What pace do I need for a sub-3 marathon?

Sub-3 marathon pace is 4:15 per kilometre or 6:52 per mile. Each 5K split must come in under 21:18, and the half-marathon split is 1:29:40. Daily training pace usually sits 4:30-5:00 per km.

What pace do I need for a sub-3:30 marathon?

Sub-3:30 marathon pace is 4:58 per kilometre or 8:00 per mile. Each 5K split must come in under 24:52, and the half-marathon split is 1:44:34.

What pace do I need for a sub-4 marathon?

Sub-4 marathon pace is 5:41 per kilometre or 9:09 per mile. Each 5K split must come in under 28:25, and the half-marathon split is 1:59:28. Sub-4 is the most popular marathon milestone for serious amateur runners.

What pace do I need for a sub-2 half marathon?

Sub-2 half marathon pace is 5:41 per kilometre or 9:09 per mile — the same pace as a sub-4 full marathon.

What is a Boston Marathon qualifying pace?

Boston Marathon qualifying (BQ) paces depend on age and gender. Men 18-34 need sub-3:00 (4:15/km). Women 18-34 need sub-3:30 (4:58/km). Cutoffs slow with age — check the Boston Athletic Association website for current standards. In practice the BAA accepts only the fastest qualifiers each year, so most runners need to beat the standard by 3-7 minutes.

Is there a free app to calculate marathon pace?

SUB is a free marathon pace calculator and training app. Enter any target time and distance and SUB returns per-kilometre pace, 5K splits, and a recommended training pace range. SUB also auto-syncs runs from Garmin and COROS so your pace target follows your watch.

SUB.

Reference

Marathon Pace Chart — Sub-3, Sub-3:30, Sub-4

The per-kilometre pace required for every common marathon goal, with 5K, 10K, half-marathon, 30K, 35K, and 40K split targets. Plus Boston qualifying context and the free app that auto-syncs from Garmin and COROS.

⚡ Quick answers

Sub-3 (3 hours): 4:15/km · 6:52/mile · 5K in 21:18
Sub-3:30: 4:58/km · 8:00/mile · 5K in 24:52
Sub-4 (4 hours): 5:41/km · 9:09/mile · 5K in 28:25
Sub-5: 7:07/km · 11:26/mile · 5K in 35:32
Sub-2 half: 5:41/km — same as Sub-4 full

📊 Full marathon pace chart

Goal	Time	Pace	5K	10K	Half	30K	35K	40K
Sub-2:45	2:44:59	3:54/km	19:32	39:04	1:22:14	1:57:09	2:16:41	2:36:14
Sub-3 (Sub3)	2:59:59	4:16/km	21:18	42:37	1:29:40	2:07:43	2:28:22	2:49:00
Sub-3:15	3:14:59	4:37/km	23:05	46:10	1:37:07	2:18:17	2:39:22	3:01:47
Sub-3:30	3:29:59	4:58/km	24:52	49:44	1:44:34	2:28:52	2:51:42	3:14:33
Sub-3:45	3:44:59	5:20/km	26:38	53:17	1:52:01	2:39:26	3:03:03	3:27:19
Sub-4 (Sub4)	3:59:59	5:41/km	28:25	56:50	1:59:28	2:50:00	3:14:23	3:40:06
Sub-4:30	4:29:59	6:24/km	31:58	63:57	2:14:22	3:11:09	3:38:24	4:05:38
Sub-5	4:59:59	7:07/km	35:32	71:04	2:29:16	3:32:18	4:02:25	4:31:12

📊 Half marathon pace chart

Goal	Pace	5K	10K	15K	20K
Sub-1:30	4:16/km	21:18	42:37	1:03:55	1:25:14
Sub-1:45	4:58/km	24:52	49:44	1:14:36	1:39:28
Sub-2:00 (Sub2)	5:41/km	28:25	56:50	1:25:15	1:53:41
Sub-2:15	6:23/km	31:58	63:57	1:35:55	2:07:53

💡 Training paces by goal

🟣 Chasing Sub-3 (4:15 / km)

Easy / recovery: 5:00-5:30 / km
Marathon-effort tempo: 4:30-4:50 / km
Threshold tempo: 3:55-4:05 / km
VO₂ max intervals: 3:40-3:55 / km
10K PB target before peaking: 38-40 minutes

🔵 Chasing Sub-3:30 (4:58 / km)

Easy / recovery: 5:45-6:15 / km
Marathon-effort tempo: 5:15-5:35 / km
Threshold tempo: 4:35-4:45 / km
VO₂ max intervals: 4:20-4:35 / km
10K PB target before peaking: 44-47 minutes

🟢 Chasing Sub-4 (5:41 / km)

Easy / recovery: 6:30-7:00 / km
Marathon-effort tempo: 6:00-6:20 / km
Threshold tempo: 5:15-5:30 / km
VO₂ max intervals: 4:50-5:05 / km
10K PB target before peaking: 52-55 minutes

🏁 Boston Marathon qualifying paces (BQ)

Boston is a qualifier-only race. The Boston Athletic Association posts age- and gender-based qualifying times each year. In practice the BAA accepts only the fastest qualifiers, so most runners aim to beat the standard by 3-7 minutes.

Men 18-34: Sub-3:00 (4:15 / km)
Men 35-39 / Women 18-34: Sub-3:05 / Sub-3:30 (4:23 / 4:58 / km)
Older age groups: standards loosen by 5-15 minutes per group. Check the BAA website for current cutoffs.

Calculate your pace with SUB 🎯

Free. Pick any target time, get per-km pace + splits. Auto-sync from Garmin and COROS so your watch sees the same target.

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