A good half marathon time is one that grades at 70% or better for your age and sex, and the tables below show what that means in hours, minutes and seconds.
Men: Half marathon times by age
| Age | 50% Beginner | 60% OK | 70% Good | 80% Excellent | 90% Awesome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 1:55:02 | 1:35:52 | 1:22:10 | 1:11:54 | 1:03:54 |
| 25 | 1:55:02 | 1:35:52 | 1:22:10 | 1:11:54 | 1:03:54 |
| 30 | 1:55:02 | 1:35:52 | 1:22:10 | 1:11:54 | 1:03:54 |
| 35 | 1:55:52 | 1:36:33 | 1:22:46 | 1:12:25 | 1:04:22 |
| 40 | 1:59:21 | 1:39:28 | 1:25:15 | 1:14:36 | 1:06:18 |
| 45 | 2:04:22 | 1:43:39 | 1:28:50 | 1:17:44 | 1:09:06 |
| 50 | 2:09:50 | 1:48:12 | 1:32:44 | 1:21:09 | 1:12:08 |
| 55 | 2:15:48 | 1:53:10 | 1:37:00 | 1:24:52 | 1:15:27 |
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| 60 | 2:22:20 | 1:58:37 | 1:41:40 | 1:28:57 | 1:19:04 |
| 65 | 2:29:32 | 2:04:36 | 1:46:48 | 1:33:27 | 1:23:04 |
| 70 | 2:37:30 | 2:11:15 | 1:52:30 | 1:38:26 | 1:27:30 |
| 75 | 2:48:25 | 2:20:21 | 2:00:18 | 1:45:16 | 1:33:34 |
| 80 | 3:05:59 | 2:34:59 | 2:12:51 | 1:56:15 | 1:43:20 |
Women: Half marathon times by age
| Age | 50% Beginner | 60% OK | 70% Good | 80% Excellent | 90% Awesome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 2:06:45 | 1:45:37 | 1:30:32 | 1:19:13 | 1:10:25 |
| 25 | 2:05:44 | 1:44:47 | 1:29:49 | 1:18:35 | 1:09:51 |
| 30 | 2:06:00 | 1:45:00 | 1:30:00 | 1:18:45 | 1:10:00 |
| 35 | 2:07:40 | 1:46:23 | 1:31:11 | 1:19:47 | 1:10:55 |
| 40 | 2:10:58 | 1:49:08 | 1:33:33 | 1:21:51 | 1:12:45 |
| 45 | 2:16:10 | 1:53:28 | 1:37:16 | 1:25:06 | 1:15:39 |
| 50 | 2:23:39 | 1:59:42 | 1:42:36 | 1:29:47 | 1:19:48 |
| 55 | 2:32:41 | 2:07:14 | 1:49:03 | 1:35:26 | 1:24:49 |
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| 60 | 2:42:55 | 2:15:45 | 1:56:22 | 1:41:49 | 1:30:30 |
| 65 | 2:54:38 | 2:25:31 | 2:04:44 | 1:49:09 | 1:37:01 |
| 70 | 3:08:08 | 2:36:47 | 2:14:23 | 1:57:35 | 1:44:31 |
| 75 | 3:23:57 | 2:49:57 | 2:25:41 | 2:07:28 | 1:53:18 |
| 80 | 3:46:23 | 3:08:39 | 2:41:42 | 2:21:29 | 2:05:46 |
Age grading: USATF MLDR 2025 road age-grading standards (version 2025-07-27) by Alan Jones, CC BY 4.0. © the5krunner. Link required.
What to do with this number
- Grade your exact time with the age grade calculator.
- Pick a pace from the half marathon pace chart.
- Predict a marathon from your half with the race predictor.
- Set training paces with the VDOT calculator.
- See where a 10K ranks on good 10K time.
- Choose a watch to pace you: best running watch.
Quick answers
What is a good half marathon 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 1:22:10 at 30, 1:25:15 at 40, 1:32:44 at 50, 1:41:40 at 60, and a woman runs 1:30:00 at 30, 1:33:33 at 40, 1:42:36 at 50, 1:56:22 at 60. Check yours exactly with the age grade calculator.
What is an excellent half marathon time?
An excellent time grades at 80% or more, which is national class for World Masters Athletics. At 80% a man runs 1:11:54 at 30, 1:14:36 at 40, 1:21:09 at 50, 1:28:57 at 60, and a woman runs 1:18:45 at 30, 1:21:51 at 40, 1:29:47 at 50, 1:41:49 at 60.
What is the average half marathon time?
The median finisher in RunRepeat’s data runs 2:14:59 overall, 2:24:03 for women and 1:59:48 for men. For scale, at age 40 those medians grade at 45.5% (Beginner) for women and 49.8% (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 2 hour half marathon good?
