Five miles is the step after the 5K. It is 8.05 km, a bit longer than an 8K race and a bit shorter than a 10K, and it is a classic distance for Thanksgiving turkey trots and Sunday long runs. How long it takes comes down to your pace. Below you will find 5-mile times for every pace, walking vs running, goal paces, and how real runners compare. Every time on this page is calculated from the pace, so the numbers always add up.
5-mile times for every pace
Find your usual pace per mile (or per km) and read across:
| Pace per mile | Pace per km | Speed (mph) | Time for 5 miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6:00 | 3:44 | 10.0 | 30:00 |
| 7:00 | 4:21 | 8.6 | 35:00 |
| 8:00 | 4:58 | 7.5 | 40:00 |
| 9:00 | 5:36 | 6.7 | 45:00 |
| 10:00 | 6:13 | 6.0 | 50:00 |
| 11:00 | 6:50 | 5.5 | 55:00 |
| 12:00 | 7:27 | 5.0 | 1:00:00 |
| 13:00 | 8:05 | 4.6 | 1:05:00 |
| 14:00 | 8:42 | 4.3 | 1:10:00 |
| 15:00 | 9:19 | 4.0 | 1:15:00 |
The rule: multiply your pace per mile by 5. An 8-minute mile gives 40:00, a 10-minute mile gives 50:00, and a 12-minute mile gives 1:00:00. In the UK and Australia most watches show km: multiply your pace per km by 8.05.
Walking vs running 5 miles
On a treadmill you set a speed, not a pace. Here is what each speed means for 5 miles:
| Effort | Speed | Pace per mile | Time for 5 miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Easy walk | 3 mph (4.8 km/h) | 20:00 | 1:40:00 |
| Fast walk | 4 mph (6.4 km/h) | 15:00 | 1:15:00 |
| Slow jog | 5 mph (8.0 km/h) | 12:00 | 1:00:00 |
| Easy run | 5.5 mph (8.9 km/h) | 10:55 | 54:33 |
| Steady run | 6 mph (9.7 km/h) | 10:00 | 50:00 |
| Fast run | 7 mph (11.3 km/h) | 8:34 | 42:51 |
| Very fast run | 8 mph (12.9 km/h) | 7:30 | 37:30 |
Mixing running and walking is normal at this distance, especially for newer runners. The run-walk interval calculator gives an exact finish time for your own mix.
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Pace you need for a 5-mile goal
Have a time in mind? Here is the pace that gets you there:
| 5-mile goal | Pace per mile | Pace per km | Speed (mph) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40:00 | 8:00 | 4:58 | 7.5 |
| 45:00 | 9:00 | 5:36 | 6.7 |
| 50:00 | 10:00 | 6:13 | 6.0 |
| 55:00 | 11:00 | 6:50 | 5.5 |
| 1:00:00 | 12:00 | 7:27 | 5.0 |
| 1:10:00 | 14:00 | 8:42 | 4.3 |
How long real runners take for 5 miles
There is no big public data set for 5-mile runs, so we started from real US 5K results and estimated the 5-mile time with Riegel’s formula (time × distance ratio1.06). It allows for the fact that most people slow down a little as the distance gets longer. As of November 2026:
| Group | 5K time | Estimated 5 miles | Pace per mile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top 10% of men | 22:06 | 36:36 | 7:19 |
| Top 10% of women | 25:16 | 41:50 | 8:22 |
| Median man | 31:18 | 51:50 | 10:22 |
| Median woman | 36:24 | 1:00:17 | 12:03 |
| Average US 5K finisher (2018) | 39:02 | 1:04:38 | 12:56 |
| 90th percentile, women (only 10% slower) | 56:31 | 1:33:35 | 18:43 |
Source: RunRepeat’s US 5K stats page (US race results, updated November 2023; average from 2018; percentiles from its recreational 5K table), opened November 10, 2026. 5-mile times are Run&Grow estimates, not race results.
So the middle of the pack would run 5 miles in about 51:50 (men) to 1:00:17 (women). The average of all US 5K finishers, walkers included, works out to about 1:04:38. If you can run 5 miles in under 50 minutes, you are ahead of most recreational runners. For age groups, see average mile time by age and average 10K time by age.
5 miles next to other distances
Here is how 5 miles fits with nearby distances at three common paces:
| Distance | At 8:00/mile | At 10:00/mile | At 12:00/mile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 miles | 24:00 | 30:00 | 36:00 |
| 5K (3.1 mi) | 24:51 | 31:04 | 37:17 |
| 4 miles | 32:00 | 40:00 | 48:00 |
| 5 miles (8 km) | 40:00 | 50:00 | 1:00:00 |
| 10K (6.2 mi) | 49:43 | 1:02:08 | 1:14:34 |
| 10 miles | 1:20:00 | 1:40:00 | 2:00:00 |
| Half marathon (13.1 mi) | 1:44:53 | 2:11:06 | 2:37:19 |
Coming up from 3 miles? See how long it takes to run 3 miles. Heading for 10K next? A 1-hour 10K is a 9:39 mile, so a 5-mile run in about 48 minutes is a good sign you are close. The race time predictor turns your 5-mile time into a 10K or half marathon estimate.
How to build up to 5 miles
- Grow your longest run slowly. Add about half a mile to your longest run every week or two, not a whole mile at once.
- Run it slower than your 5K. A comfortable 5-mile pace is usually 30 to 60 seconds per mile slower than your 5K pace.
- Walk breaks still count. A short walk every mile can make the last mile feel much better.
- Check your time once a month. Use the pace calculator to see your pace and set the next goal.
The hard part is showing up week after week. Run&Grow helps with that: every GPS run grows a plant in your garden, so a slow 5 miles counts just as much as a fast one. It reads runs from Apple Health, so runs saved from your Apple Watch or another app count too. Switching apps? See Runkeeper vs Strava. No public feed, no pace shaming, and if you skip a week, your garden waits.
Nearby times and tools
How long to run 3 miles · 8-minute mile · 9-minute mile · 10-minute mile · 12-minute mile · 35-minute 5K · 1-hour 10K · Pace calculator · Race time predictor · Run-walk calculator
Frequently Asked Questions
- How long does it take to run 5 miles?
- Most recreational runners take about 45 minutes to an hour. Using RunRepeat’s US 5K results, a median man would run 5 miles in about 51:50 and a median woman in about 1:00:17. At a 10-minute mile it takes 50:00; at a 12-minute mile it takes 1:00:00.
- How long does it take to walk 5 miles?
- About 1:15:00 to 1:40:00. At a fast walk of 4 mph, 5 miles takes 1:15:00. At an easy 3 mph it takes 1:40:00.
- How many km is 5 miles?
- 5 miles is 8.05 km, so it is a little longer than an 8K race and about 2 km shorter than a 10K. In km, a 50:00 5-mile run is a pace of 6:13 per km.
- Is running 5 miles in 50 minutes good?
- Yes. 5 miles in 50 minutes is a 10:00 mile (6:13 per km). That is a little quicker than the median US man and about 10 minutes quicker than the median US woman, based on RunRepeat’s 5K data converted to 5 miles.
- What pace do I need to run 5 miles in 45 minutes?
- 9:00 per mile, or 5:36 per km. For 5 miles in 40 minutes you need an 8:00 mile, and for 5 miles in an hour you need a 12:00 mile.
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- Reads your runs from Apple Health
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