Is a 10-Minute Mile Good? How It Compares With Real Race Results

The short answer

Yes, a 10-minute mile is a good pace for a recreational runner. In RunRepeat's State of Running report, which analyzed 107.9 million race results from 1986 to 2018, the average 5K pace in 2018 was 7:04 per kilometer for men and 8:18 for women. That's about 11:22 and 13:21 per mile by our conversion, so a runner who holds 10:00 per mile is faster than the average 5K finisher of either gender. Over 10K, 10:00 per mile sits a little slower than the average man's pace in that data and faster than the average woman's.

"Good" also depends on who's asking. For someone who finished Couch to 5K last month, holding 10:00 for a mile is a real milestone. For someone chasing a fast 10K, it's an easy-run pace. The numbers below help you place yourself.

A 10-minute mile in race times

If you could hold exactly 10:00 per mile for the whole race, here's what you'd run (our arithmetic):

In metric, 10:00 per mile is about 6:13 per kilometer. Holding a pace for one mile and holding it for 6.2 are different jobs, so if you're comparing yourself with race results, use your race pace over the distance, not your best single mile.

How 10:00 compares with race results

RunRepeat's report gives average paces by distance and gender for 2018, its most recent year. We converted them from per-kilometer to per-mile:

Turned into finish times (our arithmetic from those average paces), the 2018 averages come out at about 35:20 for men and 41:30 for women over 5K, and about 58:30 for men and 1:09:40 for women over 10K. A 10:00-per-mile runner finishes a 5K in 31:04 and a 10K in 1:02:08.

Three things to keep in mind when you read that table:

• The 5K average is the slowest for a reason. RunRepeat explains that "the slowest average pace corresponds to 5Ks, because this is the entry distance for almost all runners who race." In other words, the 5K field has the most novices.
• These are race finishers, not all runners. People who enter races are a self-selected group, so this is a comparison with other racers, not with everyone who runs.
• The data is from 2018, and fields change. The same report found average marathon times slowed from 3:52:35 to 4:32:49 between 1986 and 2018. It's the largest published dataset we found, but treat it as a benchmark, not a verdict.

10:00 pace in splits

If you're pacing a run or a race at 10:00 per mile, these are the checkpoints (our arithmetic):

What 10:00 means at each level

Pace is easier to picture as time on your feet. Here's what the key runs of each published plan take at exactly 10:00 per mile (our arithmetic):

One neat consequence: a Couch-to-5K graduate who runs the final 30-minute run at 10:00 per mile has covered about 3 miles, so a first 5K at that pace takes only about a minute longer. And a novice 10K runner at this pace spends under two hours a week running, which is why one daily trainer handles the whole plan comfortably. Our 5K and 10K trainer picks are built for exactly that load.

Is 10:00 a good training pace?

It depends on how hard 10:00 feels. Hal Higdon's novice plans don't set a training pace at all. His Novice 10K says, "As a novice, don't worry about how fast you run; just cover the distance," and that you "should be able to run at a pace that allows you to converse comfortably." For the Sunday runs: "Go slow. Don't be afraid to take walking breaks."

So if 10:00 is a pace you can chat at, it's a fine training pace. If 10:00 is your hardest effort, your training runs should be slower than that, and that's not a problem: the conversational runs are what build the fitness that eventually makes 10:00 feel easy.

How to find your real pace

Before worrying about whether 10:00 is good, it helps to know your actual number. Three easy ways:

• A GPS watch or phone app on a run you do often. Average pace over a steady 20 or 30 minutes tells you more than your fastest single mile. Our best running watch for beginners covers the simplest options.
• A timed mile on a measured course, such as a local track, if you want a clean one-mile number. Treat it as a hard effort, not a training run.
• A local 5K. It's the entry distance for most people who race, per RunRepeat, and a timed 3.1 miles on a measured course is an honest check of the pace you can actually hold.

Once you have a number, compare like with like: your 5K race pace against the 5K row in the table above, your 10K against the 10K row. And if 10:00 is your conversational training pace, your race pace is likely quicker, since Higdon's plans keep training runs at an effort you can talk at.

How to run a sub-10-minute mile

For a newer runner, we'd start with consistent running and save special workouts for later. The Novice 10K builds from about 7.5 to 10.5 run-miles a week (our arithmetic from the schedule), all at a conversational pace, with no speed work at all. Once that feels routine, Higdon's Intermediate 10K shows what the next step looks like: it's written for runners averaging 15 to 25 miles a week and adds 400-meter intervals at 5K race pace and tempo runs, "a continuous run with a buildup in the middle to near race pace."

• Build the base first. Three runs a week, most of them easy, for several weeks before you add speed work.
• Add one faster session a week. Short repeats or a tempo run, as in the Intermediate plan.
• Give it a full plan. The Novice 10K is 8 weeks and the Intermediate 10K another 8. Judge your progress at the end of a plan, not after a week or two.
• Test it in a race. A local 5K is the simplest way to see where your pace is; our how long to train for a 10K guide shows how the weeks fit together.

Best running shoes for a 10-minute mile

There's no special shoe for a given pace, but there is a right kind of shoe for how you train at it. A runner around 10:00 per mile does most runs at a conversational pace, with the occasional faster day. That points to:

• A cushioned, neutral daily trainer for most miles. At conversational pace, comfort and fit matter more than weight.
• Optionally, a lighter, plateless shoe for the faster day and for race day, once you're chasing a time.
• No need for a carbon super shoe yet. Research does show they can lower the energy cost of running at recreational speeds: a 2026 study found savings at 7.5 to 12 km/h (about 12:52 to 8:03 per mile). But they're race-day tools, and the trainer you run in every week matters more.

Both trainers above are rated by RTINGS for daily training and long runs. RTINGS describes the Clifton 11 as having a "dull ride overall," which is no drawback on easy days, while the Novablast's forefoot gives what it calls "good" rebound. For the full ranking at this level, see our best running shoes for 5K and 10K. If your easy pace is well slower than 10:00, the best running shoes for slower runners are built around more time on your feet, and the Level Finder matches shoes to both pace and weekly miles.

If 10:00 already feels comfortable and you're starting to race for time, that's the point where a lighter race-day shoe can earn a place next to your trainer. Our best racing shoes for 5K and 10K start with plateless options you can also train in, and explain when a carbon shoe is worth it at this level. Whichever you choose, do a few runs in it before race day: a pace you've trained for is only as good as the shoes you've tested.