From 119,162 finishers at 335 races
Average Marathon Time by Age and Gender
The median marathon time in the US is 4:18:15, or 9:51 /mi. Women run a median of 4:32:47 and men 4:08:55. Every number comes from published results of the last two years, with everyone who finished counted.
Marathon times by age and gender
Median finish time for each group, with pace and the time that puts you in its fastest tenth.
| Age | Women | Men |
|---|---|---|
| Under 20 | 4:34:1110:27 /mi, top 10%: 3:42:01 | 4:16:559:48 /mi, top 10%: 3:19:39 |
| 20-29 | 4:24:2710:05 /mi, top 10%: 3:27:33 | 4:04:579:21 /mi, top 10%: 3:03:37 |
| 30-39 | 4:29:1110:16 /mi, top 10%: 3:27:44 | 4:03:329:17 /mi, top 10%: 3:02:40 |
| 40-49 | 4:35:2910:30 /mi, top 10%: 3:36:03 | 4:06:039:23 /mi, top 10%: 3:10:28 |
| 50-59 | 4:52:0711:08 /mi, top 10%: 3:52:34 | 4:20:109:55 /mi, top 10%: 3:26:01 |
| 60-69 | 5:11:4011:53 /mi, top 10%: 4:13:38 | 4:41:4810:45 /mi, top 10%: 3:45:33 |
| 70+ | not enough data | 5:36:2712:50 /mi, top 10%: 4:21:26 |
What it takes to place in your age group
The third-place time in each group at a typical marathon (the median across races). Bigger races take faster times.
| Age | Women, 3rd place | Men, 3rd place |
|---|---|---|
| Under 20 | 4:04:29 | 3:46:08 |
| 20-29 | 3:42:19 | 3:07:17 |
| 30-39 | 3:42:18 | 3:09:36 |
| 40-49 | 3:50:01 | 3:20:43 |
| 50-59 | 4:11:53 | 3:36:05 |
| 60-69 | 4:37:39 | 4:04:26 |
| 70+ | n/a | 5:15:42 |
Is my marathon time good?
Type a finish time to see where it falls among US finishers.
Quick answers
- What is a good marathon time?
- Half of US finishers run the marathon in 4:18:15 or faster, a quarter in 3:43:54 or faster, and the fastest tenth in 3:17:07. Under 3:43:54 puts you in the top quarter of the field.
- What is the average marathon time for women?
- The median for women is 4:32:47 (10:24 /mi); the fastest tenth of women finish in 3:32:59 or better.
- What is the average marathon time for men?
- The median for men is 4:08:55 (9:30 /mi); the fastest tenth of men finish in 3:08:50 or better.
- What is a good marathon time for a 40-year-old?
- For runners 40 to 49, the median is 4:35:29 for women and 4:06:03 for men. A top-quarter time is 3:58:45 for women and 3:34:11 for men.
- Which age group runs the fastest marathon?
- Among adults, runners 30 to 39 have the quickest median, 4:12:39. Medians include everyone who finished, walkers too, so they run slower than club or race-winning times.
Median marathon time by state
- Alabama4:31:13
- Alaska4:42:33
- Arkansas4:37:03
- California4:22:11
- Colorado4:23:21
- Delaware4:13:32
- Florida4:33:34
- Georgia4:17:31
- Idaho4:29:31
- Illinois4:29:19
- Kentucky4:56:07
- Louisiana4:17:48
- Maryland4:19:22
- Michigan4:11:27
- Mississippi4:31:17
- Missouri4:39:46
- Montana4:21:44
- New Mexico4:56:23
- New York4:10:31
- North Carolina4:18:05
- Ohio3:57:24
- Oregon4:19:56
- Pennsylvania4:06:28
- Rhode Island4:04:46
- South Carolina4:15:38
- Tennessee4:45:13
- Texas4:39:13
- Utah4:21:48
- Virginia4:18:42
- Washington4:21:35
- West Virginia4:49:03
- Wisconsin4:14:48
How these numbers are made
Each race's published results are reduced to percentile times for the whole field and for each gender and age group; names are never stored. Those curves are pooled across road races of the last two years, weighted by finishers, so a big race counts for more than a small one. School meets and results with impossible times are left out, and a group needs 100 finishers across 5 races before we show it. Medians include walkers and first-timers, so they run slower than club times.
Find a race to test yourself: upcoming marathon races.