Average running speed, by age and distance

Every speed on this page is a distance divided by a time from the site's running norms, so be clear about where those times come from. Derived — converted from real data on a closely related measure. Derived from laboratory VO2max percentiles (FRIEND registry) converted to run time and calibrated to measured mile times of US Army recruits. Ages 30+ rest on the VO2max age gradient alone. The calculator above takes a mile time; your speed is 3,600 divided by your time in seconds, in mph.

Average running speed for men by age

Average speed over one all-out mile needed to beat that share of all men in the age band. The 50th percentile column is the median man.

Average running speed for women by age

Average speed over one all-out mile needed to beat that share of all women in the age band.

The same tables as mile times are on average mile time by age.

How fast can the average person run?

It depends on how far. Over a mile the median man aged 18-29 averages 6.7 mph (10.8 km/h); stretch the run to 1.5 miles or a 5K and the same man averages 6.6 mph (10.5 km/h) and 6.3 mph (10.1 km/h). The longer distances use the same distance scaling as the site's 1.5-mile norm and the average 5K time by age page, so each column describes the same runner.

A 12:00 mile is 5.0 mph, about where steady jogging ends and a mix of running and walking begins. The median woman drops below that line in her 30s and the median man in his 40s. About 48% of men and 14% of women aged 40-49 can hold 5.0 mph for a full mile; at 18-29 it is 80% and 54%.

What is a good running speed?

Measured against everyone your age and sex, the 75th percentile is a fair line for a good running speed and the 90th for a very good one. Over a mile those marks are 7.8 mph (12.5 km/h) and 8.6 mph (13.9 km/h) for a man aged 18-29, and 6.2 mph (10.0 km/h) and 7.1 mph (11.4 km/h) for a woman. The table converts common mile paces to speed and shows where each lands for adults aged 18-29.

Benchmark pages for single paces: Is a 5-minute mile good, Is a 6-minute mile good, Is a 7-minute mile good, Is an 8-minute mile good, Is a 9-minute mile good, Is a 10-minute mile good.

Average sprint speed over 30 m

A short sprint is a different question from a mile. These are average speeds over 30 m from a standing start, so they include the acceleration; top speed later in a longer sprint is higher, and no population data on top speed exists for this site to draw on. Modeled — estimated from indirect evidence; treat every number here as an informed estimate, not a measurement. Estimated from active young-adult sprint studies. Population medians of 5.0 s for men and 6.0 s for women, a broader slow tail, and a 3% slowdown into the thirties are informed assumptions, not observed population statistics. Limited to ages 18–39; no body-size adjustment.

Times and a percentile calculator are on the 30 m sprint page, and how to increase speed for sports covers how to get faster.

Running speed of NCAA Division I athletes

Pooled across every D1 sport, weighted by head count, the median D1 man runs a mile at 9.5 mph (15.4 km/h) and the median D1 woman at 8.9 mph (14.3 km/h). Distance runners come from the 2024 D1 1500 m performance lists; other sports are converted from published VO₂max testing by sport. For a lap of the track, see what's a good 400m time.

Questions

Running is one part of athleticism. Get your overall athleticism rank across strength, power, agility and endurance.

Related

• Average mile time by age
• Average 5K time by age
• What's a good 400m time?
• 30 m sprint percentile
• VO2 max by age
• How to run a faster mile
• How to increase speed for sports
• All standards and averages