2-hour half marathon pace

A 2-hour half marathon is 9:09 per mile or 5:41 per km, with 10K at 56:53. Every mile and km split, the arithmetic, and how to go sub-2.

9:09

Pace per mile

5:41

Pace per km

56:53

10K split

6.55 mph

Speed

Every split for 2:00

Cumulative clock time at each mile or kilometre marker on even pace, for 1:55:00, 2:00:00 and 2:05:00. Switch units with the toggle. Formula: goal seconds × distance covered ÷ race distance.

Splits per

Mile	1:55:00	2:00:00	2:05:00
1	8:46	9:09	9:32
2	17:33	18:18	19:04
3	26:19	27:28	28:36
4	35:05	36:37	38:08
5	43:52	45:46	47:41
6	52:38	54:55	57:13
7	1:01:24	1:04:05	1:06:45
8	1:10:11	1:13:14	1:16:17
9	1:18:57	1:22:23	1:25:49
10	1:27:43	1:31:32	1:35:21
11	1:36:30	1:40:41	1:44:53
12	1:45:16	1:49:51	1:54:25
13	1:54:02	1:59:00	2:03:57
13.11	1:55:00	2:00:00	2:05:00

Cumulative clock time at each mile marker, at perfectly even pace over 21.0975 km. Nobody runs even splits and nobody should try to; use these as the line you are measuring drift against, not as an instruction. The difference between the number here and the number on your watch is information — a minute up at 15 km is a race you are about to lose.

Your exact pace

The chart moves in fixed steps. Enter the half marathon time you actually want.

hours

min

sec

Units

Per mile: 9:09
Per km: 5:41
Speed: 6.55 mph

Checkpoints at even pace

3 mi: 27:28
5 mi: 45:46
10 mi: 1:31:32
12 mi: 1:49:51

The same goal as a 1% negative split

First half: 1:00:36
Second half: 59:24

Pace band: every mile, ready to print

Band

19:15
218:29
327:44
436:59
546:14
655:28
71:04:38
81:13:42
91:22:46
101:31:49
111:40:53
121:49:57
131:59:01
13.12:00:00

Even-pace arithmetic: goal seconds × distance covered ÷ race distance. It assumes you can hold the pace, which is the part training decides.

A plan for a 2:00 half marathon

Your plan · free preview

12-week half marathon plan

Intermediate · 4 runs a week

Starts next Monday

Level

Length

Race date

Week 1Race week

Longest run: 13mi
Biggest week: 27mi
Whole plan: 227mi
Goal pace: 9:09/mi

Goal pace is arithmetic: 2:00:00 ÷ 13.1 mi. It is not a training zone.

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Week by week · 12 weeks · in miles

12-week half marathon plan, week by week
Week	Phase	Long run	Total
1	base	6.2	14
2	base	7.5	16
3	base	8.7	19
4	cutback	6.2	14
5	build	9.9	22
6	build	11	23
7	build	12	26
8	cutback	8.1	18
9	peak	13	27
10	taper	8.7	19
11	taper	5.6	12
12	race	13.1	18

The pace, and the arithmetic

A 2-hour half marathon is 9:09 per mile, or 5:41 per kilometre, held for 13.1 miles (21.0975 km). On even pace you pass 10 km at 56:53 and 10 miles at 1:31:32. To finish under 2:00, run 9:08 per mile, which finishes in 1:59:44.

How the numbers are worked out

2:00:00 is 7,200 seconds.
Per mile: 7,200 ÷ 13.1094 miles = 549.2 s = 9:09.
Per kilometre: 7,200 ÷ 21.0975 km = 341.3 s = 5:41.
At 10 km: 7,200 × 10 ÷ 21.0975 = 3,412.7 s = 56:53.
At 10 miles: 7,200 × 10 ÷ 13.1094 = 5,492.3 s = 1:31:32.
At 20 km: 7,200 × 20 ÷ 21.0975 = 6,825.5 s = 1:53:45.
Speed: 13.1094 miles ÷ 2 h = 6.55 mph (10.55 km/h).

