Average Marathon Times by Age and Gender (2026 Data)
Updated: 2 hours ago
Written by Andy Hood · Ultra runner, cancer survivor and Runna ambassador
Published 29 October 2026
Average Marathon Time: Quick Answer
Average marathon time: about 4 hours 30 minutes. London 2026 averaged 4:36:28 and US marathons averaged 4:34 in 2024.
Average marathon time for men: 4:29:03 at London 2026 and 4:24 in the US.
Average marathon time for women: 4:47:29 at London 2026 and 4:51 in the US.
Fastest age group: 40–44, for both men and women, at London in 2025 and 2026.
London Marathon Good For Age 2027: sub 3:07 for men and sub 3:53 for women aged 50–54. Applications close at 16:00 on 29 October 2026.
London Marathon Good For Age entries for 2027 closed October 29. And using my Instagram as a benchmark there are a lot of GFA entries this year. Even after you've trained hard, found a qualifying race and run like you stole it, there's no guarantee of a place. If you miss out, there are still other ways to run London 2027.
And 2027 isn't just any London. It's The Double: two days of epic running in the capital. I'll be there for the whole weekend, supporting on the Saturday and running on the Sunday for The Robin Cancer Trust. Dressed as a giant pair of testicles. Read my Journey to London posts for the full story on that one.
The GFA deadline got me thinking. Forget the qualifying times for a moment. What does the average marathon time actually look like for the mass runner, and are we really getting faster? We wear more tech on our wrists than got Apollo to the moon, so there's no shortage of data to trawl through.
Here's what it says.
In this article
London Marathon Good For Age Times 2027
The 2027 London Marathon Good For Age standard is sub 2:52 for men and sub 3:38 for women aged 18–39, easing with age. Places are capped at 6,000, split 3,000 men and 3,000 women, and go fastest first relative to age. Only UK residents can apply.
The qualifying window ran from 1 October 2025 to 30 September 2026, and the time must come from a certified course. For The Double, the men's GFA race is on Saturday 24 April and the women's on Sunday 25 April. Hitting the time only earns you the right to apply. (London Marathon Events)
Average Marathon Time for Men and Women
The average marathon time is about 4 hours 30 minutes, and men finish between about 18 and 40 minutes ahead of women, depending on the race and whether you use the average or the median.
That London median is the stat I like best.
Among the roughly 60% of runners who logged their race on Strava, half the men finished under four hours.
Strava users probably skew a little keener than the field as a whole, but it's still a cracking stat. The average is slower because a long tail of walkers, costumes and fridge-carriers pulls it out. I'll be adding to that tail myself next April.
London set a world record with 59,830 finishers in 2026, and 5.57% of them broke three hours. Sources: Meta Endurance, Marathons.com, runABC, RunRepeat, Running with Rock.
Average Marathon Time by Age Group
At the 2026 London Marathon, the fastest age group for both men and women was 40–44, the same as in 2025. The men in that group averaged around 8 minutes quicker than the overall male average. (Meta Endurance)
The US data tells a different story. RunRepeat's World Athletics-backed analysis of US races, with men and women combined, has the youngest runners fastest, with times climbing through the 40s and rising more steeply after 55.
Split by sex, the fastest US men's group is 35–39 at a median of 4:04:26, while the fastest women's group is 20–24 at 4:28:48. At 60–64, men run a median of 4:43:03 and women 5:15:34. (RunRepeat, Running with Rock)
So why do the 40-somethings come out on top at London? I couldn't find a study that answers it, but I have a theory. The marathon boom is being driven by Gen Z, with Gen Z marathon participation up 33% in 2025 according to Strava (Women's Running). I'd bet plenty of those younger runners are on their first marathon, while the 40-somethings have a few under their belt.
Either way, as a runner in my 50s, I'm taking it as proof the best is yet to come. The over-50s at London backed me up: Alice Braham ran 2:36:25 and Will Green 2:23:07, both new British over-50 age-group records.
Marathon Finish Time Trends 2019–2026
Average marathon times are getting slightly faster. The average US marathon time fell from 4:39 in 2019 to 4:34 in 2024, and RunRepeat says times are improving across sexes and age groups for the first time in decades. Men got 2.2% faster and women 1.1%.
