MARATHON SPLIT CALCULATOR · 42.195 KM
Marathon split calculator
Enter your goal time to get cumulative splits all the way to the marathon finish. Choose miles, kilometres or 5 km timing mats to match the checkpoints you'll use.
Start with even pace, then switch to negative or positive splits to compare checkpoint times. Your finish goal stays the same.
Prints a 40 × 240 mm strip. Print at 100% (Actual size), then check the 50 mm ruler.
Even, negative and positive splits for 4:00:00
| Checkpoint | Even | Negative | Positive |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 km | 0:28:26 | 0:28:56 | 0:27:56 |
| 10 km | 0:56:53 | 0:57:45 | 0:56:01 |
| 15 km | 1:25:19 | 1:26:25 | 1:24:13 |
| 20 km | 1:53:45 | 1:54:57 | 1:52:34 |
| 25 km | 2:22:12 | 2:23:21 | 2:21:02 |
| 30 km | 2:50:38 | 2:51:37 | 2:49:39 |
| 35 km | 3:19:05 | 3:19:45 | 3:18:24 |
| 40 km | 3:47:31 | 3:47:45 | 3:47:17 |
| Marathon (42.195 km) | 4:00:00 | 4:00:00 | 4:00:00 |
All three plans finish at 4:00:00; only the checkpoint times in between change.
Even splits, every 5 km
| Checkpoint | Segment | Pace /km | Elapsed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 km | 0:28:26 | 5:41 | 0:28:26 |
| 10 km | 0:28:27 | 5:41 | 0:56:53 |
| 15 km | 0:28:26 | 5:41 | 1:25:19 |
| 20 km | 0:28:26 | 5:41 | 1:53:45 |
| 25 km | 0:28:27 | 5:41 | 2:22:12 |
| 30 km | 0:28:26 | 5:41 | 2:50:38 |
| 35 km | 0:28:27 | 5:41 | 3:19:05 |
| 40 km | 0:28:26 | 5:41 | 3:47:31 |
| Marathon (42.195 km) | 0:12:29 | 5:41 | 4:00:00 |
The 9 splits add up to exactly 4:00:00. The final 2.195 km is run at 5:41 per km. Halfway (21.0975 km) comes at 2:00:00.
Print at 100% (Actual size) with headers and footers off. The strip is 40 × 240 mm. Measure the 50 mm ruler before cutting; if it is not 50 mm, your printer rescaled the page. Tape it loosely around your wrist.
RACE PACE PLANNER
Marathon · 4:00:00
Even splits · Continuous
| km | Time |
|---|---|
| 5 | 0:28:26 |
| 10 | 0:56:53 |
| 15 | 1:25:19 |
| 20 | 1:53:45 |
| 25 | 2:22:12 |
| 30 | 2:50:38 |
| 35 | 3:19:05 |
| 40 | 3:47:31 |
| 42.195 | 4:00:00 |
Elapsed time includes stops. Targets, not predictions. racepaceplanner.com
Overlap and tape here
Three pacing plans for one goal time
The calculator keeps the final partial mile or kilometre in your plan. You can compare pacing shapes above, include run/walk intervals or print a band with your splits.
The search-results check found these gaps:
- Results checked: the top 5 US and UK results for “marathon split calculator”, 24 September 2026. All offered even pacing only.
- Two left out the last 0.2188 mi, about 2 minutes at 4-hour pace.
- One used 26.2 miles, giving 9:10 per mile for a 4:00:00 marathon instead of 9:09 per mile.
Try the even-pace example below with the calculator set to miles. The Elapsed column shows the cumulative time on your race clock at a checkpoint; the Segment column shows the time since the previous one. Don't add the elapsed times together.
4:00:00 marathon, even pace:
- Average pace: 9:09 per mile (5:41 per km).
- Halfway: 2:00:00.
- Mile 20: 3:03:05 elapsed.
- Mile 26: 3:58:00 elapsed.
- Finish: 4:00:00, including the final partial mile.
If you already have a target, the goal pages add what the calculator leaves out. The sub-4 splits page works out the watch pace for a GPS that reads long, the 3:30 plan gives the race clock at 10K, halfway and 30K, and the Boston standards table shows the pace each age group needs to qualify.
What is a good split for a marathon?
There isn't one right split for every runner. The Grivas review (2025) cited below found that most record-breaking marathons used even pace or a slight negative split, while recreational runners tended to slow down; it also cautioned that negative splits aren't universally applicable.
Use the pacing options to compare how you'd reach your goal. The calculator doesn't predict whether you can run that time, and its negative preset isn't a recommendation for your race.
3:30:00 goal with this site's negative preset:
- Half times: 1:46:03 for the first; 1:43:57 for the second.
How the splits are calculated
Use the negative split examples and calculator to compare pacing shapes for the same goal.
- Even: time is proportional to distance, so each full mile or kilometre has the same unrounded target time.
- Negative: target pace gets steadily faster, from 2% slower than average at the start to 2% faster at the finish. The first half takes 50.5% of your goal time and the second takes 49.5%. Positive reverses that pattern. The 2% setting is this site's illustrative preset, not a coaching standard.
- Rounding: each checkpoint's exact elapsed time is rounded to the nearest second. Rounding doesn't build up along the course, and the last split matches your goal.
- Run/walk: your goal time is divided into run and walk cycles, with the total time shown for each. The checkpoint times include your walk breaks.
The calculator doesn't account for hills, heat or wind. Courses are measured on the shortest route; use the course markers to check your progress, since your watch can show a different distance. For goal-by-goal paces, see the marathon pace chart.
Sources
- World Athletics: marathon: 26 miles 385 yards (42.195 km).
- NIST: unit conversion factors: 1 mile = 1.609344 km exactly.
- Grivas GV (2025), Frontiers in Physiology 16:1639816: review of negative-split pacing in the marathon.
Last checked 24 September 2026.