What's a good marathon time?
Based on 2,323,588 finishes in 1,747 races we track, the median marathon finisher runs 4:21:53 (women 4:38:37, men 4:10:02). A time under 3:10:13 puts you in the top 10%.
Common questions
What is the average marathon time?
The median marathon finisher in our results runs 4:21:53: 4:10:02 for men and 4:38:37 for women. Half of all finishers are faster, half slower.
What is a good marathon time?
Faster than 3:41:53 beats three quarters of finishers, which most runners would call good. 3:10:13 or better is the top 10%, and 2:53:26 the top 5%. Age matters, so compare within your age group in the tables above.
What is a good marathon time for a beginner?
Finishing is the goal for a first marathon. Anything near the median of 4:21:53 puts you in the middle of the pack, and plenty of finishers take 5:10:49 or longer, including walkers.
Where do these Marathon times come from?
They're official results from races we track across the US, for finishers with a recorded age and gender. Implausibly fast times and anything slower than 20 minutes per kilometer are left out as timing errors. Results are updated daily.