Whether you’re a triathlete or a runner, the 10km is one of the most popular running distances – but what exactly constitutes a good time?
The 10k is long enough to test your limits, but short enough that you can still push the pace. The perfect stepping stone for new runners looking to work their way up to a half marathon once they’ve ticked off a few 5kms. And, of course, 10km is how far you’ll need to run at the end of an Olympic distance triathlon.
But what’s a good time to aim for over the 10km in a stand-alone running event, and during a triathlon? And how does your current PB compare to the average and elite times? We take a look at the current world and Olympic records for 10km on the track, on the road and in triathlon. Plus run through what an average, good or exceptional 10km time is for amateurs – to help you set goals, give yourself a few kudos, or know what’s realistic if you’re a beginner.
Track running record times
While most of us amateur runners and triathletes will be running the 10km out on the road. It’s always fun to take a look at what the elites can achieve in the controlled conditions of an athletics stadium. So let’s head to the track to see what the current fastest 10,000m running times are in the world, and at the Olympics.
Olympics track running records at 10,000m
At the Paris 2024 Olympics, Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei broke the long-standing men’s Olympic 10,000m record with a time of 26:43:14. The previous men’s Olympic record of 27:01.170 was set by Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele at the Beijing 2008 Olympics.
The men’s 10,000m final at Paris 2024 was incredibly fast – with all 13 finishers coming in under the previous Olympic record!
The final of the women’s 10,000m at the Paris 2024 Olympics is set to take place on Friday (August 9). The current Olympic record for the women’s 10,000m on the track was set by Almaz Ayana at the Rio 2016 Olympics who ran a time of 29:17:45. All eyes on Paris this Friday to see if the Olympic record time tumbles!
To put those record times into context, to match Cheptegei’s 10,000m pace you’d need to run at 4 minutes 17.98 seconds per mile / 2 minutes 40.3 seconds per kilometre. And to keep up with Ayana you’d need to hit 4 minutes 42.76 seconds per mile/ 2 minutes 55.7 seconds per kilometre.
10,000m track running world records
The current world record time for the women’s 10,000m is Beatrice Chebet of Kenya. Chebet became the first woman to break 29 minutes on the track by clocking a 28:54:14 in May 2024. She’ll be a hot favourite for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games 10,000m. And if you wanted to try and keep up with her, you’d need to run at 4 minutes 37.29 seconds per mile / 2 minutes 52.3 seconds per kilometre.
On the men’s side, the new Olympic record holder Joshua Cheptegei is also the reigning men’s 10,000m world record holder – setting a lightning-fast time of 26:11:00 in October 2020. That translates to a pace of 4 minutes 12.83 seconds per mile /2 minutes 37.1 seconds per kilometre.
10km road running records
Typically the running track is where we see the fastest times. So how do the record times out on the road compare to the track?
For the elite men, the current world record for 10km on the road is 26 minutes and 24 seconds. The record is held by Rhonex Kipruto and was set in Valencia in January 2020. That equates to 4 minutes 14.92 seconds per mile / 2 minutes 38.4 seconds per kilometre.
The 10km road running world record time for women is 28 minutes and 46 seconds. It was set by Agnes Jebet Ngetich in Valencia in January 2024, taking 28 seconds off the previous record time. It’s also interesting to note that the first time a woman ever broke 29 minutes happened on the road before it happened on the track! Ngetich’s pace equates to 4 minutes 37.77 seconds per mile / 2 minutes 52.6 seconds per kilometre.
How fast are Olympic race walkers vs runners?
For the 20km race walking distance, the Olympic record for men is 1:18:46 set by Ding Chen of China in 2012. That’s equivalent to 3:56 mins/km or 6:20 mins/mile. The women’s Olympic race walking record for 20km is held by Shijie Qieyang of China, who set a time of 1:25:16 at London 2012. That’s equivalent to 4:15 mins/km or 6:51 mins/mile.
To put those fast walking paces into context, according to Runners World the average running pace for men in the UK is 5:47 mins/km (9:19 mins/mile) and for women it’s 6:37 mins/km (10:40 mins/mile)!
