2:00 half marathon pace is 9:09 per mile.
Sub-2 is the half marathon’s big round number. The typical U.S. finisher took about 2:13 in 2024, and finish times bunch up between 1:57 and 1:59 as runners squeeze under it.
Splits at even pace
| Checkpoint | Clock time |
|---|---|
| 5K | 28:26 |
| 10K | 56:53 |
| 15K | 1:25:19 |
| 10 miles | 1:31:32 |
| 20K | 1:53:45 |
| Finish | 2:00:00 |
Splits assume even pace. GPS tends to read long on race courses, so check the clock at the mile markers.
How to run it
Miles 1 and 2. Run 9:15 to 9:20 and let the field spread out.
Miles 3 to 10. Settle at 9:06 and pass 10K near 56:50. Three seconds a mile under goal pace wins back the slower start by mile 10, and Riegel’s formula says a 2:00 half predicts about a 4:10 marathon if you’re planning one.
The last 5K. Pass 10 miles at about 1:31:30, and 9:09 miles from there bring you in just under two hours. To see how that stacks up by age and sex, the average half marathon time guide has the 2024 medians.
Equivalent race times
If you’ve run close to these times recently, 2:00 is a realistic goal. If your races are slower, check what they predict below.
| Distance | Riegel formula | Daniels VDOT |
|---|---|---|
| 5K | 26:05 | 26:04 |
| 10K | 54:23 | 54:07 |
| Marathon | 4:10:12 | 4:07:45 |
Predictions use Riegel’s formula and Jack Daniels’ VDOT, and both assume training suited to the longer distance.
Fueling at this pace
Two hours sits at the top of sports scientist Asker Jeukendrup’s one-to-two-hour range, about 30 g of carbohydrate an hour, so plan on two or three 25 g gels, with the first around 35 minutes.
