Sub 60 minute 10K pace
Breaking an hour for 10 km means averaging 6:00 per kilometre, or 9:39 per mile. It is the cleanest number in running to hold, and exactly that on the watch still comes in over the hour.
6:00 /km
9:39 per mile
Why 6:00 on your watch reads 60:36
A 10K course is measured along the shortest line a runner could take. Real runs are longer: going wide round bends, weaving past slower runners and drifting off the racing line all add distance, and a watch usually shows 10.1 to 10.2 km at the finish.
Hold exactly 6:00/km and cover 1% extra: 60:36. Every kilometre on target, and still over the hour.
Hold 5:55/km and cover the same 1% extra: 59:46.
Run about 5:55 per kilometre on the watch and the extra distance stops mattering.
Split times
The time to pass each kilometre marker. The first column is exact 60:00 pace; the second holds 5:55/km, the pace that still finishes inside the hour after the usual extra distance.
| Marker | 60:00 pace | With margin, 5:55/km |
|---|---|---|
| 1 km | 6:00 | 5:55 |
| 2 km | 12:00 | 11:50 |
| 3 km | 18:00 | 17:45 |
| 4 km | 24:00 | 23:40 |
| 5 km | 30:00 | 29:35 |
| 6 km | 36:00 | 35:30 |
| 7 km | 42:00 | 41:25 |
| 8 km | 48:00 | 47:20 |
| 9 km | 54:00 | 53:15 |
| Finish, 10 km | 60:00 | 59:10 |
Where sub 60 usually goes
In kilometres 6 and 7. The first half feels controlled at 6:00, then the pace drifts to 6:10 without feeling any harder, and two slow kilometres cost the whole margin. Check the watch at 5 km: 29:35 or quicker and you are fine, 30:10 and you need to find five seconds a kilometre now rather than in the last two.
Hold it without watching your wrist
Pace Coach is a free iPhone app that coaches pace by voice. Set the distance and a goal of 59:15, and it works out the pace for you, stays silent while you are on it, and says so the moment you drift too fast or too slow. It tells you your split at every kilometre, with the phone in your pocket and your music still playing.
Questions
What pace is a sub 60 minute 10K?
6:00 per kilometre or 9:39 per mile averages exactly 60 minutes. Because most runners cover about 1 percent more than the measured course, aim for around 5:55 per kilometre on your watch.
What should my 5 km split be for a sub 60 10K?
30:00 at exact hour pace, or 29:35 holding 5:55/km. Passing 5 km slower than 30:10 means the second half has to be faster than the first.
Is 6:00 per km enough for a sub 60 minute 10K?
Only if your watch and the course agree exactly. With the usual extra distance, holding 6:00 per kilometre finishes at about 60:36.