Walking
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Updated on August 10, 2022
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Michele Stanten, ACE-GFI
Reviewed byMichele Stanten, ACE-GFI
Michele Stanten is a walking coach, certified group fitness instructor, and running coach. She is the author of Walk Off Weight and The Walking Solution.
Table of Contents
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Table of Contents
Distances and Times
Different Paces
Finishing Times
Training
Whether you are walking for fitness or you have registered or a charity walk or competition, it helps to know long it will take you to walk a mile at different walking paces. You also want to translate that into common race and event distances such as the 5K, 10K, marathon, or half-marathon and look at typical finishing times.
Distances and Common Times
Here is some basic information for common race distances:
- Kilometer: A kilometer is 0.62 miles, which is also3281.5 feet, or 1000 meters. It takes 10 to 12 minutes to walk at a moderate pace.
- Mile: A mile is 1.61 kilometers or 5280 feet. It takes 15 to 20 minutes to walk 1 mile at a moderate pace.
- 3K: 3 kilometers equals 1.85 miles, or 9842.5 feet, or just a little less than 2miles. This is a common distance for charity walks, especially those with accessible routes. It takes 30 to 37 minutes to walk 3K at a moderate pace.
- 5K: 5 kilometers equals 3.1 miles. This is a common race distance for charity walks and fun runs (although competitive runners also participate in 5Ks and run them at a fast pace). It takes about an hour to walk5K at a moderate pace.
- 10K: 10kilometers equals 6.2 miles. This is a common distance for fun runs, which may or may not be walker-friendly. It takes about two hours to walk 10K at a moderate pace.
- Half-Marathon: 13.1 miles or 21 kilometers. It can take up to 4 or 4.5 hours to walk a half-marathon without stopping, but some walkers can finish the distance in 3–4 hours.
- Marathon: 26.2 miles or 42 kilometers. It can 6.5 to 8 hours or more to walk a marathon at a moderate pace, depending on your pace and how often you stop.
- Ultramarathon: These races can be any distance above 42 kilometers or 26 miles. The most common distances for these events are50 kilometers (31 miles) 100 kilometers (62 miles), 50 miles (80.5 kilometers), and 100 miles (161 kilometers).
Walking at Different Paces
The charts below will help you to translate walking event distances into time, kilometers, and miles at various fitness-walking paces. While there is no standardized criteria for pace categories, studies have indicated that a moderate walking pace is roughly 3–5 miles per hour.
- Fast: 7 minutes per kilometer or 11 minutes per mile
- Moderate: 10 minutes per kilometer or 15 minutes per mile
- Easy: 12.5+ minutes per kilometer or 20+ minutes per mile
These paces may seem fast, but it is typical for people to walk faster than usual when at a group event or competition. An easy pace will put you at the back of the pack, while at the fast pace you will be with some of the runners and run/walkers.
There are several ways to measure or calculate your walking speed, including phone apps and GPS watches, as well as low-tech options using a known distance (such as around a running track) and a stopwatch. To determine your pace, try a calculator.
Note:
The charts below were developed using the pace calculator above.
