Average Mile Time: What's Good by Age and Sex
Run these workouts on your iPhone, or hands-free on Apple Watch. Get PEAKVO2 There is no single official average mile time, because every published average describes one group of runners. As a guide, someone who runs a few times a week typically covers a mile in about 6:30 to 9:30, and 9 to 12 minutes is normal for a beginner. Under 9:00 is solid, under 7:30 is quick, under 6:00 is club level.
The mile is the distance everyone has a number for, from school fitness tests to the first run with a new watch. That makes it the most compared time in running, and the comparison is usually unfair, because age and sex change what a given time is worth. This guide gives you the plain benchmarks first, then the age-graded standards that make the comparison fair.
Contents: Average · Good in plain terms · By age · Pace table · Walking · Run it faster · FAQ
What Is the Average Mile Time?
It depends entirely on who was measured. An average from a running app describes people who own the app and record their runs. An average from a race describes people who paid to enter. An average from the military describes fit young recruits. None of these is the average for adults in general, and we know of no dataset that measures it.
Averages also hide the two things that matter most. A 9:00 mile is a different achievement at 25 than at 65, and different again for a man and a woman. So this article treats the average as what it is, a rough orientation, and uses age grading for the real answer.
What Is a Good Mile Time?
For a rule of thumb, the mile lines up neatly with the 5K benchmarks runners already use. The conversion below uses Riegel's endurance formula, the standard method for predicting one race time from another (Riegel, 1981):
| Mile time | Equivalent 5K | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 12:00 | 40:00 | A normal first mile, often with walk breaks |
| 9:00 | 30:00 | Solid recreational standard |
| 7:30 | 25:00 | Quick for someone who does not train seriously |
| 6:45 | 22:30 | Club-runner level for most women |
| 6:00 | 20:00 | Club-runner level for most men |
If you have a recent 5K time, the same math runs the other way: our running pace calculator predicts your equivalent mile.
What Is a Good Mile Time by Age?
Age grading is how the sport compares runners fairly. It expresses your time as a percentage of the world-best standard for your exact age and sex, using tables compiled by Alan Jones and Rex Harvey and approved by World Masters Athletics and USA Track & Field. The standard for an adult in their prime is 3:47 for men and 4:13 for women on the road.
The table below is derived from the 2025 road standards for one mile. Each column is the time that earns that age grade at that age.
| Age | Men 70% | Men 60% | Men 50% | Women 70% | Women 60% | Women 50% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 5:24 | 6:18 | 7:34 | 6:01 | 7:02 | 8:26 |
| 30 | 5:26 | 6:20 | 7:36 | 6:01 | 7:02 | 8:26 |
| 35 | 5:37 | 6:33 | 7:52 | 6:04 | 7:05 | 8:30 |
| 40 | 5:49 | 6:47 | 8:08 | 6:11 | 7:13 | 8:40 |
| 45 | 6:03 | 7:03 | 8:28 | 6:23 | 7:27 | 8:56 |
| 50 | 6:17 | 7:20 | 8:48 | 6:43 | 7:50 | 9:24 |
| 55 | 6:33 | 7:38 | 9:10 | 7:06 | 8:17 | 9:56 |
| 60 | 6:50 | 7:58 | 9:34 | 7:31 | 8:47 | 10:32 |
| 65 | 7:10 | 8:22 | 10:02 | 8:00 | 9:20 | 11:12 |
| 70 | 7:30 | 8:45 | 10:30 | 8:33 | 9:58 | 11:58 |
| 75 | 8:04 | 9:25 | 11:18 | 9:11 | 10:43 | 12:52 |
Read a row across to see what the percentages are worth. A 9:34 mile at 60 is the same calibre of run as a 7:34 at 20 for a man. A raw-time chart would call the older runner two minutes slower; age grading calls them equal.
The bands are standard across the sport:
| Age grade | Interpretation |
|---|---|
| 90% and above | World class |
| 80% and above | National class |
| 70% and above | Regional class |
| 60% and above | Local or club class |
| Below 60% | Recreational |
Most people who run a few times a week land between 45 and 60 percent. To work out your own grade, divide the 50 percent time for your age and sex by your own time and multiply by 50. A 40-year-old man who runs 7:00 scores 488 seconds divided by 420, times 50, which is 58 percent.
