Average 5K Time by Age and Gender

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A good 5K time is one that grades at 70% or better for your age and sex, and the tables below show exactly what that means in minutes and seconds.

What to do with this number

• See your exact grade for your age with the age grade calculator.
• Choose a target pace from the 5K pace chart.
• Predict a 10K or half marathon from your 5K with the race predictor.
• Get a plan: the 5k training plan and the 100 tips for a faster 5K.
• Aiming for 80%? Read the 80% age-graded parkrun.
• Find the right pace for every session with the VDOT calculator.

Quick answers

What is a good 5K time?
A good time grades at 70% or more for your age and sex, which is Good on the scale used here and regional class for World Masters Athletics. At 70% a man runs 18:19 at 30, 19:19 at 40, 20:52 at 50, 22:40 at 60, and a woman runs 19:56 at 30, 20:54 at 40, 23:07 at 50, 26:03 at 60. Check yours exactly with the age grade calculator.

What is an excellent 5K time?
An excellent time grades at 80% or more, which is national class for World Masters Athletics. At 80% a man runs 16:01 at 30, 16:55 at 40, 18:15 at 50, 19:50 at 60, and a woman runs 17:27 at 30, 18:17 at 40, 20:13 at 50, 22:48 at 60.

What is the average 5K time?
The median finisher in RunRepeat’s data runs 34:37 overall, 37:28 for women and 31:28 for men. For scale, at age 40 those medians grade at 39.1% (Beginner) for women and 43.0% (Beginner) for men. RunRepeat’s median finish times, drawn from 35 million results at more than 28,000 races, are US-heavy, so UK runners may find their local pack slightly quicker. Source: RunRepeat.

Is a 25 minute 5K good?
A 25:00 5K is faster than the median of 34:37. It grades at 51.3% (Beginner) for a 30 year old man, 58.4% (Improving) at 50, 55.8% (Improving) for a 30 year old woman and 64.7% (OK) at 50. The scale is tough because 100% is close to world-record level.

Is a 30 minute 5K slow?
A 30:00 5K is faster than the median of 34:37, so it is not slow against other race finishers. It grades at 48.8% (Beginner) for a 40 year old woman and 45.1% (Beginner) for a 40 year old man, which leaves plenty of room to improve.

What is a good 5K time for a beginner?
Finishing at a steady pace is the first goal, and anything near the median of 34:37 is typical for road racing. Your second goal is to see the gap between your first and third race, which is usually the biggest improvement you will make.

What is a good parkrun time?
Use the same scale: 60% is OK, 70% is Good and 75% is Very Good for your age and sex. parkrun courses vary in difficulty, so the age grade calculator lets you adjust for climb. Read the parkrun hub for more.

What is a good 5K time for a woman?
At 60% (OK) a woman runs 23:10 at 20, 23:16 at 30, 24:23 at 40, 26:58 at 50, 30:24 at 60. At 70% (Good) she runs 19:51 at 20, 19:56 at 30, 20:54 at 40, 23:07 at 50, 26:03 at 60.

What is a good 5K time for a man?
At 60% (OK) a man runs 21:22 at 20, 21:22 at 30, 22:33 at 40, 24:21 at 50, 26:27 at 60. At 70% (Good) he runs 18:19 at 20, 18:19 at 30, 19:19 at 40, 20:52 at 50, 22:40 at 60.

Is a sub 20 minute 5K good?
Sub 20 is a landmark time for club runners. It grades at 64.1% (OK) for a 30 year old man and 69.8% (Quite Good) for a 30 year old woman. The scale is tough because 100% is close to world-record level. Read how to get there in the guide to a sub-20 parkrun.