To run 5k in 19 minutes, you will need to run 6:07 per mile or 3:48 per kilometer. This means a 19 minute 5k pace is 6:07 per mile (6 minutes and 7 seconds) or 3:48 per kilometer (3 minutes and 48 seconds).
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.
To run a sub 18 minute 5k you will need to be able to run at a target race pace of 5:45 minutes per mile pace for the 3.1 mile distance. That works out at 3:35 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.
Running 5k in 19 minutes is an impressive goal for advanced runners. A 5k in 19 minutes is an appropriate goal if you've run 5k in 20 minutes or faster.
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.
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.
At an intermediate level, a good 5k time for men is around 22 or 23 minutes. For women, it is slightly higher, with an average of 26 minutes.
But all in all, most beginners can complete a 5K in 30 to 40 minutes, and most newbies are pretty satisfied if their finish time is around this benchmark. A very good finish time for a beginner is anything under 25 minutes, which means maintaining an 8-minute-mile pace throughout the event.
Eight laps of 400m at your one-mile race pace. Warm up with 15 minutes of easy running, then take 60 seconds of recovery between each lap. You're performing above your anaerobic threshold, so you should barely be able to say a few words at a time. You need short, hard efforts like these.
If you've zeroed in on the sub-20 5k time goal, you can count yourself an advanced runner. It takes drive to achieve such speed, as well as a capacity to endure discomfort.
Online, you can use the Runner's World Race Time Predictor tool, but in general, your 10K pace will be around 45 to 60 seconds per mile slower than your best mile time or somewhere between 10 and 30 seconds slower than your 5K pace, says Knighton.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
Running 5k in 17 minutes is an impressive goal for advanced male runners and elite female runners. A 5k in 17 minutes is an appropriate goal if you've run 5k in 18 minutes or faster. If you have yet to run fairly close to this time, you might want to start with running 5k in 20 minutes.
The Bottom Line
To sum up 5k times in a nutshell; 13 to 19 minutes in general is what would put you amongst the best runners. For men that averages to about 13 to 15 minutes and for women 16 to 19 minutes.
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.
First, divide your time by the distance to obtain your average pace for that distance. Next, if you ran a 5K, multiply that average pace by 1.07. If you ran a 10K, multiply the average pace over the 10K by 1.01. For most people, the result will be a good approximation of your threshold pace.