Average Mile Time By Age And Sex - Medical News Today

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Medical News TodaySubscribeWhat is the average time to run a mile?

Medically reviewed by Micky Lal, MA, CSCS,RYT — Written by Jessica Caporuscio, PharmD — Updated on May 29, 2024

Average mile time
How to improve
FAQ
Summary

The average time running a mile changes based on sex, age, fitness level, and nutrition. Many other factors, including footwear and elevation, also affect mile-running times.

Given the range of factors affecting mile times, it is difficult to cite a single time representing the average of all groups. However, people can use certain time standards as a baseline for comparison.

This article explores the factors influencing average mile times and investigates how to run a faster mile.

A note about sex and gender

Sex and gender exist on spectrums. This article will use the terms “male,” “female,” or both to refer to sex assigned at birth. Learn more.

Average mile time

Large Group Of People Running Fast In The City, Defocused Light And Shadows Sports Background — Elena Popova/Getty Images

Determining the average time it takes to run a mile is tricky, as no comprehensive database lists average mile times. As a starting point, the Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) outlines standards for how quickly males and females in various age groups should be able to run 2 miles.

The information in the following table pulls from those standards.

It shows the average running pace per mile of male and female runners based on the 2-mile run in the APFT. It also illustrates how fast, in minutes and seconds, male and female runners have to be to rank in the top 1% and top 50% of their age groups.

17–21 years	22–26 years	27–31 years	32–36 years	37–41 years	42–46 years	47–51 years	52–56 years	56–61 years
Top 1% of males	6:30	6:30	6:39	6:39	6:48	7:03	7:12	7:21	7:39
Top 50% of males	8:18	8:45	8:57	9:24	9:45	9:54	no data	no data	no data
Top 1% of females	7:48	7:48	7:54	7:57	8:30	8:42	8:48	9:30	9:51
Top 50% of females	9:51	10:18	10:51	11:33	12:03	no data	no data	no data	no data

Males run faster on average than females in the same age group. The qualifying times for the Boston and New York City marathons reflect the difference between male and female running performance, as do the world record times for the fastest mile.

The following table shows the indoor and outdoor mile world records for men and women.

Men outdoor	Men indoor	Women outdoor	Women indoor
3:43.13	3:47.01	4:07.64	4:13.31

Long-distance versus short-distance running

In track and field, long-distance running refers to events of 5,000 meters (3.1 miles) or more.

Middle-distance events range from 800 meters (roughly half a mile) to 3,000 meters (just shy of 2 miles). Thus, the mile is a middle-distance running event.

Long- and middle-distance running events require sustained aerobic energy production. Aerobic exercises increase a person’s heart rate and breathing rate over a relatively long duration. Aerobic capacity becomes an important determiner of running performance as distance increases.

Sprinting, or short-distance running, includes distances up to 400 meters, or a quarter of a mile.

Sprint performance depends on anaerobic metabolism. During anaerobic exercise, the body breaks down glucose without using oxygen, creating lactic acid.

How to improve running time

People who wish to reduce their average mile time can try several techniques to improve their running economy. Running economy is the amount of energy that a person requires to run at a particular pace.

Researchers have identified various interventions that may help people run faster.

Training

Endurance training may cause physiological responses that help people adapt to running more quickly. People who add endurance, interval, resistance, and plyometric training to their workout programs may improve their average mile times.

Coaches often prescribe high intensity interval training and hill workouts as additional methods of improving running economy.

Many elite athletes also choose to train in cities at high altitudes, such as Boulder, CO, and Flagstaff, AZ. High altitude training improves oxygen delivery to the muscles and helps them use oxygen more efficiently.

Caffeine

Both elite and amateur runners use caffeine to help improve performance. Coffee contains caffeine, but manufacturers also add this stimulant to sports drinks, gels, and other carbohydrate-rich products that are easy for the body to absorb.

A 2018 study evaluated the effects of drinking coffee before a 1-mile race.

The team of researchers divided 13 trained male runners into three treatment groups. One group received 0.09 grams of coffee per kilogram (kg) of body weight, the second received an equivalent amount of decaffeinated coffee, and the last group drank a placebo solution.

The researchers noted that the runners who drank caffeinated coffee 60 minutes before the race ran 1.3% faster than the participants in the decaffeinated coffee group and 1.9% faster than those who received the placebo.

However, these results are not consistent across studies.

Another group of researchers studied the effects of caffeinated coffee on the 800-meter time trial performances of 12 runners who fasted overnight. The researchers asked some participants to drink 5.5 mg of coffee per kg of body weight and others to drink an equivalent amount of decaffeinated coffee. All participants then completed an 800-meter race, which is roughly equivalent to half a mile.

The researchers found that caffeinated coffee did not improve the participants’ race performance compared with decaffeinated coffee.

It is important to note that in both of these studies, researchers instructed the participants to fast beforehand. It’s unclear if caffeine has the same effect on running performance when consumed in unfasted states. Additionally, the participants in the study were habitual coffee drinkers, and more research is necessary to determine how coffee consumption might affect the running performance of nonhabitual coffee drinkers.

Learn more about the possible benefits of drinking coffee.

Nutrition

Consuming dietary nitrates, which occur naturally in lettuce, spinach, arugula, watercress, celery, and beets, may play a role in exercise performance and tolerance.

When people eat nitrates, the body converts them into nitrites. The further conversion of these substances into nitric oxide takes place in conditions of low oxygen, which can occur when exercise causes the muscles to become oxygen-deprived.

Nitric oxide has many positive effects on the body that may enhance exercise performance and tolerance.

As the authors of a 2021 review note, several studies have shown that dietary nitrates can improve exercise tolerance and lower the quantity of oxygen that the body needs during exercise.

In a 2017 study, researchers found that adult male soccer players who ingested 140 milliliters of beetroot juice containing 800 milligrams of nitrates before exercise performed better during high intensity intermittent exercises than those who consumed a placebo.

Conversely, other studies examining the relationship between dietary nitrates and exercise performance have found no effect on performance.

Most of the research to date has used beetroot juice. However, researchers are unable to determine the exact amount that people need to consume to perform better.

Other factors

Researchers have been working with elite athletes to break the 2-hour marathon barrier. As part of their research, they studied other factors that may improve running economy, such as:

consistent tailwind
downhill course
specific running shoe designs

Researchers suggest that wearing running shoes that are 100 grams lighter, alternating between leading and drafting behind other runners, and racing on a course with a 42-meter elevation drop could make it possible to run a marathon in under 2 hours.

In fact, Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya achieved this feat in 2019, running a time of 1 hour, 59 minutes, and 40 seconds. This is an average of 4:34 per mile for 26.2 miles.

A 2020 study tested the theory that people run faster while listening to music, which may influence both movement tempo and motivation.

The researchers asked 20 young male participants to perform two randomly assigned trials of a 6-minute run test, with or without self-selected music. Each test was at least 3 days apart.

Participants selected a minimum of 10 minutes of music — specifically, songs they felt inclined to exercise to. All chosen songs were within the 120 to 140 beats per minute range.

Researchers found that listening to preferred music improved participants’ 6-minute self-paced maximal exercise performance by increasing the total distance covered and decreasing blood lactate concentration.

Participants appeared to sustain higher running speeds while listening to music, but their heart rates did not increase compared to running without music.

The study’s authors theorize that the absence of significant differences in heart rate between the music and control tests, despite the increase in running speed, could mean an improvement in cardiovascular efficiency. However, further research is necessary to understand the relationship between pacing and music.

People can try listening to music during their training to help motivate them to run faster. By choosing motivational music with a beat that matches their preferred cadence, the person may run more efficiently.

Precautions to take

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that people perform moderate intensity exercises such as running or jogging most days of the week.

