: kilometre repeats in 5:00 or mile repeats in 8:03, with short jogs between, teach the rhythm. On a 400 m track the same goal is 2:00 per lap, and a full 10K on the track is 25 laps. Closer to the race, longer pieces such as 3 km at goal pace (15:00 for the 50-minute runner) show whether the pace holds when you are tired. The training pace calculator shows where your 10K pace falls between threshold and interval pace.
Course, GPS and hills
Road 10Ks are measured along the shortest possible line, so a watch usually shows a little more than 6.21 miles at the finish. At 50:00 pace every extra 100 m is 30 seconds. Use whichever signs the course has, miles or kilometres, and set the tool to match. On an undulating route let the pace drop on the climbs, recover on the way down, and judge yourself at 5K and 5 miles. Grade-by-grade numbers are on the grade adjusted pace calculator.
Setting a 10K goal
A recent 5K is the usual guide. Riegel's formula turns a 22:30 5K into a 10K of about 46:55, which is slower than double because pace fades as the distance grows. If you have not raced lately, a controlled session of goal-pace kilometres tells you more than a guess.
What a 10K says about longer races
The race time predictor estimates a half marathon of about 1:50:19 from a 50:00 10K with the Riegel formula, and a marathon of about 3:50:01, if you have done the training for the longer distance. Your training paces come from the same result.
Next up: the half marathon pace chart or a printable 10K pace band. Every standard distance in miles and km is on the race distances page. Shorter race? See the 5K pace chart.
Formula and examples checked . Found a problem? Tell us.
Questions
What pace is a 1-hour 10K?
9:39 per mile or 6:00 per kilometre, with 5K at 30:00.
What pace is a 45 minute 10K?
7:15 per mile or 4:30 per kilometre, with halfway at 22:30 and 400 m laps of 1:48.0.
How many miles is a 10K?
6.214 miles (10,000 m / 1,609.344 m).
What pace is a sub-50 10K?
Faster than 8:03 per mile or 5:00 per kilometre.
Is a 10K twice as slow as a 5K?
Slightly more than twice: pace drops as distance grows. With the Riegel formula a 25:00 5K predicts 52:07 for 10K, not 50:00.