A 5K pace chart is the most-used pacing table there is, because the 5K is the race most people run first. It converts a goal finish, a sub-30, a sub-25, a sub-20, into the pace you hold for 3.1 miles, and because the distance is short the margin for a bad early split is small, so knowing the number in advance matters.
The 5K arithmetic, from 5K mile pace to pace per km
A 5K pace chart divides 5 kilometres, or 3.1 miles, by the finish to give an average pace. A twenty-five-minute 5K, for instance, is about eight minutes a mile; a thirty-minute 5K a little over nine and a half. The chart holds 5K pace in both units so you read the one you train in, and 5K mile pace and 5K pace in km are the same target expressed two ways.
Why the early split matters more
Over 3.1 miles there is little room to recover from going out too fast, so a 5K is unforgiving of a bad first kilometre. Reading the chart pace and holding it from the start, rather than sprinting the opening and fading, is the difference between the finish you trained for and a hard, slow last mile.
Using the 5K time chart to set a goal
The honest use of a 5K pace chart is to find the finish your current fitness supports and pace to it, then chase the next band once you hit it. Because the race is short, small pace improvements show up as whole minutes off the finish, which makes the 5K a satisfying distance to train the chart against.
Questions people ask about 5k pace chart
What pace is a twenty-five-minute 5K?
A twenty-five-minute 5K is about eight minutes per mile, or just under five minutes per kilometre, held for 3.1 miles.
Why is 5K pacing so sensitive?
Because the race is short, there is little room to recover from a fast start, so holding the chart pace from the gun matters more than in longer races.
Is there a 5km pace chart?
Yes; the same finish is expressed in minutes per kilometre and minutes per mile, so you read whichever unit you train in.
Is the 5k race pace the same as the chart pace?
On the day, yes, if you pace evenly: the chart gives the average pace a finish needs, and a 5K is too short to make back a fast start. The 5k race pace you should run is the chart pace, held from the gun.
Is this a 5K running pace chart for both miles and km?
Yes. Every finish time is shown as a pace per mile and per kilometre, because 5K is 3.1 miles: a 25:00 5K is 8:03 a mile or 5:00 a km.