Overview of Half Marathon Statistics

Half Marathon Summary

Here are the highlights of the statistics compiled by meteor.run for half marathon distance events:

  • The time required, on average, for a woman to win a half marathon is 01:25:58.
  • The time required, on average, for a man to win a half marathon is 01:15:10.
  • The average woman completes a half marathon in a time of 02:21:17.
  • The average man completes a half marathon in a time of 02:05:04.
  • The top performing age groups in the half marathon are female 30-39 and male 20-29.
  • On average 51.9% of half marathon participants are women.
  • The most popular age groups in the half marathon are female 30-39 and male 30-39.
  • 20.6% of runners that complete a half marathon will return to run that same event the following year.

Statistics and Charts

Below are the statistics calculated for the aggregate of all half marathon in the Meteor.run system. The figures are based on results from the past three editions of these events. Each card below includes an interactive chart, a brief summary explaining the statistic and a table showing the data. Thus providing a more detailed look into a specific aspect of half marathon.

Top Times per Age Group

This graph shows the time needed to place at the top of each age-group.

Women in the age group 30-39 typically post the fastest times and women in the age group 1-14 post the slowest times. The fastest male age group is 20-29 and the slowest is 1-14.

Top Times by Age Group - Female

Female
Age-Group
Time in
hh:mm:ss
1-14 02:59:15
15-19 01:50:10
20-29 01:25:38
30-39 01:24:57
40-49 01:30:31
50-59 01:38:60
60-69 01:54:05
70-100 02:36:56

Top Times by Age Group - Male

Male
Age-Group
Time in
hh:mm:ss
1-14 02:21:44
15-19 01:34:31
20-29 01:13:52
30-39 01:14:50
40-49 01:19:28
50-59 01:25:05
60-69 01:36:32
70-100 01:57:47

Values are based on the average over the past three editions of this event. The average value is the aggregate of the values of all events in this distance. The values and averages are subject to change as the latest editions and new events are added to the database.

Participants by Age Group

This pie-chart shows the percentage of particpants by age group.

There are two charts, one for women and one for men. Hover or tap on the age group buttons displayed below the pie-chart to see the percentage of participant for that age-group. For women, the age group with the most participants in the half marathon is 30-39. 30.7% of all female particpants are in this age group. For men it is 30-39. This accounts for 28.6% of all male particpants.

Percent of Female Participants by Age-Group

Age-Group % Female
1-14 0.2%
15-19 1.9%
20-29 25.1%
30-39 30.7%
40-49 24.9%
50-59 13.3%
60-69 3.4%
70-100 0.4%

Percent of Male Participants by Age-Group

Age-Group % Male
1-14 0.4%
15-19 2.2%
20-29 19.3%
30-39 28.6%
40-49 25.4%
50-59 17.0%
60-69 6.1%
70-100 1.1%

Values are based on the average over the past three editions of this event. The average value is the aggregate of the values of all events in this distance. The values and averages are subject to change as the latest editions and new events are added to the database.

Time Needed To Reach the Podium

The winning time for an average half marathon is 01:15:10 for men and 01:25:58 for women.

Average in this case means that the times listed above will get you to the podium in 50% of all the half marathons. Faster times would be needed to win the other 50% of the races.

Time Needed To Reach the Podium - Female

Female
Rank
Time in
hh:mm:ss
1st 01:25:58
2nd 01:29:12
3rd 01:31:19

Time Needed To Reach the Podium - Male

Male
Rank
Time in
hh:mm:ss
1st 01:15:10
2nd 01:17:27
3rd 01:19:20

Values are based on the average over the past three editions of this event. The average value is the aggregate of the values of all events in this distance. The values and averages are subject to change as the latest editions and new events are added to the database.

Top Time Per Decile

This chart shows which position one could expect to finish given ones ability.

Women that can complete a half marathon in a time of 02:21:17 can expect to finish in the middle of the pack, that is in the 50th percentile. Whereas, if one could run the distance in 01:55:27, then one would expect to complete the event in the 10th percentile or 100th place out of 1000 runners.

Top Times per Decile - Female

Female
Decile
Time in
hh:mm:ss
10% 01:55:27
20% 02:03:17
30% 02:09:38
40% 02:15:26
50% 02:21:17
60% 02:27:39
70% 02:35:03
80% 02:44:29

Top Times per Decile - Male

Male
Decile
Time in
hh:mm:ss
10% 01:40:58
20% 01:48:42
30% 01:54:31
40% 01:59:45
50% 02:05:04
60% 02:10:47
70% 02:17:49
80% 02:26:49

Values are based on the average over the past three editions of this event. The average value is the aggregate of the values of all events in this distance. The values and averages are subject to change as the latest editions and new events are added to the database.
Half_Marathon Summary - Chart Female participants by age group

Ratio of Female to Male Participants

51.9% of all half marathon participants are women.

Hover over or tap the female and male buttons below the pie-chart to see the figures.

Percent of Female Participants by Age-Group

Gender % of
Participants
Female 51.9%
Male 48.1%

Values are based on the average over the past three editions of this event. The average value is the aggregate of the values of all events in this distance. The values and averages are subject to change as the latest editions and new events are added to the database.
Half_Marathon Summary - Chart Ratio of Returning to New Participants

Ratio of Returning to New Participants

20.6% of all half marathon participants will return to that same event the following year.

Hover over or tap the "New" and "Returning" buttons below the pie-chart to see the figures.

Returning to New Participants

  % of
Participants
Returning 20.6%
New 79.4%

Values are based on the average over the past three editions of this event. The average value is the aggregate of the values of all events in this distance. The values and averages are subject to change as the latest editions and new events are added to the database.


See the Stats in Action

Click on an event below to see how it compares to the average shown on this page.

Listed above are statistics that describe a typical half marathon. The distance of a half marathon is 13.1 miles or 21.1 kilometres, so half the distance of a marathon. This event is very popular as the distance is challenging while the training time required remains manageable for people with a busy schedule. The distance does require consistent training over an extended period. So it is not well suited for beginners. Similar to the 10k events the stats show that the time span separating the top 3 runners is narrow (based on the standardized measure of pace km/min) and as a result half marathons are often fast and competitive.

The half marathon is often used by experienced runners as a preparation race in the lead up to marathon. It can be used as a means for gauging readiness and testing strategies for hydration and nutrition before committing to them in a marathon.

The information shown is compiled on an ongoing basis from all the races of a specific distance that are followed by meteor.run. These statistics are constantly evolving as new races are added to the website and as the new editions of the events are updated.