Average time for 5K

jlhschrock
jlhschrock Posts: 6
edited September 28 in Fitness and Exercise
I'm attempting to run a 5K by the time I turn 30 which is in a few short months....I completed a 5K today at the gym and now I'd like to work on trimming my time and running more than walking & jogging. Does anyone know what an average time for a 5k generally is?

Thanks.
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Replies

  • jrueckert
    jrueckert Posts: 355 Member
    Bump
  • keb80
    keb80 Posts: 394
    In the two I've participated in, the fastest was between 18 and 22 mins (crazy fast!) and the last person usually finished around 60 minutes. My treadmill time is always slower than my road-running time... not sure why but that is always the case.
  • wewon
    wewon Posts: 838 Member
    There's a lot of variance on that one.

    I've seen some that have an unbelievable time (sub 20 minutes) while others move a lot slower.

    What was your time today?
  • lorika1977
    lorika1977 Posts: 144 Member
    Most people that start running do an aprox. 10 min mile which will put you roughly at 30 min for 3 miles (5K). Good luck!
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    In the two I've participated in, the fastest was between 18 and 22 mins (crazy fast!) and the last person usually finished around 60 minutes. I wouldn't worry about it though. There are usually some walkers too.

    And the women's wold record is 14 minutes and some odd seconds.
  • FitCoachJen
    FitCoachJen Posts: 139 Member
    I'd say there's no such thing as an average time, as people of all fitness levels run/walk them. I know people who can run them in 15 minutes, or walk them in 45.

    I'd look at your recent 5k time and just go from there. When you're running you're generally competing with yourself and you previous PR's :-)
  • Uncle_Dim
    Uncle_Dim Posts: 8 Member
    Mine was 28:20 but you are not me. Look at what pace is comfortable and set a goal. If you reach it then great. My next goal will be 27:00.
  • CommandaPanda
    CommandaPanda Posts: 451 Member
    I would say a good time to aim for is 25 - 30 minutes, which is what I ran last summer (25 min) for the 5k that I did. I mean, that's definitely not marathon status but I would aim for that.

    The Marine Corps standards for somebody between the ages of 27 - 39 is doing a 3-mile run in under 29 minutes. Ages 17 - 16 is 28 minutes.

    To give you an idea
  • bigalfantasy2004
    bigalfantasy2004 Posts: 176 Member
    It's all age, gender, and talent dependent. When I was in high school I used to run 5Ks between 19 and 20 minutes. My brother ran them in 14-15 minutes. Now my best time as a mature adult (41 year old) has been 28:44. So, at 30 you'll probably be looking around the low to mid 20s unless you are highly skilled then lower.
  • arc918
    arc918 Posts: 2,037 Member
    You can look at results from local races I suppose. Bottom line, the winners may run under 15:00 and some walkers could take over an hour. Go out and have fun and don't worry about your time.

    My 5K PR is 19:49, but I don't race them very often (too damn painful)
  • Thanks everyone for all the responses!! :) That gave me a great guideline to go by! I appreciate it!
  • skinnyjeanzbound
    skinnyjeanzbound Posts: 3,932 Member
    This is a really tough question b/c you've not defined average for whom. If you're wondering about other 1st time runners someone else posted a request for people's 1st time 5k times a while back and it looked like a lot of people finished just under 40 minutes. Consider that at an average speed of 5 mph you would finish just over 36 minutes. I finished my first 5k in 39 minutes, but I wasn't able to run the entire thing. I'm doing another in August and hope to run all the way (even if it means I have a slower time overall).

    I would say set your own goals and don't worry what other people have done--everyone's different. Ultimately, aim to do your best and enjoy the accomplishment. :flowerforyou:
  • Elzecat
    Elzecat Posts: 2,916 Member
    I don't know if there's an "average" because it depends on how fast your mile pace is. I am a slow new runner. I completed my first official 5k at a 37:53 time, which is a 12:13 mile...at the event I did there were runners (mostly teenagers lol) who completed it in SEVENTEEN minutes, and then a few people who finished after me because they did more walking. The treadmill will be helpful in letting you experiment with different mile paces...

    Feel free to add me, I love talking to other new runners ;)

    Ellen
  • jabbogurl
    jabbogurl Posts: 193
    Its all about setting a goal for yourself. What you can do though is look at the previous years' race results. Most of the time they are on the same webpage. Or look up any 5k that list the previous years results. They should list it by division too, age/gender, allowing you to see what you are competing against.

    But, in the end of the day, its about YOUR personal goal. Good Luck!
  • katheern
    katheern Posts: 213 Member
    I would say if you can get under 30 min total that's already a really great accomplishment (~10min/mi). In high school I could run a 5k in about 20-23 min (but I also played sports all year around and weighed like 150lbs). Now I am on a good day between 32-34 min (I am about 199 right now and trying to run 3-4 times a week). When I hit 30 and under I will be very happy :)
  • FatUncleRob
    FatUncleRob Posts: 341
    Most people that start running do an aprox. 10 min mile which will put you roughly at 30 min for 3 miles (5K). Good luck!


