What is a good 5km time? World records, parkrun records and the average times for amateur runners and triathletes
The 5km is possibly the most popular run distance there is, but what constitutes a ‘good’ 5km time?
From weekly parkruns to organised races, the 5km is distance which is both accessible for new runners, and still a challenge for experienced runners looking to cover the distance as fast as they can.
And while running is about way more than finish times, plenty of people are interested in finding out how their personal best stacks up. With that in mind, we take a look at the record 5km times from the track, road and in triathlon. Plus a dive into the data to find out what an average, good and an excellent 5km time might be for an amateur runner, and for an age-grouper racing a sprint triathlon.
World record 5km times – how fast can the professionals run a 5km?
Before we look at the stats for amateur runners and age group triathletes, first let’s find out just how rapid the elites are. The 5km can be completed as an athletics event on the track (known as the 5000m) or on the road.
5000m track World and Olympic record times
The world record times for the 5000m distance on the track are blisteringly quick. The men’s record is help by Joshua Cheptegei, who set a time of 12 mins 35.36 seconds in 2020. That’s a pace of 4:03 mins/mile (2:31 mins/km). Along with his 5000m record, Cheptegei is also the reigning World and Olympic champion for 10,000m.
The women’s 5000m track world record is held by Gudaf Tsegay who ran 14:00:21 in 2023 – that’s a pace of 4:30 mins/mile (2:48 mins/km). Tsegay is also the world record holder for the women’s 1500m short track.
Paris 2024 wasn’t to be a record-breaking year for the 5000m, and Vivian Jepkemei Cheruiyot remains the reigning women’s Olympic 5000m record holder, with her time of 14:26:17 set at the Rio 2016 Games. And for the men, Kenenisa Bekele’s Beijing 2008 Olympics record of 12:57:82 still stands.
5km road running world records
The margin between the 5km road record times and the track times are perhaps smaller than you might think given that conditions out on the road have far more variables than racing on a track. The men’s 5km world record is held by Berihu Aregawi, who ran 12 mins 49s for the distance in 2021 – equivalent to 4:08 mins/mile (2:34 mins/km).
Beatrice Chebet holds the women’s 5km road running world record, with her time of 14 mins 13s set in December 2023. To keep up with Beatrice, you’d need to run at 4:35 mins/mile (2:51 mins/km).
Race walking 5km records
If you caught some of the race walking from the Paris 2024 Olympics on TV, then like us you might have been surprised at just how quick those athletes manage to go without actually running. To put it into perspective, the world record 5km race walking time for men is 18 mins 21s (set by Robert Korzeniowski in 1990) and for women it’s 19 mins 46s (Kjersti Tysse-Platzer, 2006).
Those are times that the majority of us would struggle to hit even running full pelt!
Fastest parkrun times
parkrun is built on the foundation of being a run, not a race, to make it inclusive for all abilities. But that doesn’t stop some seriously speedy runners showing up to use the weekly timed 5km as a time trial.
The women’s parkrun record is held by Ciara Mageean who ran a 15:13 in December 2023. The elite runner was set to represent Team Ireland in the 1500m at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, however, sadly she had to pull out of her heat at the Games due to an Achilles issue. Mageean’s record parkrun time was 18s quicker than the previous time set by Melissa Courtney-Bryant.
At the start of November 2024, Nick Griggs broke the men’s parkrun record with a time of 13 mins 44s at Victoria Park in Belfast. The lightning-fast time was actually just shy of his personal best (13:39). The 19-year-old, who was Under 20s 3000m European Champion in 2021 and won the silver in the same event last year, took the record from Andy Butchart, a Team GB Olympian who competed in the 5000m at Rio and Tokyo, Butchart’s record had stood at 13 mins 45s.
How fast can PRO triathletes run 5km?
In short course triathlon, many of the major races – such as the Paris 2024 triathlon – take place over the Olympic distance. But PRO sprint (and super sprint) racing is becoming more prevalent, with the fast and furious racing helping to capture the imagination of wider audiences. In a sprint distance triathlon, the athletes tick off a 750m swim followed by a full gas 20km bike ride before they even begin their 5km run.
To find out who’s got the fastest feet in triathlon, we spoke to data guru Graeme Acheson of Sports4Cast. Graeme was quick to highlight that as ever in triathlon “it is very dependent on accurate distance measuring, which is almost never done.” A case in point is that the fastest recorded run split in a sprint triathlon is an 11:58 by Cecilia Perez at the 2016 New Plymouth ITU Triathlon World Cup. That wouldn’t just be a female and male triathlon record for 5km – it would also be a world record in athletics too. So we can probably assume the course was short.
Fastest female 5km times in PRO triathlon
Casting aside some of the anomalies, Graeme’s data suggests that Cassandre Beaugrand has the fastest run split in a sprint distance triathlon to date. She covered the 5km distance in 15:08 at the 2021 European Triathlon Cup in Melilla. Countrywoman Leonie Perault was in hot pursuit at the same race, posting a 15:12 run split.
