Many runners complete a 5K in 30 to 40 minutes, and many runners are satisfied with their time if it's around this benchmark. The average walker finishes a 5K in 45 to 60 minutes.
Very advanced runners may be able to complete a 5K in less than 20 minutes. For professional runners, the 2020 world records for running an outdoor 5K are currently 12 minutes (mins) and 51 seconds (secs) for males and 14 mins 44 secs for females.
A 24 minute 5K will not likely earn any top three finish awards in a typical event, or even within your age group. It is, however, a very respectable time in relation to our general population, most of whom could not even finish a mile, much less a 5k.
If you're an intermediate runner, you can expect to run a 5k in between 23 to 29 minutes. If you're an advanced runner, you can expect to run a 5k in between 20 to 25 minutes. If you're an elite runner, you can expect to run a 5k in between 18 to 22 minutes.
If you're a beginner runner, you can expect to run a 5k in between 32 to 40 minutes. If you're a novice runner, you can expect to run a 5k in between 27 to 33 minutes. If you're an intermediate runner, you can expect to run a 5k in between 23 to 29 minutes.
If you are a beginner and you are between 20 and 40 years old, an average good time would be 35:53, for novice 30:53, for intermediate runner 26:31, and for advance runner 23:17. Elite runners and professionals run anything between 21:00 minutes down to almost 14:00 flat.
On average a 5K run will burn between 300 and 400 calories (around 100 calories per mile), but if you are looking to work out the rate that you personally burn calories when running a 5K, you will need to take a few factors into consideration.
Average 5K time for beginners
For beginners, you can expect to cross the finish line of a 5K somewhere between 30-45 minutes. As you will be fairly new to training, you may be more comfortable doing a combination of running and walking to begin with.
To run a 24 minute 5k you will need to be able to run at a target race pace of 7:41 minutes per mile pace for the full 3.1 mile distance (4:46 per kilometre).
So, how hard is it to run a sub 20 5k? Regardless of fitness level, experience, gender, age, or any other factor, to run the 3.1 miles under 20 minutes, you'll need to be able to run under target race of 6:25 minutes per mile for the whole distance—or roughly 4 minutes per kilometer.
What Happens to Running Speed as You Age. As you get older, your heart pumps blood and delivers oxygen less efficiently. Additionally, your VO2 max (the maximum amount of oxygen a person can utilize during exercise) decreases. Some of your slowdown can also be attributed to biomechanics.
If you want to run a 5k in 20 minutes your body needs to get comfortable running at a speed of 4 minutes/km – or 6 minutes 26 seconds/ mile.
You're not alone; running 3.1 miles without stopping is an impressive feat. The good news is that barring certain musculoskeletal injuries, with proper training, you can absolutely do it. No matter where you are in your fitness journey, and no matter what size and shape you are, a 5K is totally doable.
Developing the ability to run 5k in less than 30 minutes is a great achievement for a runner – it's a clear sign that you've built up not just stamina, but also speed. You can maintain a good pace for a sustained period – excellent for your running ability and overall health too!
Say you can run a 5K in 30 minutes, that's a pace of 9:40 (fast); your easy long run should be 12-minute miles (slow). If you can run a half marathon in under 2 hours (about 9-minute miles), a slow run would be 10:22; you could expect to run a 5K in 25:30, at an 8:13 pace.
The best way to breathe while running is to inhale and exhale using both your nose and mouth combined. Breathing through both the mouth and the nose will keep your breathing steady and engage your diaphragm for maximum oxygen intake. It also allows you to expel carbon dioxide quickly.
Download NHS Couch to 5K
They're designed to take you on 3 runs each week, leaving at least 1 day of rest in between each run. There's 1 podcast for every week of the plan – except in weeks 5 and 6, which feature 3 podcasts in each.
However, the good news is that running is one of the best forms of exercise to lose belly fat, and there are even a few small tweaks you can make to your regular running schedule to deliver a sustained fat burning boost.
Average time and pace
Everyday runners can aim to complete a mile in about 9 to 12 minutes. This means you'll finish a 5K in about 28 to 37 minutes. Walkers can expect to complete a mile in about 15 to 20 minutes. Walking at a brisk pace should enable you to finish a 5K at around the hour mark.
Running is one of the best things you can do for your body, and running 5k every day is enough for most of the general physical and mental benefits of running without some of the potential downsides of overtraining or over doing things.
Running a 5k in 22 minutes is an appropriate goal if you've run a 5k in 24 minutes or faster. If you have yet to run fairly close to this time, you might want to start with running 5k in 25 minutes. You should also be able to run one mile in 7 minutes, as this will be your race pace for 5k in 22 minutes.
You would need to average 6:25 pace per mile. Technically, that means the fastest pace you need to be able to run is 6:20 per mile. If you're currently a 21-minute 5k runner, I have little doubt you can run one 6:20 mile, actually, you're probably capable of running a mile close to sub 6 minutes!
Target Race Pace: 7:03 per mile / 4:22 per km for a 22 minute 5k. To run a sub 22 minute 5k you will need to be able to run at a target race pace of 7:00 minutes per mile pace for the full 3.1 mile distance. That converts to 4:22 per kilometre.