In general, a good mile run time is between 8 to 10 minutes. The average 1 mile run time by age is about 9:15 for men and 10:40 for women. For kids (10 – 17yrs), the average 1 mile run time for girls is between 10:00 to 11:30, and for boys, it’s between 7:00 to 10:00.
Our easy-to-read tables have the average mile time by age and ability for men, women, and kids.
Whether you’re looking to improve your mile time for a personal goal or want to compete, this article will give you the info you need.
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Table Contents
Average 1 mile run time by age
For the tables in this article, we’ve defined running ability to mean the following:
- Beginner — A beginner runner is new to running and has a month’s running experience. He or she will still need to work on proper running form, endurance, and fitness.
- Novice — A novice runner has about 6 months of running experience and will have a faster average mile time than a beginner. He or she might have difficulty keeping running speed over longer distances.
- Intermediate— An intermediate runner has been training consistently for at least two years and has completed several races. He or she is able to keep a moderate pace for longer distances without any issues.
- Advanced — An advanced runner has at least 5 years of running experience. They have a high level of fitness and faster times than 80% of runners.
- Elite – An elite runner has dedicated more than 5 years of running to become a competitive athlete. These are the fastest and most highly trained runners.
Average 1 mile run time by age and ability for men
The average 1 mile run time by age for men is about 9:15.
A good mile time to hit for men of all ages and abilities is 06:37.
The current world record fastest mile time for a man is 03 minutes 43.13 seconds held by Hicham El Guerrouj (Morocco).
| Age | Beginner | Novice | Intermediate | Advanced | Elite |
| 20 | 09:25 | 07:48 | 06:37 | 05:46 | 05:08 |
| 25 | 09:25 | 07:48 | 06:37 | 05:46 | 05:08 |
| 30 | 09:26 | 07:49 | 06:38 | 05:46 | 05:09 |
| 35 | 09:35 | 07:56 | 06:44 | 05:52 | 05:14 |
| 40 | 09:55 | 08:13 | 06:58 | 06:04 | 05:25 |
| 45 | 10:17 | 08:31 | 07:14 | 06:18 | 05:37 |
| 50 | 10:41 | 08:51 | 07:31 | 06:33 | 05:50 |
| 55 | 11:08 | 09:13 | 07:49 | 06:48 | 06:04 |
| 60 | 11:36 | 09:36 | 08:09 | 07:06 | 06:20 |
| 65 | 12:07 | 10:02 | 08:31 | 07:25 | 06:37 |
| 70 | 12:43 | 10:32 | 08:57 | 07:47 | 06:56 |
| 75 | 13:40 | 11:19 | 09:37 | 08:22 | 07:27 |
| 80 | 15:08 | 12:32 | 10:38 | 09:15 | 08:15 |
| 85 | 17:25 | 14:26 | 12:15 | 10:39 | 09:30 |
| 90 | 21:13 | 17:35 | 14:55 | 12:59 | 11:35 |
The average mile run time by age for men is about 9:15. A good mile time is 06:37. The current world record for a 1-mile race is 03:43.13 and is held by Hicham El Guerrouj.
Average 1 mile run time by age and ability for women
The average 1 mile run time by age for women is about 10:40.
A good 1 mile run time to work toward is 07:44.
The current world record fastest mile run time for women is 04 minutes 7.64 seconds achieved by Faith Kipyegon (Kenya) in Monaco on the 21st July 2023. She beat the previous world record of 04:12.33 (held by Sifan Hassan) by 5 seconds.
Age | Beginner | Novice | Intermediate | Advanced | Elite |
20 | 10:40 | 09:00 | 07:44 | 06:48 | 06:05 |
25 | 10:40 | 09:00 | 07:44 | 06:48 | 06:05 |
30 | 10:40 | 09:00 | 07:44 | 06:48 | 06:05 |
35 | 10:44 | 09:04 | 07:47 | 06:50 | 06:08 |
40 | 10:57 | 09:15 | 07:57 | 06:59 | 06:15 |
45 | 11:21 | 09:35 | 08:14 | 07:14 | 06:29 |
50 | 11:56 | 10:04 | 08:40 | 07:36 | 06:49 |
55 | 12:37 | 10:39 | 09:09 | 08:02 | 07:12 |
60 | 13:23 | 11:18 | 09:43 | 08:32 | 07:39 |
65 | 14:16 | 12:02 | 10:21 | 09:05 | 08:09 |
70 | 15:15 | 12:52 | 11:04 | 09:43 | 08:42 |
75 | 16:23 | 13:50 | 11:53 | 10:26 | 09:21 |
80 | 17:44 | 14:58 | 12:52 | 11:18 | 10:08 |
85 | 19:58 | 16:51 | 14:29 | 12:43 | 11:24 |
90 | 24:04 | 20:19 | 17:28 | 15:20 | 13:45 |
The average 1-mile run time by age for women is about 10:40. A good time to aim for is 07:44. The current world record is 04:07.64 held by Faith Kipyegon.
