SplitLab

Run/Walk Interval Calculator

9:47/mi

4:16:22Marathon

Run 9:00 /mi · walk 15:00 /mi · 4:00 run / 1:00 walk

/mi
mm:ss per mile while running. Default 9:00 /mi is 5:36 /km.
/mi
mm:ss per mile while walking. Default 15:00 /mi is 9:19 /km.
min
Run interval in m:ss, for example 4:00 or 0:30.
min
Walk interval in m:ss, for example 1:00 or 0:30. 0 means run the whole way.
Marathon finish
4:16:22

avg 6:05 /km

Time running
80%

4:00 of every 5:00

Walk breaks
51

1:00 each

vs running it all
+20:24

3:55:58 at run pace

Run pace for a goal marathon

h:mm:ss. Uses your walk pace and run/walk ratio.

Run at

9:33/mi

5:56 /km

With 4:00 run / 1:00 walk and walking at 15:00 /mi.

Run/walk plan

4:00 running at 9:00 /mi, 1:00 walking at 15:00 /mi: average 9:47 /mi · 6:05 /km, marathon in 4:16:22 with 51 walk breaks.

Start walk breaks from the first interval, not when you get tired. Time-weighted average; aid-station stops are not included.

Run/walk estimate — not VDOT, not McMillan, not medical advice. Related: pace calculator · marathon pace · half marathon pace · calories burned.

Worked examples

  • Marathon · 4:00 run at 9:00 /mi · 1:00 walk at 15:00 /mi

    9:47 /mi · 6:05 /km · 4:16:22 · 80% running · 51 walk breaks

  • Half marathon · same settings

    2:07:59 · 25 walk breaks · +10:00 vs running it all

  • 5K · 1:00 run at 10:00 /mi · 1:00 walk at 16:00 /mi

    12:18 /mi · 38:12 · 50% running · 19 walk breaks

  • Goal 4:30:00 marathon · 4:00 / 1:00 · walk 15:00 /mi

    Run at 9:33 /mi · 5:56 /km

How it works

Run/walk splits every minute of the race into a repeating cycle: run for R, walk for W. The average pace is weighted by time, not by distance — you spend 4 minutes running and 1 walking, but the running minutes cover far more ground. So the page adds up the distance of one cycle, R ÷ run pace + W ÷ walk pace, and divides the cycle time by it.

The finish time is not just average pace × distance. The page plays the race out cycle by cycle: whole cycles first, then whatever distance is left is run (and walked, if it spills past the run segment). A walk break is counted each time a walk starts before the finish line. The goal box runs that in reverse and finds, by bisection, the run pace that lands your goal time with the same walk pace and ratio.

  • cycle distance d = R ÷ run pace + W ÷ walk pace
  • average pace = (R + W) ÷ d
  • % running = R ÷ (R + W)
  • 4:00/1:00 · 9:00 + 15:00 → 0.511 mi per 5:00 → 9:47 /mi
  • finish = whole cycles + the run (then walk) to the line

Aid stations, toilet stops, and late-race fade are not modelled — treat the result as a plan, not a promise. Same even-pace maths as the running pace calculator · marathon pace · half marathon pace · 5K pace · treadmill · calories burned. Not medical or coaching advice.

FAQ

What is a run/walk calculator?

A run/walk calculator turns your run pace, walk pace, and run/walk ratio into an average pace and finish time. Default 4:00 running at 9:00 per mile with 1:00 walking at 15:00 per mile averages 9:47 per mile (6:05 per km) and finishes a marathon in about 4:16:22. Results update live; there is no Calculate button.

How is the average pace worked out?

By time, not by distance. In one cycle you run R seconds and walk W seconds, so you cover R ÷ run pace + W ÷ walk pace. Average pace is (R + W) divided by that distance. With 4:00 / 1:00 at 9:00 and 15:00 per mile, one 5-minute cycle covers 0.511 miles, which is 9:47 per mile.

How many walk breaks will I take in a marathon?

At the default 4:00 / 1:00 ratio and a 9:47 average, a marathon has 51 walk breaks — one every 5 minutes after the first 4 minutes of running. A 5K at the same settings has 6, a 10K 12, and a half marathon 25.

Is run/walk slower than running the whole way?

At the same run pace, yes: the default marathon is about 20 minutes slower than running every step at 9:00 per mile. But many runners hold a faster run pace, fade less late in the race, and finish sooner with walk breaks than without. Use the goal box to see the run pace a target time needs: a 4:30:00 marathon at 4:00 / 1:00 with a 15:00 walk needs 9:33 per mile running.

Which run/walk ratio should I use?

Common Galloway-style ratios run from 30 seconds / 30 seconds for new runners to 4:00 / 1:00 or 9:00 / 1:00 for faster ones. Pick a ratio you can repeat from the first mile without strain. This calculator does not prescribe a ratio; it shows what any ratio does to your pace and finish time. Not medical or coaching advice.