MARATHON SPLIT CALCULATOR · 42.195 KM
Marathon split calculator
Enter your goal to get a split for every mile, kilometre or 5 km mat, ending exactly on your finish time. A 4:00:00 marathon at even pace means an average of 9:09 per mile: halfway in 2:00:00, mile 20 at 3:03:05 and mile 26 at 3:58:00. Switch to negative or positive splits to see how the checkpoint times change while the 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 paced at 5:41 per km. Halfway (21.0975 km) 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
We checked the top 5 US and UK results for “marathon split calculator” on 24 September 2026. Every one offers even pacing only; two leave the last 0.2188 mi (about 2 minutes at 4-hour pace) out of their split list, and one treats the race as 26.2 miles, which gives 9:10 per mile for a 4:00:00 marathon instead of 9:09. The calculator above compares even, negative and positive splits, shows the final partial mile or kilometre as its own split, and offers run/walk intervals and a printable band.
What is a good split for a marathon?
There is no single right answer. A 2025 review of marathon pacing found that “a majority of record-breaking performances follow either an even or slight negative split profile”, while “recreational athletes tend to exhibit positive splits”. It also calls negative splits “not universally applicable”. With this site's negative preset, a 3:30:00 goal splits 1:46:03 for the first half and 1:43:57 for the second.
How the splits are calculated
- Even: each segment's time is proportional to its length, so every full mile or kilometre takes the same time.
- Negative: the target pace gets steadily faster, from 2% slower than average at the start to 2% faster at the finish, so the first half takes 50.5% of the goal time and the second half 49.5%. Positive is the reverse. The 2% figure is our own illustrative preset, not a coaching standard.
- Each checkpoint is the exact elapsed time rounded to the nearest second, so rounding never builds up and the last split matches your goal.
- In run/walk mode, the calculator divides your goal time into run and walk cycles and shows the total time spent on each; checkpoint times include the walk breaks.
Hills, heat and wind are not modelled. Courses are measured on the shortest route, so use the course markers, not your watch, to pace yourself. 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.