Mile Time to Pace and Speed
Treadmills show speed, watches show pace per kilometre or per mile. This table converts between them.
| Mile time | Pace per km | Speed (mph) | Speed (km/h) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6:00 | 3:44 | 10.0 | 16.1 |
| 7:00 | 4:21 | 8.6 | 13.8 |
| 8:00 | 4:58 | 7.5 | 12.1 |
| 9:00 | 5:36 | 6.7 | 10.7 |
| 10:00 | 6:13 | 6.0 | 9.7 |
| 12:00 | 7:27 | 5.0 | 8.0 |
How Long Does It Take to Walk a Mile?
About 15 to 24 minutes for most adults. The CDC counts walking as brisk, and therefore as moderate-intensity exercise, from 2.5 miles per hour. That is 24 minutes per mile. A purposeful walk at 4 miles per hour takes 15 minutes.
How to Run a Faster Mile
The mile feels like a sprint, but it runs on your aerobic engine. When researchers measured energy supply in trained middle-distance runners, the aerobic system delivered 84 percent of the energy for 1,500 metres, a race just short of a mile (Spencer & Gastin, 2001). The size of that engine is your VO2 max, so raising it is the most direct way to a faster mile.
- VO2 max intervals, once or twice a week. Efforts of two to four minutes at a hard, controlled pace with similar recovery. The Norwegian 4x4, four 4-minute efforts at 90 to 95 percent of maximum heart rate, raised VO2 max 7.2 percent in eight weeks in a controlled trial (Helgerud et al., 2007).
- Short fast repeats. 200 to 400 metres at your goal mile pace with full recovery teach your legs the speed. See interval training for running.
- Easy running for everything else. Analyses of elite endurance training find about 80 percent of sessions at low intensity (Seiler, 2010). Easy volume is what lets the hard sessions work.
- Pace the mile evenly. Starting too fast is the common mistake. Aim for four even laps and spend what is left in the last 200 metres.
The full method, including tempo runs and strength work, is in how to run faster. For the next distance up, see what is a good 5K time.
Build the engine behind your mile
PEAKVO2 guides the VO2 max intervals that make you faster, on iPhone and Apple Watch, with automatic phase changes and your VO2 max tracked over time.
Get PEAKVO2 freeFrequently Asked Questions
What is the average mile time?
There is no single authoritative figure, because each published average describes one dataset. As a guide, a runner who trains a few times a week typically runs a mile in roughly 6:30 to 9:30, and 9 to 12 minutes is normal for a beginner.
What is a good mile time?
Under 9:00 is a solid recreational mile, under 7:30 is quick, and under 6:00 is club level for most men, with about 6:45 the equivalent for women. On age grade, above 60 percent is local class at any age.
What is a good mile time by age?
At a 60 percent age grade: 6:18 for a man of 20, 6:47 at 40 and 7:58 at 60. For women, 7:02 at 20, 7:13 at 40 and 8:47 at 60.
Is a 10 minute mile good?
Yes, for a beginner or casual runner. It is 6 miles per hour, and holding it over 5K gives a finish of about 31 minutes. For a man of 65 or a woman of 55 it is around a 50 percent age grade.
How long does it take to walk a mile?
About 15 to 24 minutes. The CDC counts walking as brisk from 2.5 miles per hour, which is 24 minutes per mile.
How can I run a faster mile?
Raise your VO2 max with intervals of two to four minutes once or twice a week, add short repeats at goal pace, keep the rest of your running easy, and pace the mile evenly.
What is the world record for the mile?
On the track, 3:43.13 for men (Hicham El Guerrouj, 1999) and 4:07.64 for women (Faith Kipyegon, 2023).
References
- Jones A, Harvey R. Age-graded tables for road running performances, 2025 edition. Approved by World Masters Athletics and USA Track & Field Masters Long Distance Running. Age-Grade-Tables repository
- Riegel PS. Athletic records and human endurance. Am Sci. 1981;69(3):285-290. PubMed
- Spencer MR, Gastin PB. Energy system contribution during 200- to 1500-m running in highly trained athletes. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2001;33(1):157-162. PubMed
- Helgerud J, Høydal K, Wang E, et al. Aerobic high-intensity intervals improve VO2max more than moderate training. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2007;39(4):665-671. PubMed
- Seiler S. What is best practice for training intensity and duration distribution in endurance athletes? Int J Sports Physiol Perform. 2010;5(3):276-291. PubMed
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Measuring physical activity intensity. CDC