If you were following short course racing a few years ago, you’ll remember how often we saw Gwen Jorgensen tearing through the field on the run. So it’s perhaps unsurprising that prior to Beaugrand’s rapid time, Jorgensen held the fastest triathlon 5km with a 15:44 at the 2016 ITU race in Hamburg.
Acheson also gives an honourable mention to Michelle Dillon, who ran a 14:35 in 1998 at the European Triathlon Union sprint in Funchal. “It was probably short”, Graeme caveats. But noteworthy all the same!
Fastest male 5km times in PRO triathlon
On the men’s side, Jacob Birtwhistle and Mario Mola seem to be tied for the accolade of fastest triathlon 5km time. Mola, a three-time ITU World Champion who competed at the London, Rio and Tokyo Olympic Games, ran a swift 13:55 at the 2015 ITU race in Hamburg. Beating Javier Gomez’s previous fastest time of 13:59 at the 2012 ITU race in Stockholm. Mola seemingly had a seven-year reign as the fast 5km-er in triathlon, with his quick split equalled by Jacob Birtwhistle at the 2022 Oceania Triathlon Cup Gold Coast.
Notable 5km times for PRO triathletes away from the swim-bike-run race track
We have had Lucy Charles-Barclay recently breaking the British and European Masters record for 1500m in the pool to the likes of Taylor Knibb and Cameron Wurf being strong enough on the bike to make it onto PRO cycling team rosters. In recent years we’ve seen elite triathletes become so strong across all three disciplines that they can hold their own against single sport specialists. And it’s no different for running.
Back in 2021 Beth Potter, Paris 2024 Olympic bronze medallist, ran what would have been a world record-breaking 5km time. Racing at the Podium 5km event in Lancashire, Potter – who competed at the Rio 2016 as a track runner – ran a 14:41 5km. Unfortunately her time wasn’t officially ratified as a world record because certain event eligibility measures weren’t in place. However, it’s still an impressive feat from Beth all the same!
We already know that Olympic gold medallist Cassandre Beaugrand is also one of the fastest runners in triathlon. And earlier this year she showed her running was in good form away from the swim-bike-run race track, with a standalone 5km time of 15:34 at the Derby Midweek 5km – reportedly in the midst of a big week of training.
READ MORE: We test the science behind Cassandre Beaugrand’s gold medal winning Olympic preparations.
Paris 2024 gold medal winner Alex Yee set his 5km PR in 2020 at the Podium 5km, running a lightning-fast 13:26. He beat his own record on the track (previously 13:29:18) and lowered the previous British record – although first place finisher Marc Scott came in 6s faster and held the honours.
And at this year’s Podium 5k, Jonny Brownlee proved he’s still got “some speed in the legs” with his 14:05 finish time – equalling his best time (according to Graeme Acheson’s data) in a triathlon. Brownlee ran a 14:05 off the bike at the 2012 ITU sprint race in Stockholm.
The long-distance triathletes are no slouch over the 5km either. Back in 2022, long-course racer Sam Long of the USA took on Brit ITU athlete Dan Dixon in a 5km time trial. Chasing down the short-course specialist saw Long run his ‘fastest 5km ever’ – improving his previous PR of 16:09 down to a speedy 14:52.
What is a ‘good’ 5km time for amateur runners?
Remember that a ‘good’ 5km time is always subjective, because ultimately it will come down to your personal running journey. Being able to run 5km in any time is something to be proud of. But if you’ve got a few 5km races under your belt and you’re looking to get an idea of how you stack up against other amateur runners, or if you’re looking for a new target to aim for. You might want to know what the average, good and excellent 5km times are.
Using recent amateur 5km road races – the Victoria Park 5km and the Run Alton 5km in the UK, and the hugely popular Abbott Dash To The Finish Line 5km in New York City USA (which had almost 10,000 participants in 2024!) – we’ve crunched the numbers to build a picture of an average, good and excellent 5km finish time for women and for men. Take a look at how you stack up.
Average, good and excellent 5km times for women
The 5km seems to be a particularly popular distance among female runners – it was interesting to note that at all three races we used to gather our data for good 5km times for women, there were more female runners than male.
Average, good and excellent 5km times for men
Using the same race results, here’s how the men stacked up on average.
How fast do age-groupers run 5km in a sprint triathlon on average?
Compared to standalone 5km events, triathletes competing in a sprint triathlon tend to cover 5km faster on average even with the swim and the bike beforehand. That may be because 5km races typically have more participants who are in the early stages of their running/fitness journey, but it also shows the benefits of the holistic nature of triathlon training for your overall fitness.
To get an idea of the average 5km time for an amateur in a sprint triathlon, we looked at the results from the Royal Windsor Triathlon in 2024, which had just over 600 participants. Here’s what we found:
Sprint distance triathlon 5km times for women
Sprint distance triathlon 5km times for men
Want to see how you’d stack up over other popular run distances? Take a look at our analysis of average 10km, half marathon and marathon finish times. And check out our new indoor running section to discover the treadmill workouts and form drills that will help you to improve your running.
