Racing smarter
What pace is a 1:30 half marathon?
1:30:00 for the half marathon is 4:16/km (6:52/mi), held the whole way. Halfway on even pace is 45:00. Most watches measure the course long, so the pace you actually need on the screen is nearer 4:12/km.
| What | Number | The qualifier |
|---|---|---|
| Pace needed | 4:16/km (6:52/mi) | even, start to finish |
| Halfway (even) | 45:00 | 45:54 on a 2% negative split |
| Watch pace at 1.5% overage | 4:12/km (6:46/mi) | what the screen has to show |
| Distance | 21.0975 km (13.11 mi) | the measured course, not the watch |
What pace is a 1:30 half marathon?
1:30:00 over 21.0975 km (13.11 mi) is 4:16/km (6:52/mi), held from the first step to the last. There is no rounding slack in that number: run the first kilometre at 4:26/km and you have already spent ten seconds you will not get back cheaply.
A 90-minute half is 4:16/km (6:52/mi) and it is the classic club-runner benchmark. It usually needs a 5K under 20 minutes and 50 to 70 km a week. The distinctive thing about this target is that the pace sits very close to threshold for most people attempting it, which means there is almost no margin for a bad first 5 km. Go out at 4:05/km and you will not be able to recover inside the distance the way you could in a marathon. The reliable execution is boring: first 5 km at 4:18, middle 10 km at 4:16, last 6 km on whatever is left. People who do that run 1:29 and people who chase it early run 1:33.
What the splits look like
| Kilometre | Split | Elapsed |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4:16 | 4:16 |
| 5 | 4:16 | 21:20 |
| 10 | 4:16 | 42:40 |
| 15 | 4:16 | 1:03:59 |
| 20 | 4:16 | 1:25:19 |
| 21.0975 | 0:25 | 1:30:00 |
And in miles, for a course measured that way:
| Mile | Split | Elapsed |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6:52 | 6:52 |
| 3 | 6:52 | 20:36 |
| 6 | 6:52 | 41:12 |
| 9 | 6:52 | 1:01:47 |
| 12 | 6:52 | 1:22:23 |
| 13.11 | 0:45 | 1:30:00 |
Where should I be at halfway?
Even pace puts you through halfway at 45:00. Most people who finish this time went through slightly slower than that, not faster — a 2% negative split means halfway at 45:54 and a second half of 44:06.
The decision rule for race day: if you reach halfway more than 0:54 ahead of 45:00, you are not ahead of schedule, you are borrowing. Ease back to 4:16/km (6:52/mi) and hold it.
What if my watch measures the course long?
Almost every watch does. A half marathon that reads 1.5% long on your wrist means you have to run 4:12/km by the watch to finish in 1:30:00 by the clock. That is the pace to put on the screen, and it is why pacing off a watch's average-pace field alone tends to leave people a minute or two short.
Questions runners actually ask
- Is a 1:30 half marathon a good time?
- Good is a comparison, and it depends who with. Whether it is achievable for you is the answerable question: it comes down to a recent race, your weekly volume and your longest run. The race predictor puts numbers on all three.
- Should I run even splits or negative splits?
- Even, planned; slightly negative, executed. Going through halfway 1-2% slower than even pace costs almost nothing if you are strong at the end, and saves the race if you are not.
Sources
- Hanley B et al. Pacing profiles of senior athletes at the World Athletics Championships. Front Sports Act Living 4:964905, 2022 primary
- Deaner RO et al. Men are more likely than women to slow in the marathon. Med Sci Sports Exerc 47(3):607-616, 2015 primary
- World Athletics Competition Rules, Book C2.1 — course measurement and the short course prevention factor reference
Changelog
- — First published.