How Much Time Does It Take to Finish A Marathon? Average Marathon Finish Times

How long does it take to finish a marathon?

The answer, based on our analysis of 230,251 finishers in 25 races: 4:24, on average.

Here's how the average finish time stacks up against the 25.


Naturally, the time it takes to finish a marathon will depend on your age. Based on our analysis of results by age group at Boston, Chicago and New York marathons, plus our own experience on those courses, we developed an Adjusted Marathon Finish Time by Age Group.


Want to run an above average marathon? Beat these times.

A lot of first-time marathoners define their goal as 'Beat Oprah'. They want to run faster than Oprah Winfrey did in her first and only marathon, the Marine Corps Marathon. What was Oprah's marathon time? She ran a 4:29 in the women's 40-44 age group, beating the adjusted time of 4:35.


New for the 2011-2012 marathon season: we've analyzed 75 of the top marathons in North America -- with 330,000 finishers and 50,000 Boston Qualifiers --  to determine which ones are the biggest, toughest, fastest, and more.

Beyond the numbers, we've got personal experience, having competed in many of the marathons listed here, a total of 85 marathons overall, to add credibility to the rankings.

ToughestBoston is toughest of our top 25, but with a deceptively fastest overall time, being exclusive to the qualified marathoners. Among marathons open to all runners, Los Angeles, Disney World, Portland (Oregon), RnR San Diego and Marine Corps are most challenging, based on average finish times.

Noteworthy: Chicago's 4:43 in 2010 ranked it 6th toughest overall. For more, see our detailed analysis of Chicago Finish Times by Age Group.  


Easiest: There is no such thing as an easy marathon. 26.2 miles is 26.2 miles, and competing in one is an awesome undertaking and an extraordinary achievement. But when it comes to faster marathon courses, Hamilton, Bay State, Pocono Mountain, Sugarloaf and Hudson River top the list.


And yes, we know very well that there are many, many smaller marathons not on this list that are wicked hard. We limited the analysis to these races, representing hundreds of thousands of finishers. For more see our Complete Marathon Coverage, and more detailed analysis, below.






Ironman USA Lake Placid: Everything You Need to Know




Ironman Lake Placid is one of the toughest Ironman races in the world. With a tight swimming venue, challenging elevation swings on the bike course, and a tough run course, racers are pushed to their limits in Lake Placid.

I've completed this race six times (1999, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2007), and covered the race from end to end in 2010. Believe me: finish this race, and you'll deserve to be very proud.

These links (excerpts from the book Ironman Lake Placid) will lead you to just about anything you want to know about Ironman Lake Placid.

Ironman Lake Placid Results Analysis
Analysis: Finishers and Kona Qualifiers

Racing Ironman Lake Placid
Lake Placid vs. other Ironman Races



Ironman Lake Placid 2011 Results Analysis

More than 2330 triathletes (after an estimated DNS = 14% and DNF = 6%) finished Ironman Lake Placid 2011 in an average time of 13 hours, 4 minutes. This result places Lake Placid among the more challenging Ironman events in our rankingsCompared with 2010 results (gray bar),  2011 overall average times per age group (blue bar) were generally slower across the board.


Ironman Lake Placid Kona Qualifying times were also slower in many age groups, compared to 2010. 


A new 'no wetsuits allowed' policy was enacted in 2011 for those who raced to qualify for Kona. It made for some interesting comparisons.


The overall 13:04 average finish time included a 1:18 average swim, 6:36 average bike split, and a 4:52 average run split, with the remaining time spent in transitions.


The bike course can be ruthless, with its effects made apparent on the run. The chart below plots each finisher's bike split (x) and run split (y); those in the upper left quadrant are the ones who biked too hard and suffered as a result, on the run.


The participants' age distribution and entrant location charts; full results are at ironman.com. For more, see our Complete Ironman Lake Placid Coverage.








Average Ironman Triathlon Finish Times, Splits by Race and Age Group

Average Finish Times by Age Group for all major Ironman triathlons:



Click on any link below for detailed splits by race and age group.




For more detail and comparison with other age groups and races, see: