You’re probably more familiar with 5K races Everything you need to know about recovery runs 5K (equivalent to 3.1 miles) as their first big goal, and parkrun, which gives a lot of people their first taste of running, is always run over a 5K course.

Along with the 10K (equivalent to 6.2 miles) elite long-distance athletes also race across 5K at major events throughout the year. Whether it’s in the context of recreational or elite running, 5 miles as a distance is much less commonly discussed.

How far is 5 miles?

Although 5 miles might not be as common or popular a distance as 5K, it’s still a pretty good benchmark for runners and a nice round number for working out pacing Runners World, Part of the Hearst UK Wellbeing Network.

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Equivalent to a very specific 8.0467 kilometres, 5 miles can also be a good target distance for runners transitioning from 5K to 10K – it’s pretty much a parkrun Should you change your stride length.

Is 5 miles an Olympic event?

Once upon a time, the 5-mile race was an Olympic event. Before the era when women were allowed to compete in athletics at the Olympics, the 5-mile race featured at the ‘Intercalated Games’ in 1906 – an international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece, considered at the time to be an Olympic Games – and at the 1908 London Olympics.

The world record over 5 miles had previously been set by Great Britain’s Alfred Shrubb in London on 12 May 1904 – with a time of 24:33.4. Great Britain’s Henry Hawtey won in Athens with a time of 26:11.8, and Emil Voigtm, also of Great Britain, won the event in London with a time of 26:13.4.

Now, however, we see the 5000m at the Olympics instead, with both men and women competing – and setting blisteringly quick times over the distance.

Are there 5-mile races?

Although 5K is also the more common distance for road races, there are 5-mile races out there. They tend to be organised by local clubs, but there are some great options – like this How to improve your aerobic capacity What is rate of perceived exertion RPE.

What is the world record for 5 miles?

The current men’s road world record for 5 miles is 22:05, set by Phillimon Hanneck of Zimbabwe in 1993 in New Orleans. The world record for the 8K, which is ever so slightly shorter than 5 miles, is 21:51, set by Ethiopia's Deriba Merga in Ras al-Khaimah in 2011.

For women, the road world record for 5 miles is 24:27. Set by Sonia O’Sullivan of Ireland in Loughrea, it's stood since 1999. Great Britain’s Paula Radcliffe holds the 8K world record with a time of 24:05, which she set in San Juan in 2003.

global average mile pace?

What counts as a ‘good’ time for 5 miles depends on a range of factors. If you took the global average mile pace, which, according to Strava, is 10:25 min/mile (roughly equivalent to 6:28 min/km), and you could maintain that pace over the 5 miles, the average finish time for 5 miles would be 52:05.

According to Strava’s data, which looked at the average mile pace from public uploads between 1 August 2022 and 30 July 2023, the global average mile pace for men is 10:02 min/mile (06:14 min/km), which would make the average finish time for 5 miles 50:10. The global average mile pace for women comes in at 11:17 min/mile (07:01 min/km), which would make the average finish time for 5 miles 56:25.

What is the average UK finish time for 5 miles?

For UK runners, the average mile pace is a tad speedier than the global average – clocking in at 9:48 min/mile (06:05 min/km). That would make the average finish time for 5 miles around 49:00.

For UK men, the average mile pace is 9:19 min/mile (05:47 min/km), making the average finish time for 5 miles around 46:35, and the average pace for UK women is 10:40 min/mile (06:37 min/km), meaning the average finish time for 5 miles would be 53:20.

What time should I target for 5 miles?

Beginner runners

Again, what time you target for 5 miles will depend greatly on you as an individual. If it’s your first time running the distance – perhaps it’s your next target after 5K – focus on getting that first 5-mile run under your belt. However, if you’re determined to have a figure to aim for, a good benchmark for beginners would be around an hour. To achieve this, you’ll need to run at a pace of 12 min/mile.

Intermediate runners

If you’re at a stage where you can comfortably run 5 miles and want to test yourself over the distance, anything between 45 and 55 minutes is likely the range you would target as an intermediate runner.

Advanced runners

For higher-level club runners who regularly run and race distances ranging from 5K to half marathon, anywhere between 30 and 35 minutes might be a popular goal for men – while women might target anything between 35 and 40 minutes.