How long is a marathon?
How long is a marathon: 26.2 miles, or 42.195 kilometers, the same distance at every certified race in the world. This page converts the distance into kilometers, meters and track laps, compares it with the half, 10K and 5K, and shows what it means in hours. The generator turns it into a training plan.
How many miles in a marathon
A marathon is 26.219 miles. Runners and race bibs round it to 26.2. Your watch usually reads more at the line, since nobody runs the shortest line through every turn. In metric units the distance is 42.195 kilometers, or 42,195 meters. On a standard 400-meter track that is a little over 105 laps.
The distance comes from the 1908 London Olympic marathon, which ran 26 miles 385 yards from Windsor Castle to the stadium finish. The IAAF adopted it as the standard in 1921, and every race that calls itself a marathon has used it since.
| Unit | Marathon distance |
|---|---|
| Miles | 26.219 (26.2) |
| Kilometers | 42.195 |
| Meters | 42,195 |
| Yards | 46,145 (26 miles 385 yards) |
| Laps of a 400 m track | About 105.5 |
| Half marathons | 2 |
Build your free marathon plan
Same engine as every plan on this site, but with your race date, your run days and your longest recent run. Prints to PDF, exports to your calendar. No signup.
How far is a marathon compared with other races
The half marathon is exactly half, 13.1 miles. The 10K is less than a quarter of the way and the 5K is about an eighth. The gap between a half and a full is the reason marathon training is a separate project: the long run alone is longer than a whole half marathon race.
| Race | Miles | Kilometers | Share of a marathon |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5K | 3.107 | 5 | About 12 percent |
| 10K | 6.214 | 10 | About 24 percent |
| Half marathon | 13.109 | 21.0975 | 50 percent |
| Marathon | 26.219 | 42.195 | 100 percent |
The half marathon distance and 5K distance pages cover the shorter races in the same detail.
How long is a marathon in hours
The distance is fixed; the time is yours. At 9:09 per mile the marathon takes 4:00, at 11:27 per mile it takes 5:00, and walking at 15:00 per mile takes about 6:33. The marathon pace chart lists every finish time with pace per mile and per kilometer, and how long does it take to run a marathon explains what moves your number.
Halfway is 13.1 miles, which is why pace pages such as 4 hour marathon pace show the halfway split: it is the one mark on the course every runner checks.
How long is a marathon to train for
Most plans run 16 to 20 weeks for a first marathon and build the long run to 18 to 20 miles about three weeks before the race. You never run the full 26.2 in training; the taper and race-day adrenaline carry the last six miles. The 16-week marathon plan shows the usual shape, and how long to train for a marathon covers each starting point.
Frequently asked questions
How long is a marathon in miles?
26.2 miles, precisely 26.219 miles, which is 42.195 kilometers.
How many miles in a marathon race?
Every certified marathon is 26.2 miles. A race shorter or longer than that is not a marathon, whatever its name says.
How long is a marathon run in time?
Four hours at 9:09 per mile, five hours at 11:27 per mile. The pace chart lists the rest.
Is every marathon the same distance?
Yes, 42.195 kilometers. Courses differ in hills and turns, so times differ, but the measured distance does not.
How far is a half marathon?
13.1 miles, or 21.0975 kilometers: exactly half of a marathon.