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Running a marathon is a big goal for many runners. Simply managing to cross the finish line is an amazing achievement. However, if you’re like me and thrive on setting yourself goals, it might help to set yourself a time to aim for. So, what kind of time should a first-time marathon runner aim for?
Typically, any time between 4-5 hours is a realistic goal for a first-time marathon runner. The exact time you should set as a target will depend on the amount of training you have done and your current fitness level.
There are several different factors to consider to work out the time you can expect to finish your first marathon. This involves looking at the science, taking your own abilities into account, and learning from the previous runners who have undergone their first marathon.
The Science Of Getting A Good Marathon Time
When setting expectations for your first marathon, there are many things that you can control to achieve the best time possible. According to scientific research, the following points can all contribute to the outcome of your race. By taking these points into account, you can set yourself a marathon time to be proud of.
- Mental Preparation – It’s very easy to quit halfway during a marathon. After all, running more than 26 miles isn’t something that the average person should be able to do. When you get to a certain point, it will begin to feel as if you can’t go on any further. This is commonly known as hitting the wall, and if you’d like to know more about it, I wrote an entire article which you can find here.
Fortunately, when it comes to hitting the wall, there are several techniques you can use to mentally prepare yourself and achieve the best marathon time possible. Studies show that association and dissociation are brilliant techniques when dealing with the task at hand. Association is to mentally focus on things like your speed, pace and what time you’re focused on getting. Dissociation means to think about other things. Examples could include what you had for breakfast this morning or how awesome this blog is. By either focusing on the task at hand or distracting yourself from it, runners can prepare themselves to push through the most difficult points in a marathon and achieve the time that they want.
- Diet– It’s no secret that eating clean is something that can help boost your overall performance. By watching what you eat, you can get a pretty good idea of what marathon time to expect. I wrote an entire article on some of the best foods for runners, which you can find here. For the sake of this article, one of the best foods you should be eating when it comes to getting a good marathon time is those that are high in carbohydrates. The reason for this is that your body uses glycogen as its main source of fuel for marathons. Carbohydrates are the main source of glycogen. If you’re looking to achieve a marathon time you can be proud of, it’s worth eating plenty of pasta, bread and maybe even some sugary snacks.
- Planning Pace– Planning your pace is vital because it directly links to the overall time you’re aiming for. Theoretically, if you can work out how long it’s going to take to complete a marathon within your targeted time, then from there, all you need to do is work out what consistent speed you should be running at. For example, if you run a marathon at a constant sped of 5mph, then you can expect to complete a marathon within 5.24376 hours. How’s that for accuracy! Unless you’re running on a treadmill, it’s going to be hard to run consistently at an exact pace, but by using a fitness tracker, you should be able to go at a pretty precise pace.
- Drinking Water– Is a big part of running any marathon. When running, you lose water through sweating. The more you run, the more you sweat. If you don’t drink enough water, things can get dangerous pretty quickly. As a general guideline, runners should try to stick to around 450-600ml (16-20 OZ) of water an hour. Failing to keep up with a steady intake of water could leave you dehydrated, which is associated with low levels of energy, amongst other things, which could almost definitely add to a slower running pace. If you’d like to know more about why it’s always a good idea to run with water, I wrote an entire article on it, which you can find here.
Marathon Time Can Be Impacted By Things Out Of Our Control
It’s true. There are a number of tricks behind the science of running a marathon that can help us on our way to getting a good time. However, there are some factors which we aren’t able to do much about as we approach race day. The following are just a few examples:
- Genetics- Unfortunately, we aren’t all built like Olympians. Some people might have been born in a way that allowed them to run better than others. The rules of genetics are a little hazy when it comes to getting a good marathon time. In fact, many people believe that getting a good marathon time is much more about environmental factors than genetic makeup. Research has suggested that a runner’s genetics could be responsible for things like muscle fire type, flexibility, how easily you’re injured and your overall metabolism. This shouldn’t put you off by any means. After all, if you’re looking to get a good time on your first marathon, it’s unlikely that you’re going to need to think about your genetic make-up.
