Enter your target finish time (hours, minutes, seconds) and preferred unit (miles or kilometers) to calculate your required pace per mile or kilometer for a half marathon. You'll also see your halfway split, estimated finish time, and a mile-by-mile split breakdown to plan your race strategy.
Required Pace
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Pace (min:sec)
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Halfway Split
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Finish Time
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Speed
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A half marathon pace calculator takes your target finish time and tells you the exact pace (minutes per mile or per kilometer) you need to maintain throughout the 13.1-mile (21.0975 km) race. It removes the guesswork from race-day strategy so you can run an even, controlled effort from start to finish.
It divides the total race distance (13.1 miles or 21.0975 km) by your goal finish time in minutes to calculate your required pace. From that single pace figure it derives your halfway split, mile-by-mile checkpoints, and overall speed in mph or kph.
Each row in the split table shows a key checkpoint (every mile or every 3 km), the time elapsed at that point, and the individual split time for that segment. If you cross each checkpoint at or near the listed elapsed time, you are on track for your goal finish time.
For most beginners, finishing a half marathon between 2:00 and 2:30 (a pace of roughly 9:09–11:27 per mile) is a realistic and respectable goal. Runners with some base mileage often target 1:45–2:00, while competitive runners aim for sub-1:30.
To finish a half marathon in under 2 hours, you need to maintain a pace faster than 9:09 per mile (5:41 per km). That works out to a halfway split of approximately 59:30 at the 6.55-mile mark.
Most coaches recommend running even splits or a slight negative split — running the second half marginally faster than the first. Starting too fast leads to early fatigue and a painful final few miles. Aim to cross halfway feeling controlled, then gradually build effort.
Jacob Kiplimo set the men's half marathon world record of 56:42 in 2021, which is a blistering pace of approximately 4:19 per mile (2:41 per km). The women's world record is 62:52 set by Letesenbet Gidey, a pace of about 4:48 per mile (2:59 per km).
To convert a pace from minutes per mile to minutes per kilometer, divide your per-mile pace by 1.60934. For example, a 9:00/mile pace equals approximately 5:36/km. This calculator lets you toggle between both units automatically.