Fastest 10km times in an Olympic triathlon
We recently spoke to Graeme Acheson of Sports4Cast to take a data dive to investigate how fast PRO triathletes are compared to single-discipline specialists. And given that the triathletes are putting three different sports together back-to-back – you might be surprised at how competitive their times in the individual disciplines are!
In women’s triathlon, Leonie Periault of Team France is the fastest woman in the current lineup over 10km in an Olympic distance race. She ran a 31:27 at the 2016 Weert ETU Triathlon European Cup – an average pace of 3:08 min/km. Impressive stuff given she’d ticked off a 1.5km swim and a 40km bike ride beforehand.
Paris 2024 Olympic triathlon gold medallist Alex Yee is the fastest over 10km in men’s triathlon right now. Perhaps unsurprising given that incredible sprint to the line we saw on the streets of Paris as Yee overtook race leader Hayden Wilde. As it stands, Yee’s fastest time over 10km wasn’t set at Paris (where he ran a 29:47). The British star has gone quicker in the past, clocking a time of 28 mins 31s for 10km during a triathlon (2:51 mins/km).
What is a good 10km time for amateurs?
A ‘good’ 10km time is going to be different for everyone. Your personal ‘good’ time will depend on your fitness, your experience level and your ambitions. One runner’s personal best is always going to be another runner’s personal worst – so try not to let comparison be the thief of your running joy! Plenty of people out there can’t complete a 10km in the first place, so whatever time you’ve set will always be something to be proud of.
That being said, it’s sometimes helpful to know on average what is considered an average, a good and a borderline elite-level time for 10km. First let’s look at stand-a-lone 10km run times.
Average, good and exceptional 10km times for women
Using the results from the 2023 Vitality London 10,000 (which had ~15,000 runners) in the UK and the 2023 Bolder Boulder 10km in the USA (which had ~40,000 runners) here are the average, good and exceptional 10km times for amateur female runners.
Average, good and exceptional 10km times for men
Using the same race results (Vitality London 10,000 and Bolder Boulder 10km), here are the average, good and exceptional 10km times for amateur male runners.
What is a good 10km run time in an Olympic distance triathlon for an age-grouper?
Running 10km on its own in a race is one thing. But doing it after a 1.5km swim and a 40km bike in an Olympic distance triathlon is another. And you can expect your 10km time in a triathlon to be a touch slower than your fastest individual time, given the effort you’ve already put in by the time you don your running shoes.
So what sort of time should you aim for on the run in an Olympic triathlon? We’ve taken a look at the average, good and exceptional finish times from amateur triathletes at the 2023 World Triathlon Age Group championships in Pontevedra so you can see how you might match up. Just keep in mind that these age-groupers had qualified to race at the amateur world championships. If the times feel intimidating, rest assured that your local triathlon would probably have a far wider spread of abilities and finish times!
Olympic distance triathlon 10km times for women
Olympic distance triathlon 10km times for men
What run time should a beginner aim for in their first Olympic distance triathlon?
For your first Olympic/standard distance triathlon, focusing on enjoying the experience and getting to the finish line within the cut-off times is a perfectly respectable goal. But if you do want to try and aim for a time, then usually trying to break 3hrs is seen as a good goal. To do that, you’d need to complete the swim in around 30 minutes, the bike in about 90 minutes leaving you just under 60 minutes (once you factor in transitions) to finish the run.
How can I improve my run time in a triathlon?
Being able to run faster off the bike comes down to practice, and pacing. You’ll want to follow a well-structured training plan which boosts your speed and endurance across all three triathlon disciplines – meaning you’ll hit the run with more energy left in your legs. Incorporate ‘brick sessions’ into your training – running straight after cycling. This will help your body to get better at transitioning between the two, helping you to maintain a stronger pace.
It’s also important to learn how to pace yourself well throughout the entire race in a triathlon. It’s not uncommon to see triathletes who went really fast on the bike, walking on the run because they’ve burned all their matches. Keeping your pace steady and controlled early on in the race can pay dividends later on, leaving you to run strong and make your way through the field as your competitors start to fatigue and slow down.