Kilometer Chart
Kilometers | Miles | Fast Walk | Moderate Walk | Easy Walk |
1 | 0.62 | 0:07 | 0:10 | 0:13 |
2 | 1.24 | 0:14 | 0:20 | 0:25 |
3 | 1.86 | 0:21 | 0:30 | 0:38 |
4 | 2.48 | 0:28 | 0:40 | 0:50 |
5 | 3.11 | 0:35 | 0:50 | 1:25 |
6 | 3.73 | 0:42 | 1:00 | 1:15 |
7 | 4.35 | 0:49 | 1:10 | 1:27 |
8 | 4.97 | 0:56 | 1:20 | 1:40 |
9 | 5.59 | 1:03 | 1:30 | 1:53 |
10 | 6.21 | 1:10 | 1:40 | 1:55 |
11 | 6.83 | 1:17 | 1:50 | 2:18 |
12 | 7.45 | 1:24 | 2:00 | 2:30 |
13 | 8.07 | 1:31 | 2:10 | 1:43 |
14 | 8.69 | 1:38 | 2:20 | 1:55 |
15 | 9.32 | 1:45 | 2:30 | 3:08 |
16 | 9.94 | 1:52 | 2:40 | 3:20 |
17 | 10.56 | 1:59 | 2:50 | 3:32 |
18 | 11.18 | 2:06 | 3:00 | 3:45 |
19 | 11.80 | 2:13 | 3:10 | 3:58 |
20 | 12.42 | 2:20 | 3:20 | 4:10 |
Half-Marathon:
Kilometers | Miles | Fast Walk | Moderate Walk | Easy Walk |
21 | 13.1 | 2:27 | 3:30 | 4:23 |
Marathon:
Kilometers | Miles | Fast Walk | Moderate Walk | Easy Walk |
42 | 26.2 | 4:54 | 7:00 | 9:00 |
Miles Chart
Miles | Kilometers | Fast Walk | Moderate Walk | Easy Walk |
1 | 1.6 | 0:11 | 0:15 | 0:20 |
2 | 3.2 | 0:22 | 0:30 | 0:40 |
3 | 4.8 | 0:33 | 0:45 | 1:00 |
4 | 6.4 | 0:44 | 1:00 | 1:20 |
5 | 8.1 | 0:55 | 1:15 | 1:40 |
6 | 9.7 | 1:06 | 1:30 | 2:00 |
7 | 11.3 | 1:17 | 1:45 | 2:20 |
8 | 12.9 | 1:28 | 2:00 | 2:40 |
9 | 14.5 | 1:39 | 2:15 | 3:00 |
10 | 16.1 | 1:50 | 2:30 | 3:20 |
11 | 17.7 | 2:01 | 2:45 | 3:40 |
12 | 19.3 | 2:12 | 3:00 | 4:00 |
Half-Marathon:
Miles | Kilometers | Fast Walk | Moderate Walk | Easy Walk |
13.1 | 21.1 | 2:23 | 3:15 | 4:20 |
Marathon:
Miles | Kilometers | Fast Walk | Moderate Walk | Easy Walk |
26.2 | 42.2 | 4:48 | 6:40 | 8:44 |
With these charts, you should be able to geta rough estimate of how long it will take you to walk a given distance at a fitness walking pace without making stops. You'll have to add in more time if you have to wait at intersections for the crossing signal, make rest stops, stop to take photos, play Pokemon Go, etc.
Pacing and Finishing Time
Timing yourself over a mile can help you predict your finish time for an organized walking event up to 10 kilometers. Sometimes a race will want to know yourpace in minutes per mile when you register. It's best to warm up and then walk a mile nonstop at your best pace to time it. Do this three times to find an average.
Before you register for a longer race or event that has a cutoff time, you will want topredict your finish time. It's important that you only enter events that you know you can complete under the time limit.
For a half-marathon prediction, add 20 seconds per mile to the pace you were able to do to finish a 10K. For a marathon prediction, multiply your 10 kilometers finish time by five.
How to Predict Race Finish Times
Training for Different Distances
Training can do wonders. By gradually building your walking distance and paying attention to your posture and walking form, you will be able to walk faster and longer.
It's always a good idea to build up your walking time steadily from shorter to longer distances. By adding a longer walk each week, you will build your muscles and stamina. You will also toughen the skin on your feet, which helps prevent blisters.
Start with the distance you are able to walk comfortably.
Add a mile to that distance each week, which will be between 15 and 20 more minutes of steady walking. Try a30-day quick-start walking plan to begin building your walking mileage, whether you just want to walk a mile,enjoy a 5-kilometer charity walk, or even begin training for a half-marathon or marathon.
Beginner Walking Plan and Schedule
1 Source
Verywell Fit uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Hanson S, Jones A. Is there evidence that walking groups have health benefits? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Br J Sports Med. 2015;49(11):710-5. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2014-094157
By Wendy Bumgardner
Wendy Bumgardner is a freelance writer covering walking and other health and fitness topics and has competed in more than 1,000 walking events.
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