- Age- This is another thing that’s out of control. As we begin to get older, our overall athletic ability begins to decline. There are things we can do to help us train as we get older. For more information, check out my article on running over 50. If your performance has dropped due to age, then you can expect to get a slightly slower time on your first marathon. The graph below should help give you a pretty good idea of what times you can expect to achieve in a marathon depending on your age:
| Age | Typical Beginner Time |
| 10 | 06:42:48 |
| 15 | 05:58:13 |
| 20 | 05:34:34 |
| 25 | 05:32:25 |
| 30 | 05:32:25 |
| 35 | 05:33:44 |
| 40 | 05:40:32 |
| 45 | 05:53:50 |
| 50 | 06:14:41 |
| 55 | 06:39:36 |
| 60 | 06:39:36 |
| 65 | 07:40:52 |
| 70 | 08:19:08 |
| 75 | 09:04:41 |
| 80 | 10:14:28 |
| 85 | 12:15:56 |
| 90 | 16:10:52 |
source:https://runninglevel.com/running-times/marathon-times
- Endurance- Could perhaps fit into the same category as genetics because a lot of the time, our endurance capabilities are limited by the body we’ve been born with. At the same time, we can try to increase our overall endurance through lots of training. So, if you’re reading this the night before your marathon, then you may be in more of a challenging position than if you’re reading this a few months ahead of time. For a good marathon time, we mostly rely on cardiovascular endurance. Put simply, this is the combination of the heart, lungs and blood vessels to deliver oxygen around the body. The better the body can do this, the faster marathon time you can set for yourself. Although everyone is born with different capacities for endurance, runners can increase their overall endurance through typical training methods like high-intensity workouts and distance runs.
- Injuries- Can be very difficult to get rid of once you’ve got them. Injuries can be picked up easily through training. Sometimes this could be completely out of your control. Other times this could be down to over-exerting yourself or not taking enough time to stretch and relax. Like most sports, there is a long list of injuries resulting from marathon training. Fractures, chafing, blisters and shin splints are just a few examples. When trying to get the best marathon time possible, you must keep yourself as comfortable as possible. Pain from injuries will easily add to your overall exhaustion and leave you with a slower marathon time. If it’s getting close to race day and that nagging injury won’t go away, it’s probably worth cutting yourself some slack and expecting to get a slower time.
What Do Other Marathon Runners Say About Getting A Good Marathon Time?
Although there is lots of data and research exploring what kind of time we can expect to achieve when running a marathon, it’s always helpful to get first-hand knowledge from someone who has run a marathon themselves. Below are examples from three different people who can be expected to get very different marathon times.
Elite Athletes
Eluid Kipchoge is probably the king of good marathon times with the world record of 02:01:39. Amazingly, this isn’t actually the fastest time that Kipchoge has ever achieved. Whilst he secured the official title in 2018, Eluid Kipchoge ran a marathon at an incredible time of 1:59:40 in Austria. Unfortunately, the time wasn’t recognised because it wasn’t an open competition, and he had a team of pacemakers to help him.
When it comes to getting a good marathon time, Eluid holds discipline in the highest regard. I suppose he’d have to, seeing as running a marathon within two hours means running a 5K under 15 minutes more than eight times in a row. Personally, I can’t finish a single 5K in under 20!
“Remember, only the disciplined are free in life. If you are undisciplined, you are a slave to your moods. You are a slave to your passions.”
Eluid Kipchoge.
Intermediate Marathon Runners
Intermediate marathon runners are a dozen to a penny. From fresh athletes to running enthusiasts, there is a huge source of information available from this group of people for how best to run a marathon. No two marathon runners are identical, and the methods of somebody else may not be the best practice for you. But it’s worth looking into what others have done to achieve the marathon times they desire.
Check out the video below from Floris Gierman, who gives some great tips about things that you can focus on to get as good a marathon time as possible.
Beginning Marathon Runners
I have completed a single marathon. This wasn’t that long ago, so I have a pretty good idea of the obstacles new runners face when figuring out how to get a good marathon time.
The typical advice and tips are a great help, but I would say that the most important thing is the pace when it comes to getting a good marathon time. When running my first marathon, I was obsessed with getting under four hours. I worked out that if I could run at a pace of around 8 MPH, I would be able to finish within four hours with some room for error. Whilst I couldn’t keep this pace up for the full marathon, I still managed to finish at a time of 03:59:57. I know, I was cutting it close!
By using the Adidas Running App to keep me updated with my pace throughout my marathon, I was able to keep in line with my goals. I don’t think I’d have achieved this time if I didn’t have a good track on my pace.
Related Questions
How Many People Don’t Complete Their First Marathon? –
When aiming for a good marathon time, it’s important to remember that some people never even cross the finish line. According to the New York Post, around 50,000 people enter the New York Marathon every year around 650 aren’t able to complete it. The takeaway from this is that maybe you should worry less about a good marathon time and be more focused on what you can do to complete your marathon.
What’s A Good Time For A Half Marathon?
Half marathons are just as popular as marathons. If not more so. In fact, many people use a half marathon as a middle ground before taking it up a notch and heading out for a full-blown marathon.
According to the research, men’s average half marathon time is 1:55:26, and the average for women is 2:11:57. Beginners may take anywhere between 2-3+ hours. Whilst focusing on time can be useful, the main goal should be successfully completing the race.
