If you’ve never run a 10k race before—the famed 6.2-mile distance—you might wonder, “How long does it take to run 10k?”
Of course, the short answer is that it depends on your running speed, which is influenced by numerous factors such as your sex, age, fitness level, experience level, body size, and effort level.
But, we will get to the specific answers in this guide, as we will look at everything from the 10k world records to average 10k finish times and your expected 10k time based on your pace.
We will cover:
- How Long Does It Take to Run 10k for Elite Runners?
- What Is a Good 10k Time?
- How Long Does It Take to Run 10k?
Let’s dive in!
How Long Does It Take to Run 10k for Elite Runners?
Before we try to parcel out what a good 10k time is for everyday runners, let’s take a look at the fastest 10k times with a peek into the database of running world records.
The World Record for the 10,000 meters (10k) on the track is 26:11.00, a blazing time set by Ugandan runner Joshua Cheptegei on October 7, 2020, in Valencia, Spain.
The 10k world record for road running is not far behind, at 26:24. This fastest 10k time was run by Kenyan runner Rhonex Kipruto on January 12, 2020, in Valencia, Spain.
Running 10k in 26:24 works out to a blistering pace of 4:15 min/mile.
On the women’s side, the 10,000-meter world record is 29:01.03. This record was set in Hengelo, Netherlands, on June 8, 2021, by Letesenbet Gidey, a runner from Ethiopia.
The women’s 10k world record for road running was broken in February 2022 in Castellón, Spain, by Ethiopian Yalemzerk Yehualaw, in a time of 29:14.
What Is a Good 10k Time?
The elite runners are in their own echelon that most of us mere mortals can only dream of touching.
So, what’s a good 10k time for regular, everyday runners?
Running Level reports that the average 10k finish time for men across all age groups is 46:43 at a pace of 7 minutes and 31 seconds per mile or 4 minutes and 40 seconds per kilometer. For women, the average 10k finish time is 54:13, which works out to 8:43 per mile and 5:25 per kilometer.
These are reported to be good 10k times for intermediate runners, but what is a good 10k time for beginners?
According to the data, the average 10k time for beginners is 1:05:30 (10:32 min/mile pace) for men and 1:13:58 for women (11:54 min/mile pace).
For advanced runners, these times drop to 40:54 (6:35 min/mile pace) for men and 47:51 for women (7:42 min/mile pace).
How Long Does It Take to Run 10k?
We’ve looked at 10k world records and good 10k times, the latter of which is reflective of the average 10k times.
Now, let’s open up the scope of our approach and answer, “How long does it take to run 10k?”
The answer can be gleaned from the table below, which displays running speeds in miles per hour and kilometers per hour, pace per mile, and the resultant 10k finish time.
| Speed (mph) | Speed (km/hr) | Pace (minutes/mile) | Pace (minutes/km) | 10K Finish Time |
| 4.4 | 7 | 13:47 | 8:34 | 1:25:42 |
| 4.5 | 7.2 | 13:25 | 8:20 | 1:23:20 |
| 4.6 | 7.4 | 13:03 | 8:07 | 1:21:04 |
| 4.7 | 7.5 | 12:52 | 8:00 | 1:20:00 |
| 4.8 | 7.7 | 12:32 | 7:47 | 1:17:55 |
| 4.9 | 7.8 | 12:23 | 7:41 | 1:16:55 |
| 5.0 | 8 | 12:04 | 7:30 | 1:15:00 |
| 5.1 | 8.2 | 11:47 | 7:19 | 1:13:10 |
| 5.2 | 8.3 | 11:38 | 7:14 | 1:12:17 |
| 5.3 | 8.5 | 11:22 | 7:04 | 1:10:35 |
