4:00 marathon pace is 9:09 per mile.
That’s 5:41 per kilometer for all 26.2 miles, or a 2:00 half marathon run twice in a row.
Splits at even pace
| Checkpoint | Clock time |
|---|---|
| 5K | 28:26 |
| 10K | 56:53 |
| 15K | 1:25:19 |
| 20K | 1:53:45 |
| Half marathon | 2:00:00 |
| 25K | 2:22:12 |
| 30K | 2:50:38 |
| 20 miles | 3:03:05 |
| 35K | 3:19:05 |
| 40K | 3:47:31 |
| Finish | 4:00:00 |
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 to 3. Run 9:15 to 9:20. It will feel too easy, and the 20 to 30 seconds it costs at 5K is cheap insurance against a fade later.
Miles 4 to 20. Settle at 9:07, two seconds under goal pace, which wins back the slow start by mile 20. Run the hills by effort, not by the watch, and take a gel about every 25 minutes, starting before you feel you need one.
The last 10K. Pass mile 20 at about 3:03, and 9:09 pace from there gets you to the finish in four hours.
Equivalent race times
If you’ve run close to these times recently, 4:00 is a realistic goal. If your races are slower, check what they predict below.
| Distance | Riegel formula | Daniels VDOT |
|---|---|---|
| 5K | 25:01 | 25:14 |
| 10K | 52:10 | 52:22 |
| Half marathon | 1:55:07 | 1:56:06 |
Predictions use Riegel’s formula and Jack Daniels’ VDOT, and both assume training suited to the longer distance.
Fueling at this pace
For races longer than 2.5 hours, sports scientist Asker Jeukendrup recommends up to 90 g of carbohydrate an hour. Even 60 g an hour, starting after the first half hour, adds up to eight or nine 25 g gels over four hours, so practice it on long runs first.