    I started C25K back in April. My first race is on Tuesday.

    I'm 44 years old, 6'2" and around 245 lbs (still need to lose at least 35 pounds).

    I hope to run that 5K in 30 minutes. (Fastest so far in training has been 32:30).

    Good luck!
  • mauryr
    mauryr Posts: 385
    I am a beginner too. I completed my first treadmill 5k at about 31 mins, a couple of months ago. Since then, I've done several more 5k's - also on the treadmill. My times have been between 31 mins and 27 mins. - I have no idea if these are "average" times, or not, though. I'm just about 50 yrs old.
  • corinnak
    corinnak Posts: 51 Member
    I agree, there is no real "average" 5K-er. I have run quite a few, and have gotten faster over the years I have been doing them. There are a lot of things that factor in besides weight, including gender, weight, and even weather - I'm definitely faster in cooler temps, slower in warmer weather/higher humidity.

    I agree with the previous posters - don't worry too much about how you compare with others, especially for your first race - just get out there and enjoy the fact that you can do it! Worry about time when you do your next 5K. :smile:

    Before I do a race even now, I will look at the results from last year's race - it gives a pretty good indication of where I'm likely to fit in. There really is a lot of variation depending on who else is out there that day. I have run races in the top quarter. I have run races where I was 3rd from last to finish. So much depends on the event, the other events happening at the same time and who shows up that morning.
  • ciege77
    ciege77 Posts: 60
    I'm 28 right now and have never been a super-strong runner. Max 3mi (5k) in the military was around 19:45ish. I just ran a little under 24min a couple weeks ago, and I haven't done much endurance cardio in the last 4 months. I can warm up at 6mph, which translates to a 30min 5k, but that pace is VERY light in my opinion, but at least it saves my knee! Anything under 28min passes the Marine Corps physical fitness test, so if you beat that, there's a good sense of accomplishment =)
  • Black_Swan
    Black_Swan Posts: 770 Member
    I am a beginner and I do a 5k in 40mins...hope to do it under 30 one day!
  • defygravity531
    defygravity531 Posts: 289 Member
    I've done 1 5k, I finished in 44.30. I walked some. I hope to be able to run it in less than 30 some day!!
  • chango69
    chango69 Posts: 39
    My first 5k I did it in 39:46, which I gave myself 45:00 so I did a lot better then what I gave myself, the second 5K my time was 36:52. The thing was that one race was up hill and the other one was more flat. I say train on the treadmill see what an average time is on that then go from there. My next 5k is Sunday and I am hoping to be under the 36-mint time. So best of luck to you.
  • I might be fairly average lol... I got to week 9 day 1 of C25K when I ran my first race and I ran a 34:20
  • Yesterday at cross country i ran a 17:31min 5k which was a little tough but i think you could easly run a sub 20min 5k just have a rough pace of 6:35ish per mile
  • arc918
    arc918 Posts: 2,037 Member
    Yesterday at cross country i ran a 17:31min 5k which was a little tough but i think you could easly run a sub 20min 5k just have a rough pace of 6:35ish per mile

    under 20 is "slow" for cross country and track runners, but that is pretty fast for most middle aged recreational joggers and other adult on-set runners
  • love22step
    love22step Posts: 1,103 Member
    My last 5K took me 34 minutes, but I'm twice as old as you, so you can probably run it in half the time. :wink:
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,423 Member
    Most people that start running do an aprox. 10 min mile which will put you roughly at 30 min for 3 miles (5K). Good luck!

    Huh, I must be waaaayyyyy off average then. When I started I was much slower than this, and I'd rarely do 5k in less than 30 mins even after 18 months of running. It is a bit hard to tell though, because I train for longer distances so I'm not really focussed on speed and I try not to go out too fast at the beginning.

    OP, my suggestion is that you work on getting used to comfortably covering the distance and don't focus on speed. Trying to go too fast before you are fit or strong enough is putting you at major risk of injury. In your first race you are always going to do a PB - so enjoy your training, enjoy your race and don't worry about speed just yet.
  • well ive been running for a while now and im still at 45 mins. sometimes 39 on a good day. im usually last on most times, but hey - im moving faster than when i was sat on my couch.
  • quadbravo
    quadbravo Posts: 2
    Under "20" is slow for XC? Really? This tells me you never ran in HS or college. At a HS XC meet you might see the very fastest varsity runner come in at the high 14's /low 15's. These are extremely fast times and worthy of collegiate scholarships. At the frosh level you will see most of the pack come in around 18-19 min. A frosh winning time would be in low 17's. These super-fit times. At the age of 28 I ran an 18 min 5K but I ran in HS at the 16 min level. Trained every day for years.

    When we talk about "average times" there are two kinds of average. The average runner or the average person. The average person doesn't run so taking a 50 year old guy with no athletic background would put him around the 45 min mark for a 5K. Just my estimate. Athletes, and former athletes, make up the bulk of the 5K world. 50 year old winning times are around 21-22 min. Middle of the pack would be around 25 min. The slower end is usually upper 20's lower 30's. But be mindful, none of those guys are really average in the larger sense of the word.
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