A 2:00:00 half marathon is faster than the median of 2:14:59. It grades at 54.6% (Beginner) for a 40 year old woman and 49.7% (Beginner) for a 40 year old man. The scale is tough because 100% is close to world-record level.
Is a sub 1:30 half marathon good?
A 1:29:59 half marathon grades at 64.4% (OK) for a 35 year old man and 70.9% (Good) for a 35 year old woman.
What is a good half marathon time for a woman?
At 60% (OK) a woman runs 1:45:37 at 20, 1:45:00 at 30, 1:49:08 at 40, 1:59:42 at 50, 2:15:45 at 60. At 70% (Good) she runs 1:30:32 at 20, 1:30:00 at 30, 1:33:33 at 40, 1:42:36 at 50, 1:56:22 at 60.
What is a good half marathon time for a man?
At 60% (OK) a man runs 1:35:52 at 20, 1:35:52 at 30, 1:39:28 at 40, 1:48:12 at 50, 1:58:37 at 60. At 70% (Good) he runs 1:22:10 at 20, 1:22:10 at 30, 1:25:15 at 40, 1:32:44 at 50, 1:41:40 at 60.
What is a good first half marathon time?
Finishing comfortably is the first goal. The median finisher takes 2:14:59, so a time near that is typical, and a steady pace in the first 10K matters more than the final time.
How do I pace a half marathon?
Run even splits and let the second half be slightly faster. The half marathon pace chart prints your splits at 5K, 10K, 15K and 20K.
Small things I always use
- Garmin 90-degree charging adapter: Charges your Garmin from any USB-C cable. Essential when travelling. I use one.
- Body Glide: The blue anti-chafe stick swimmers and runners carry. I use it.
- Speedo earplugs: Fewer ear infections and no cold-water dizziness. I use them.
- Dryrobe Advance: My winter changing robe for open-water swims. I use one. A cheaper option is the AONYIYI changing robe.
- Maurten: Race fuel that stays easy on the stomach. I use them.
- Beet It Sport nitrate shots: Beetroot shots I take in the days before a race. I use them.
- Garmin charging puck: The quickest way to top up before a session. I use one.
- Injinji: Toe socks that stop rubbing, so you run more. I use them.
- Ultimate toe protectors: Stop black toenails on long runs. They work. I use them.
- Compressport R2 v2 calf sleeves: My calf sleeves of choice. I use them.
- Cellucor C4: My pre-workout before hard sessions.
- TPU tubes: Schwalbe Aerothan, Tubolito and Pirelli SmarTube. Light, tiny spares. I use all three.
- G8 insoles: Adjustable insoles that are good. I use them.
- Cycplus Cube: A 97g electric pump that gets a road tyre rideable in two minutes. I carry one. 5% off with code THE5KRUNNER.
Watches and sensors
- Polar H10: My daily driver for waking HRV.
- Polar Verity Sense: My backup arm-worn HR sensor.
- Nomad bedside charger: Charges my iPhone and Apple Watch overnight. I use it, and many of their bands.
- Train.Red: The best muscle oxygen sensor I’ve used.
- Tymewear: Accurate heart rate and reliable ventilatory zones. I use it to pace endurance rides over an hour.
- Garmin Forerunner 970: A pro-grade triathlon watch. I use this.
- Apple Watch Ultra 4: My daily smartwatch. No phone needed on rides.
- Garmin Fenix 9 Pro: I’ve just bought one.
On the bike
- Continental GP5000 for everyday riding, and Aero 111 on the front for special occasions.
- Helmets: Specialized S-Works Evade 3 for road riding, and Rudy Project Wing for TT-style races. I use both.
- Ravemen FR300: A front light that mounts under your Garmin or Wahoo. I use one.
- Wahoo TRACKR Radar: I use it on one bike and Varia on the other. They perform the same.
- Garmin Varia RTL515: Radar that warns you of cars from behind. I use this model.
- Wahoo ELEMNT Roam 3: The bike computer that’s easy to use. I use mine on most rides.
- Favero Assioma Pro RS2: Accurate power pedals that swap easily between bikes. I use this model.
Home and indoor training
- NPE Runn: Makes my basic treadmill smart, sending more accurate speed and distance to my watch and Zwift. I use it.
- Google Wifi: Keeps Zwift connected in my pain cave. I use it.
- Apple TV 4K: Zwift on the big screen. I use two.
- Google Nest Doorbell (wired, 2nd gen): My video doorbell, running in both Google Home and Apple Home. I use it.
Health, recovery and sleep
- FreeStyle Libre 3 Plus: Shows how my blood sugar responds to diet.
- hDrop: Measures my sweat loss in summer and indoors.
- Fourth Frontier Zone: Checks my heart under load in hard sessions.
- Oura Ring 5: My partner’s recovery tracker of choice.
- Eight Sleep: A cooling mattress cover my partner and I use nightly.
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