However, rest is an important part of training. Not resting enough or pushing too hard when exercising can lead to poor performance, injury, and health problems.

To avoid overtraining, a person may try:

consuming enough calories
drinking enough water
warming up, cooling down, and stretching
avoiding exercising in extreme heat or cold
resting for at least 6 hours between periods of exercise and taking a full day off every week
cutting back or not exercising when not feeling well

Frequently asked questions

Here are some frequently asked questions about the average time to run a mile.

What is a good mile time for a man?

The Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) outlines standards for how quickly males in different age groups should be able to run 2 miles.

How many mph is a 5-minute mile?

The average walking speed is 3 mph. Therefore, a 5-minute mile is equivalent to running 12 miles per hour.

How many minutes is 1 mile walking?

With the above walking speed, 1 mile would take 20 minutes on average. This is with the caveat that many factors affect a person’s walking pace.

Summary

People who want to improve their average mile time can do so by training. Adding endurance training, hill workouts, and high intensity interval training to an exercise program may help a person improve their average mile time.

Some research indicates that including caffeine and nitrates in the diet may help with running performance. However, a person should be careful to take these substances at the appropriate time for their effects to influence running performance.

Besides training and supplementing the diet, other factors may also help, such as running with a tailwind and on a downhill course. People may also wish to invest in shoes with the latest technology, as footwear can improve the running economy. Additionally, a person may try running while listening to music they enjoy.

Obesity / Weight Loss / Fitness
Sports Medicine / Fitness

How we reviewed this article:

SourcesMedical News Today has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations. We only use quality, credible sources to ensure content accuracy and integrity. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.

APFT. (n.d.). https://www.elon.edu/assets/docs/rotc/APFT%20standards.pdf
Clarke N, et al. (2018). Coffee ingestion enhances 1-mile running race performance. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29140142
Hoogkamer W, et al. (2017). How biomechanical improvements in running economy could break the 2-hour marathon barrier. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28255937
How much physical activity do adults need? (2022). https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/adults/index.htm
Jebabli N, et al. (2020). Listening to preferred music improved running performance without changing the pacing pattern during a 6 minute run test with young male adults. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7281270/
Jung W, et al. (2020). Interval hypoxic training enhances athletic performance and does not adversely affect immune function in middle- and long-distance runners. https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/6/1934
Keh A. (2019). Eliud Kipchoge breaks two-hour marathon barrier. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/12/sports/eliud-kipchoge-marathon-record.html
Kipp S, et al. (2019). Extrapolating metabolic savings in running: Implications for performance predictions. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6378703/
Koech R, et al. (2021). A prevalence of running-related injuries among professional endurance runners in the Rift Valley, Kenya. http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1015-51632021000100021
Macuh M. et al. (2021). Effects of nitrate supplementation on exercise performance in humans: a narrative review. https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/13/9/3183/html
Marques AC, et al. (2018). Acute caffeinated coffee consumption does not improve time trial performance in an 800-m run: A randomized, double-blind, crossover, placebo-controlled study. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6024787/
Nyakayiru J, et al. (2017). Beetroot juice supplementation improves high-intensity intermittent type exercise performance in trained soccer players. https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/9/3/314
Oskarsson J, et al. (2018). No individual or combined effects of caffeine and beetroot-juice supplementation during submaximal or maximal running. https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/abs/10.1139/apnm-2017-0547
Patel H, et al. (2017). Aerobic vs anaerobic exercise training effects on the cardiovascular system. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5329739/
Thompson M. (2017). Physiological and biomechanical mechanisms of distance specific human running performance. https://academic.oup.com/icb/article/57/2/293/4060767
World records. (n.d.). https://www.iaaf.org/records/by-category/world-records
Ziliaskoudis C, et al. (2019). Running economy - A comprehensive review for passive force generation.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31723550/

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Medically reviewed by Micky Lal, MA, CSCS,RYT — Written by Jessica Caporuscio, PharmD — Updated on May 29, 2024

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