| 5.4 | 8.7 | 11:06 | 6:54 | 1:08:57 |
| 5.5 | 8.8 | 10:58 | 6:49 | 1:08:10 |
| 5.6 | 9 | 10:44 | 6:40 | 1:06:40 |
| 5.7 | 9.1 | 10:37 | 6:35 | 1:05:56 |
| 5.8 | 9.3 | 10:23 | 6:27 | 1:04:30 |
| 5.9 | 9.5 | 10:10 | 6:19 | 1:03:09 |
| 6.0 | 9.6 | 10:04 | 6:15 | 1:02:30 |
| 6.1 | 9.8 | 9:51 | 6:07 | 1:01:13 |
| 6.2 | 9.9 | 9:45 | 6:04 | 1:00:36 |
| 6.3 | 10.1 | 9:34 | 5:56 | 0:59:24 |
| 6.4 | 10.3 | 9:22 | 5:50 | 0:58:15 |
| 6.5 | 10.4 | 9:17 | 5:46 | 0:57:41 |
| 6.6 | 10.6 | 9:07 | 5:40 | 0:56:36 |
| 6.7 | 10.7 | 9:01 | 5:37 | 0:56:04 |
| 6.8 | 10.9 | 8:52 | 5:30 | 0:55:02 |
| 6.9 | 11.1 | 8:42 | 5:25 | 0:54:03 |
| 7.0 | 11.2 | 8:37 | 5:22 | 0:53:34 |
| 7.1 | 11.4 | 8:28 | 5:16 | 0:52:37 |
| 7.2 | 11.5 | 8:24 | 5:13 | 0:52:10 |
| 7.3 | 11.7 | 8:15 | 5:08 | 0:51:16 |
| 7.4 | 11.9 | 8:07 | 5:02 | 0:50:25 |
| 7.5 | 12 | 8:03 | 5:00 | 0:50:00 |
| 7.6 | 12.2 | 7:55 | 4:55 | 0:49:10 |
| 7.7 | 12.4 | 7:47 | 4:50 | 0:48:23 |
| 7.8 | 12.5 | 7:43 | 4:48 | 0:48:00 |
| 7.9 | 12.7 | 7:36 | 4:43 | 0:47:14 |
| 8.0 | 12.8 | 7:32 | 4:41 | 0:46:52 |
| 8.1 | 13 | 7:26 | 4:37 | 0:46:09 |
| 8.2 | 13.2 | 7:19 | 4:33 | 0:45:27 |
| 8.3 | 13.3 | 7:16 | 4:31 | 0:45:06 |
| 8.4 | 13.5 | 7:09 | 4:26 | 0:44:26 |
| 8.5 | 13.6 | 7:06 | 4:25 | 0:44:07 |
| 8.6 | 13.8 | 7:00 | 4:21 | 0:43:28 |
| 8.7 | 14 | 6:54 | 4:17 | 0:42:51 |
| 8.8 | 14.1 | 6:51 | 4:16 | 0:42:33 |
| 8.9 | 14.3 | 6:45 | 4:12 | 0:41:57 |
| 9.0 | 14.4 | 6:43 | 4:10 | 0:41:40 |
| 9.1 | 14.6 | 6:37 | 4:07 | 0:41:05 |
| 9.2 | 14.8 | 6:31 | 4:03 | 0:40:32 |
| 9.3 | 14.9 | 6:29 | 4:02 | 0:40:16 |
| 9.3 | 15 | 6:26 | 4:00 | 0:40:00 |
| 9.4 | 15.1 | 6:23 | 3:58 | 0:39:44 |
| 9.5 | 15.3 | 6:19 | 3:55 | 0:39:12 |
| 9.6 | 15.4 | 6:16 | 3:54 | 0:38:57 |
| 9.7 | 15.6 | 6:11 | 3:51 | 0:38:27 |
| 9.8 | 15.7 | 6:09 | 3:49 | 0:38:12 |
| 9.9 | 15.9 | 6:04 | 3:46 | 0:37:44 |
| 10.0 | 16.1 | 6:00 | 3:44 | 0:37:16 |
| 10.1 | 16.2 | 5:58 | 3:42 | 0:37:02 |
| 10.2 | 16.4 | 5:53 | 3:40 | 0:36:35 |
| 10.3 | 16.5 | 5:51 | 3:38 | 0:36:21 |
| 10.3 | 16.6 | 5:49 | 3:37 | 0:36:08 |
| 10.4 | 16.7 | 5:47 | 3:35 | 0:35:55 |
| 10.5 | 16.9 | 5:43 | 3:33 | 0:35:30 |
| 10.6 | 17 | 5:41 | 3:32 | 0:35:17 |
| 10.7 | 17.2 | 5:37 | 3:29 | 0:34:53 |
| 10.8 | 17.3 | 5:35 | 3:28 | 0:34:40 |
| 10.9 | 17.5 | 5:31 | 3:26 | 0:34:17 |
| 11.0 | 17.7 | 5:28 | 3:23 | 0:33:53 |
| 11.1 | 17.8 | 5:25 | 3:22 | 0:33:42 |
| 11.2 | 18 | 5:22 | 3:20 | 0:33:20 |
| 11.3 | 18.1 | 5:20 | 3:19 | 0:33:08 |
| 11.3 | 18.2 | 5:19 | 3:18 | 0:32:58 |
| 11.4 | 18.3 | 5:17 | 3:17 | 0:32:47 |
| 11.5 | 18.5 | 5:13 | 3:14 | 0:32:25 |
| 11.6 | 18.6 | 5:11 | 3:14 | 0:32:15 |
| 11.7 | 18.8 | 5:08 | 3:11 | 0:31:54 |
| 11.8 | 19 | 5:05 | 3:10 | 0:31:34 |
| 11.9 | 19.1 | 5:04 | 3:08 | 0:31:24 |
| 12.0 | 19.3 | 5:00 | 3:07 | 0:31:05 |
| 12.1 | 19.4 | 4:59 | 3:05 | 0:30:55 |
| 12.2 | 19.6 | 4:56 | 3:04 | 0:30:36 |
| 12.3 | 19.8 | 4:53 | 3:02 | 0:30:18 |
| 12.4 | 19.9 | 4:51 | 3:01 | 0:30:09 |
| 12.5 | 20.1 | 4:48 | 2:59 | 0:29:51 |
| 12.6 | 20.2 | 4:47 | 2:58 | 0:29:42 |
| 12.7 | 20.4 | 4:44 | 2:56 | 0:29:24 |
| 12.7 | 20.5 | 4:43 | 2:56 | 0:29:16 |
| 12.8 | 20.6 | 4:41 | 2:55 | 0:29:07 |
| 12.9 | 20.7 | 4:40 | 2:54 | 0:28:59 |
| 13.0 | 20.9 | 4:37 | 2:52 | 0:28:42 |
| 13.1 | 21 | 4:36 | 2:52 | 0:28:34 |
| 13.2 | 21.2 | 4:33 | 2:50 | 0:28:18 |
What is your 10k PR? Learn how to improve your 10k time here.
