How to Set a Goal for Your First Marathon

For a first marathon, finishing is a meaningful achievement regardless of the clock. Coaches Jess Movold and Jes Woods say runners can still use a performance target, but a single precise number may create unnecessary pressure during an unfamiliar 26.2-mile effort.

Among U.S. marathon participants in 2024, the average finish was 4 hours 34 minutes, or 10:27 per mile, according to a 2025 RunRepeat report. Average times were 4:24 for male runners and 4:51 for female runners. Runners ages 18 to 24 averaged 4:19, while those over 65 averaged 5:35. A calculator, shorter-race results, and marathon-pace workouts can help estimate a starting range, though late-race conditions and other variables can change the result.

Movold recommends using the pace from your longest training run as a reference, then allowing 10 seconds on either side and expanding the estimate across the marathon distance. A 10:00 pace over 20 miles, for example, points to roughly 4:18:00 to 4:33:00 before widening that to 4:15:00–4:45:00. Runners whose long runs feel especially easy may subtract 45 to 60 seconds from that pace. Coaches also suggest non-time goals, such as handling a difficult stretch, running the second half faster, or limiting walking, so the race includes more measures of accomplishment than finish time alone.