London is more mixed.
The overall 2026 average was about 4 minutes faster than 2025, and the Strava medians were about three minutes quicker for both men and women after a hot 2025.
But Meta Endurance's figures show the men's average actually slowed, from 4:23 to 4:29, while the women's fell from around 5 hours to 4:47.
The elites are flying, of course. Sabastian Sawe ran 1:59:30 at London in April, the first official sub-two-hour marathon. A 2026 study of top-10 finishers at the World Marathon Majors found elite men about 1.7% faster and elite women about 4% faster in the super-shoe era. Elite women also started faster and slowed more sharply late in the race. That's the elites, not us mere mortals, but the lesson travels: carbon plates don't fix pacing. Neither, I suspect, does a testicle costume. (Marathon Handbook)
London Marathon 2027 Dates: The Double
The 2027 TCS London Marathon is a one-off two-day event on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 April, with 100,000 runners on the same route from Greenwich to Westminster. Runners can't switch days. Saturday's finish closes at 17:30, a maximum of 7 hours 45 minutes. (London Marathon Events)
Demand explains why. A record 1.1 million people entered the 2026 ballot, nearly double the figure from two years earlier. (Marathon Tours & Travel, Citizen Digital) That's the London Marathon effect in full swing.
My plan is simple. Cheer on Saturday, run on Sunday, raise as much as I can for The Robin Cancer Trust, and try not to get stuck under the finish gantry. Here's the London Marathon training plan I'm using to get there. If the data is right, I won't be the fastest 50-something on The Mall, but I'll definitely be the most memorable.
Got your GFA time? Get your application in before 16:00 today.
Average Marathon Time FAQs
What is the average marathon time?
The average marathon time is about 4 hours 30 minutes. The 2026 London Marathon averaged 4:36:28 across 59,830 finishers, and US marathons averaged 4:34 in 2024. Median times are faster, at around 4:25 in the US.
What is the average marathon time for men?
The average marathon time for men is about 4 hours 15 to 4 hours 30 minutes. Men averaged 4:29:03 at the 2026 London Marathon and 4:24 in US races in 2024. Median times are faster: 4:14 in the US, and 3:59:06 among London runners who logged their race on Strava.
What is the average marathon time for women?
The average marathon time for women is about 4 hours 40 to 4 hours 50 minutes. Women averaged 4:47:29 at the 2026 London Marathon and 4:51 in US races in 2024. Median times are 4:41 in the US and 4:39:28 among London runners who logged their race on Strava.
What is the average marathon time for a 50 year old?
The average marathon time for runners aged 45–54 is about 4 hours 38 minutes, based on 2024 US data for men and women combined. Times rise to about 4:58 for ages 55–64. A 50–54 runner needs sub 3:07 (men) or sub 3:53 (women) for a London Good For Age place.
What age group runs the fastest marathon times?
Runners aged 40–44 recorded the fastest average times at the London Marathon in both 2025 and 2026, for men and women. In US data, the fastest men's group is 35–39 and the fastest women's group is 20–24.
What is the London Marathon Good For Age time?
The 2027 London Marathon Good For Age time is sub 2:52 for men and sub 3:38 for women aged 18–39. Standards ease with age, to sub 3:07 and sub 3:53 at 50–54. Places are capped at 6,000 and allocated fastest first.
When is the London Marathon 2027?
The 2027 London Marathon is a two-day event called The Double, held on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 April 2027. It will host 100,000 runners on the same route, and each runner takes part on one day only.
About the Author Andy Hood
Andy Hood writes Running Westward Ho, a running blog about [one line on what the blog covers]. A runner in his 50s, Andy has run 24 hours on a treadmill and is currently training for an ultra. He will run the 2027 TCS London Marathon on Sunday 25 April for The Robin Cancer Trust, dressed as a giant pair of testicles, after cheering on the Saturday field. [Add credentials: marathons completed, PBs, club, any coaching qualifications.] Follow the build-up in the Journey to London series.
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