Average 1 mile run time by age for kids (10 - 17 yrs)
The average 1 mile run time by age for boys and girls will vary quite a bit depending on gender, age, developmental stage, fitness levels, and training.
Puberty plays a big role in mile times. For example, a 14-year-old boy who has matured quickly will potentially have a faster mile time than someone the same age who has just hit puberty.
Keep this in mind when comparing average mile run times for kids and teens.
Average mile pace for girls (10 - 17 years)
According to the National Fitness Standards (USA), the average mile time for girls between the ages of 10 to 17 years can range from 10:22 to 11:22. However, this doesn’t take into account ability.
For example, the average 1 mile run time by age 14 can vary from 6:30 for an Elite runner to 11:30 for a beginner runner.
Use the table below for girls’ average 1-mile run time by age.
Age | Beginner | Novice | Intermediate | Advanced | Elite |
10 | 12:30 | 10:30 | 9:03 | 07:57 | 7:08 |
11 | 12:15 | 10:15 | 9:15 | 8:15 | 7:15 |
12 | 12:00 | 10:00 | 9:00 | 8:00 | 7:00 |
13 | 11:45 | 9:45 | 8:45 | 7:45 | 6:45 |
14 | 11:30 | 9:30 | 8:30 | 7:30 | 6:30 |
15 | 11:12 | 9:27 | 8:08 | 7:08 | 06:24 |
16 | 11:00 | 9:00 | 8:00 | 7:00 | 6:00 |
17 | 10:45 | 8:45 | 7:45 | 6:45 | 5:45 |
Average mile run time for boys (10 to 17 years)
The average mile run time can vary quite a bit between boys ages 10 – 17 due to the rapid growth that occurs during puberty.
The National Fitness Standards gives a range of 7:04 to 9:20 for the average 1 mile run for boys. However, this does not take into account development and ability.
Use the table below for boys’ average 1 mile run time based on their ability.
Age | Beginner | Novice | Intermediate | Advanced | Elite |
10 | 11:16 | 09:20 | 7:55 | 6:54 | 6:09 |
11 | 11:00 | 09:00 | 7:45 | 6:45 | 6:00 |
12 | 10:45 | 08:50 | 7:35 | 6:40 | 5:55 |
13 | 10:30 | 08:40 | 7:20 | 6:30 | 5:50 |
14 | 10:15 | 08:30 | 7:05 | 6:20 | 5:45 |
15 | 10:00 | 08:20 | 7:00 | 6:10 | 5:40 |
16 | 09:45 | 08:10 | 6:50 | 6:00 | 5:35 |
17 | 09:30 | 08:00 | 6:45 | 5:50 | 5:30 |
The average 1 mile run time for girls between the ages of 10 to 17 years can range from 10:22 to 11:22. The average mile run time for boys (10 to 17 years) can range from 7:04 to 9:20.
What is a good mile time?
A good mile time really depends on the individual. Factors such as age, gender, fitness level and overall health will affect time.
A good mile time for a beginner runner is generally about 10 to 12 minutes. For more experienced runners, a good time would be anything under 8 minutes.
Here are some general guidelines for good mile times for various ages.
A good mile time for under 20 years old | 6:37 min (male), 7:44 min (female)
A good mile time for 20 – 29 years old | 6:26 min (male), 7:31 min (female)
A good mile time for 30 – 39 years old | 6:37 min (male), 7:44 min (female)
A good mile time for 40 – 49 years old | 6:48 min (male), 7:57 min (female)
A good mile for 50 – 59 years old | 7:09 min (male), 8:20 min (female)
A good mile for 60 – 69 years old | 7:30 min (male), 8:43 min (female)
A good mile 70+ years old | 7:51 min (male), 9:06 min (female)
| Age | Male | Female |
| <20 | 6:37 | 7:44 |
| 20 – 29 | 6:26 | 7:31 |
| 30 – 39 | 6:37 | 7:44 |
| 40 – 49 | 6:48 | 7:57 |
| 50 – 59 | 7:09 | 8:20 |
| 60 – 69 | 7:30 | 8:43 |
| 70+ | 7:51 | 9:06 |
While it’s good to know how you measure up compared to other runners your age or your ability, to work out a good mile time for yourself, it’s best to measure how long you take to run a mile and then work towards improving that time.
A good mile for a beginner is generally about 10 - 12 minutes. A good time is anything under 8 minutes.
What factors can influence your mile time?
There are several factors that can influence how fast you can run a mile.
Sometimes you might have all the key factors in check, but still not beat your personal record on a particular day.
Here are the key factors that will influence your average mile time.
