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What is a 'good' time for the half marathon?

Firstly, there is, of course, no such thing as a 'good' half marathon time - unless maybe you are an elite runner reading this. For amateurs, ever race is a personal achievement and every runner should have their own very personal goals bringing them to the start line. That said, Google search shows us that runners around the world have indeed been asking "What is a 'good' half marathon time, so we've been digging into the data to see if we can identify - if not a 'good' time, that at least an 'average' one.

After all, whether it’s your very first foray into the half marathon distance, or you are gunning for a shiny new PB, setting a goal for those 13.1 miles can help to keep you motivated. And so that you can work out how you might fare against the average runner, we took a look at data collated by RunRepeat, which analysed a whopping 107.9 million race results from more than 70 thousand events, in 209 countries between 1986 and 2018.

OK, so what is the average half marathon time in the UK?

The result? Turns out the average half marathon finish time in the UK is 2:02:43. That's averaging men and women. More specifically, for men, the average half marathon finish time is 1:55:26 and for women, the average half marathon finish time is 2:11:57.

What is the average pace for running a half marathon?

In the UK, that equates to the average pace for a man being 5min 29sec per kilometre, or 8 min 49 sec minutes per mile. For a female runner, the average half marathon pace is 6 min 16 seconds per kilometre, or 10 min 04 secs per mile.

aerial view of runners
Romilly Lockyer - Getty Images

What about runners from other countries?

According to the RunRepeat data, Russia tops the chart for the average half marathon time at 1 hour 45 minutes and 11 seconds, followed by Belgium (1 hour 48 minutes and 1 second) then Spain (1 hour 50 minutes and 20 seconds). The UK is in 20th place on the list.

What is the half marathon world record for men?

The men’s half marathon world record is 57:31. It was set by Ugandan Jacob Kiplimo at the Lisbon Half Marathon in Lisbon, Portugal, on 21 November 2021.

What is the half marathon world record for women?

The women’s half marathon world record is 1:02:52, run by Ethiopian Letesenbet Gidey at the Valencia Half Marathon Trinidad Alphonso EDP in Valencia, Spain, on 24 October 2021.Gidey broke the world record on her half-marathon debut.

How long does it take to train for a half marathon?

Training plans will vary in length, but most half marathon plans will be 10 to 12 weeks long. We've got some great training plans - and don't forget that strength and conditioning is a really important part of that training too.

What is a good time for your first half marathon?

If it’s your first half marathon, finishing and claiming that medal is a great achievement in itself, so don't worry about the time it takes. But if you insist on asking, then we'd say anywhere under about 3 hours is a solid goal for beginners.

What is a good time for intermediate half marathon runners?

For more experienced runners, who maybe have a few half marathons under their belt already, completing the course within two hours is a popular goal. That equals an average pace of 9 minutes 9 seconds per mile.

What is a good time for advanced half marathon runners?

For top club runners or those with quite a bit of experience, anything from 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes is a common goal for men, while female athletes may set their sights anywhere between 1 hour 20 minutes and 1 hour 40 minutes.

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