A good 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: Marathon times by age
| Age | 50% Beginner | 60% OK | 70% Good | 80% Excellent | 90% Awesome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 4:03:07 | 3:22:36 | 2:53:39 | 2:31:57 | 2:15:04 |
| 25 | 4:01:10 | 3:20:58 | 2:52:16 | 2:30:44 | 2:13:59 |
| 30 | 4:01:10 | 3:20:58 | 2:52:16 | 2:30:44 | 2:13:59 |
| 35 | 4:01:10 | 3:20:58 | 2:52:16 | 2:30:44 | 2:13:59 |
| 40 | 4:06:31 | 3:25:26 | 2:56:05 | 2:34:04 | 2:16:57 |
| 45 | 4:17:18 | 3:34:25 | 3:03:47 | 2:40:49 | 2:22:57 |
| 50 | 4:29:04 | 3:44:13 | 3:12:12 | 2:48:10 | 2:29:29 |
| 55 | 4:41:58 | 3:54:58 | 3:21:24 | 2:56:14 | 2:36:39 |
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| 60 | 4:56:10 | 4:06:48 | 3:31:33 | 3:05:06 | 2:44:32 |
| 65 | 5:11:52 | 4:19:53 | 3:42:46 | 3:14:55 | 2:53:16 |
| 70 | 5:29:20 | 4:34:26 | 3:55:14 | 3:25:50 | 3:02:58 |
| 75 | 5:51:43 | 4:53:05 | 4:11:13 | 3:39:49 | 3:15:24 |
| 80 | 6:27:47 | 5:23:10 | 4:37:00 | 4:02:22 | 3:35:26 |
Women: Marathon times by age
| Age | 50% Beginner | 60% OK | 70% Good | 80% Excellent | 90% Awesome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 4:32:02 | 3:46:41 | 3:14:18 | 2:50:01 | 2:31:08 |
| 25 | 4:20:11 | 3:36:49 | 3:05:51 | 2:42:37 | 2:24:33 |
| 30 | 4:20:19 | 3:36:55 | 3:05:56 | 2:42:42 | 2:24:37 |
| 35 | 4:23:03 | 3:39:12 | 3:07:54 | 2:44:24 | 2:26:08 |
| 40 | 4:28:27 | 3:43:43 | 3:11:45 | 2:47:47 | 2:29:09 |
| 45 | 4:36:52 | 3:50:43 | 3:17:46 | 2:53:02 | 2:33:49 |
| 50 | 4:48:48 | 4:00:40 | 3:26:17 | 3:00:30 | 2:40:27 |
| 55 | 5:05:11 | 4:14:19 | 3:37:59 | 3:10:45 | 2:49:33 |
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| 60 | 5:26:16 | 4:31:53 | 3:53:03 | 3:23:55 | 3:01:15 |
| 65 | 5:50:36 | 4:52:10 | 4:10:26 | 3:39:08 | 3:14:47 |
| 70 | 6:18:52 | 5:15:43 | 4:30:37 | 3:56:48 | 3:30:29 |
| 75 | 6:53:09 | 5:44:17 | 4:55:06 | 4:18:13 | 3:49:31 |
| 80 | 7:47:38 | 6:29:42 | 5:34:02 | 4:52:16 | 4:19:48 |
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 marathon pace chart.
- Check your Boston standard on Boston qualifying times or London on London Good for Age.
- Predict a marathon from your half with the race predictor.
- Set training paces with the VDOT calculator.
- Pick a watch for race day: best marathon watch.
Quick answers
What is a good 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 2:52:16 at 30, 2:56:05 at 40, 3:12:12 at 50, 3:31:33 at 60, and a woman runs 3:05:56 at 30, 3:11:45 at 40, 3:26:17 at 50, 3:53:03 at 60. Check yours exactly with the age grade calculator.
What is an excellent marathon time?
An excellent time grades at 80% or more, which is national class for World Masters Athletics. At 80% a man runs 2:30:44 at 30, 2:34:04 at 40, 2:48:10 at 50, 3:05:06 at 60, and a woman runs 2:42:42 at 30, 2:47:47 at 40, 3:00:30 at 50, 3:23:55 at 60.
What is the average marathon time?
The median finisher in RunRepeat’s data runs 4:26:33 overall, 4:42:09 for women and 4:14:29 for men. For scale, at age 40 those medians grade at 47.6% (Beginner) for women and 48.4% (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 4 hour marathon good?
A 4:00:00 marathon is faster than the median of 4:26:33. It grades at 51.4% (Beginner) for a 40 year old man and 55.9% (Improving) for a 40 year old woman. The scale is tough because 100% is close to world-record level.
Is a sub 3 hour marathon good?
A 2:59:59 marathon grades at 67.0% (Quite Good) for a 30 year old man and 72.3% (Good) for a 30 year old woman.
What is a good marathon time for a woman?
At 60% (OK) a woman runs 3:46:41 at 20, 3:36:55 at 30, 3:43:43 at 40, 4:00:40 at 50, 4:31:53 at 60. At 70% (Good) she runs 3:14:18 at 20, 3:05:56 at 30, 3:11:45 at 40, 3:26:17 at 50, 3:53:03 at 60.
What is a good marathon time for a man?
At 60% (OK) a man runs 3:22:36 at 20, 3:20:58 at 30, 3:25:26 at 40, 3:44:13 at 50, 4:06:48 at 60. At 70% (Good) he runs 2:53:39 at 20, 2:52:16 at 30, 2:56:05 at 40, 3:12:12 at 50, 3:31:33 at 60.
What is a good first marathon time?
Finishing is the achievement. The median finisher takes 4:26:33, so a time near that is typical, and the sensible target is an even pace so you are still running at 40K.
What is the world record for the marathon?
The ratified men’s record is 1:59:30 by Sabastian Sawe at the London Marathon on 26 April 2026. The women-only record is 2:15:41 by Tigst Assefa, set in the same race. Both were ratified by World Athletics.
Small things I always use
- Garmin 90-degree charging adapter: Charges your Garmin from any USB-C cable. Essential when travelling. I use one.
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Watches and sensors
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On the bike
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Home and indoor training
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Health, recovery and sleep
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- Oura Ring 5: My partner’s recovery tracker of choice.
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