Fitness level
Your overall fitness, cardiovascular endurance, muscle strength, and flexibility are the primary components that impact your average mile time. A person with higher cardiovascular fitness will be faster than someone with poor fitness levels. The more you run, the fitter you get, so the faster your average mile time.
Age
As we age, our cardiovascular system, muscles, and bones change. This leads to a gradual decrease in performance. The reason for this is that the maximum heart rate decreases and the muscles become weaker and less flexible.
Genetics
Some people simply have the genes to be better runners than others. They’ve usually inherited traits such as long legs, efficient muscle fibers, and a high VO2 max.
Gender
Men are generally bigger than women and have higher testosterone levels. They also tend to have a higher lean body mass and larger lung capacity. This leads to faster mile run times.
However, with proper training and conditioning, women can perform at a high level that’s on par with men. For example, the world record 1-mile run of 04:07 is still faster than the elite men’s time of 05:08.
Your training plan
This means that younger runners usually have faster mile run times than older runners.
However, as you can see in the video, with proper training and conditioning, older runners can improve their performance and maintain their fitness levels.
Of all the factors that can influence your mile time, your training plan is the most critical. A well-designed training routine will help you increase your average running speed, strength, and endurance.
Your plan should also include a combination of:
- Cardiovascular workouts
- Strength training
- Stretching and flexibility
Additionally, it should be tailored to your age, fitness level, and goals. Following a well-designed training program will significantly improve your 1-mile run time.
The main factors that can influence your running time include your fitness level, age, genetics, gender and your training plan.
How to improve your 1 mile run time
The 1 mile run is a common benchmark for many runners. No matter your level of ability, there are always ways to improve your mile time. Here are a few tips to help you run a mile faster.
Improve your running form — Running with proper form will help you conserve energy and be more efficient in your movements. This in turn will lead to faster times. Maintain a tall posture, land lightly on your feet, and swing your arms naturally.
Work on speed — Include interval training, tempo runs and hill repeats to work on your speed and increase your aerobic capacity.
Hit the hills — One of the best ways to build leg strength and endurance is hill training. Add regular hill training or running on a treadmill with incline to challenge yourself – check out our Noble Pro Elite 10i treadmill review – see how it stacks up for features, performance, and whether it’s the right choice for your home workout.
Build endurance — Add longer runs or steady-state runs into your training program to build your endurance. The greater your endurance, the more you’ll be able to maintain a steady pace throughout your 1-mile run.
Build muscle — Strong legs will help you generate more power and speed during your runs. Add regular strength training in the form of squats, lunges and calf raises to build your leg muscles.
Do jump training (plyometrics) — Jump training, such as jump squats and box jumps, will build your explosive power. This will translate into faster mile run times.
Find your rhythm (work on your cadence) — Cadence is the number of steps you take per minute. Maintaining a consistent cadence will help you keep a steady pace and also reduce your risk of injury. Use a metronome app or count your steps per minute to improve your cadence.
By incorporating these tips into your training program, you can increase your mile time. You’ll also become a stronger and faster runner. As with all thing, we recommend starting out slowly to avoid injury.
There are several factors to address to improve your 1 mile run time: your form, running speed, hill training, endurance, muscle mass, and power.
FAQs
Is running a mile in 6 minutes good?
A 6-minute mile time is considered a good time for most individuals. The pace is approximately 6 miles per hour which is a fast running pace.
What is a good 1 mile time?
A good mile time will vary depending on the age, fitness level, gender and running ability. Generally, for an average adult who runs for fitness, a mile run time of 8-10 minutes is considered good.
What is a good time to run a mile by age?
A good time to run a mile for any age is 8 – 10 minutes. However, more skilled runners will have faster times.
How fast should a 14 year old run 1 mile?
A good mile time for a 14-year-old is around 8 – 9 minutes. However, this can vary greatly depending on the gender, fitness level and running ability.
Is 7 minutes good for 1 mile?
Yes, a 7-minute mile run time is a good time for most people. It’s faster than the average 1 mile run time and indicates a high level of fitness and running ability.
Is a 15 minute mile terrible?
No, it’s not a terrible time. It’s important to remember that everyone starts at different levels. Use your 15-minute mile time as a base time and aim to improve your time gradually.
Is 1 mile in 20 minutes good?
Completing a mile in 20 minutes is considered a very slow pace. However, everyone has different starting points and levels of fitness and with training and practice, there can be improvement.
What is a fast high school mile?
A fast high school mile is under 5 minutes for boys and under 6 minutes for girls. However, the range of what’s considered fast can vary between individuals due to running ability and training.
Overall Summary
- The average 1 mile run time by age will vary depending on gender, fitness levels and training. Generally, a good mile run time is 8 – 10 minutes for any level.
- Mile run times for kids can be greatly affected by their level of development, gender and fitness levels.
- A comprehensive training program can help you improve your mile run time.