Every split on this page uses one formula: goal seconds × distance covered ÷ race distance, rounded to the nearest second. A mile is 1.609344 km, so the half marathon is 13.1094 miles. The half marathon pace chart applies the same formula to every realistic finish time.

Checkpoints

Finish	/mi	/km	3 mi	5 mi	10 mi	12 mi
1:50:00	8:23	5:13	25:10	41:57	1:23:55	1:40:41
1:55:00	8:46	5:27	26:19	43:52	1:27:43	1:45:16
2:00:00	9:09	5:41	27:28	45:46	1:31:32	1:49:51
2:05:00	9:32	5:55	28:36	47:41	1:35:21	1:54:25
2:10:00	9:55	6:10	29:45	49:35	1:39:10	1:59:00

Checkpoints are even-pace clock times for the half marathon (21.0975 km / 13.11 mi), on mile markers or kilometre markers to match the toggle. Underlined times open that goal's page, with every split.

Where 2:00 sits in the field

RunRepeat's finish-time percentiles (35M results across 28,000+ races, as printed on our average half marathon time page) place 2:00:00 between the fastest 20% (1:56:12) and the fastest 30% (2:02:48) of all finishers. For men it sits just slower than the median (1:59:48); for women, between the fastest 10% (1:57:01) and the fastest 20% (2:05:58).

Read the other way: sub-2 beats more than 70% of all finishers in that data, and about half of men.

One step faster, 1:45 half marathon pace is 8:01 per mile.

How to train for a sub-2 half marathon

Check the goal before you train for it. Riegel's formula, T2 = T1 × (D2 ÷ D1)^1.06 (Riegel, American Scientist 69(3), 1981), says 2:00:00 for the half marathon is worth:

10K: 7,200 × (10 ÷ 21.0975)^1.06 = 3,263 s = 54:23.
Marathon: 7,200 × (42.195 ÷ 21.0975)^1.06 = 15,012 s = 4:10:12.

The 10K figure is the useful check: a recent 10K near 54:23 is the evidence that sub-2 is within reach. The marathon figure assumes marathon training on top of half-marathon fitness, so read it as a best case. Run your own recent result through the race time predictor, and use the VDOT calculator to turn it into training paces.

Then pick a plan. The intermediate level fits a sub-2 attempt: it assumes a half marathon behind you and a target time in mind. The free 12-week intermediate half marathon plan is 4 runs a week, peaking at 44 km with a 21 km long run, with cutback weeks and a taper. Put sections at 9:09 per mile into the longer runs. If you have never raced a half, start with the beginner 12-week plan.

Even splits are the reference line, not the plan

Nobody runs a perfect even split, and the opening of a half marathon feels easy at almost any pace. Use these times as the line you measure drift against: if you are well ahead early, you are spending the end of the race at the start.

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Fair questions

How impressive is a sub-2 hour half marathon?

It beats more than 70% of finishers. RunRepeat's finish-time percentiles (35M results) put the fastest 30% of half marathon finishers at 2:02:48 or better and the fastest 20% at 1:56:12, so 2:00 sits between them. The median finisher runs 2:14:59.

Is a 2 hour half marathon quick?

It is a steady 6.55 mph (10.55 km/h), or 9:09 per mile, for 13.1 miles. That is exactly the pace of a 4-hour marathon, held for half the distance.

What percentage of people can run a sub-2 hour half marathon?

Among race finishers, between 20% and 30%: the fastest 20% run 1:56:12 or better and the fastest 30% run 2:02:48 or better (RunRepeat percentiles). For men it is close to half, with a median of 1:59:48. For women it is between 10% and 20%, whose marks are 1:57:01 and 2:05:58. These are people who finish races, not the general population.

How to pace a sub-2 hour half marathon?

Aim slightly inside the line. 9:05 per mile finishes in 1:59:05; 5:38 per km finishes in 1:58:51. Even-pace checkpoints for exactly 2:00:00 are 28:26 at 5K, 56:53 at 10K and 1:25:19 at 15K.