With my first 5k race just around the corner, I wanted to spend a bit of time talking about what constitutes a “good” 5k time. I now have several test runs under my belt, and have been finishing in roughly 34 minutes. Curious about how that time stacks up against other runners, I did some digging.
For starters, the world record for a 5000m race on an outdoor track is 12:37.35 (men) or 14:11.15 (women). On a road course, the world record is 13:00 (men) or 14:46 (women). Holy crap, those are some fast runners! Of course, only a select few super-elite runners are concerned with world records.
What about “typical” times for “average” runners? To answer this question, I hopped on over to and downloaded the results from last year’s running of my upcoming race. In all, there were about 320 runners. Here’s how the results broke down:
- The overall winner finished in roughly 16:35
- The slowest competitor finished in 55:35
- The median time for all runners (both sexes, all age groups) was 30:28
- For men (all ages), the median was 26:41
- For women (all ages), the median was 33:12
- For men around my age (35-40), the median was 27:23
Keeping in mind that this isn’t an overly-competitive race, I now at least have a rough idea of what to expect. I fully expect to finish well behind the median, but that’s fine with me.
In reality, the “best” time is your time, especially if you’re just starting out. Whatever I run on Monday will (by definition) be a personal best, and I will then have a benchmark to compare and compete against.
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
That’s a tough questions. A good 5K time is different for everyone.
I strongly encourage runners not to worry about what others are doing. Medians don’t show all the variables; how long have they been running, how tall are they, how young / old, what there time was last year. I can tell you I ran my first 5K in 31 minutes. I ran it the very next year in 21:30, two years later in 27 and change. It’s all relative and it’s about how you stack up against yourself. If you get concerned about other runners you may get intimidated, not good, or push to hard and not enjoy it, equally not good. I have only been reading your stuff for a month or so and it looks to me like your making great progress and fighting a winning battle – that will make your time Monday a great time.
Have fun, lots of fun, and try to run a little faster race the next time.
What’s a good 5k time?
If it’s your first one, any time shorter than forever.