Running is one of the most popular forms of physical exercise, with nearly 80 million people in the US alone running some distance each year. It’s especially good for the heart and lungs, but it also helps build and maintain healthy bones, muscles and joints. And you don’t need any special equipment or clothing to get started! All you need are:
- Comfortable clothes that let your skin breathe.
- Some appropriate running shoes (which should fit well).
- A decent treadmill.
- Time to run without distraction.
But before you switch on the treadmill, you might want to know how long it will take to run the most popular distances 1 mile, 3 miles, 5 miles or 10 miles.
Nonetheless, before you can determine how long it will take to run on a treadmill, you need to understand that it depends on your age, fitness level, weight, and gender. However, these statics are taken from thousands of runners over various distances and gender. These numbers are a great guide to know if you’re on the right track. But don’t be disheartened if you are slower than these times.
Similarly, you might be a lot faster than the average runner, particularly for your age group. Furthermore, you won’t always run your fastest time every session you run on the treadmill. I always run my fastest times midweek once my legs have gotten used to runs. Mondays are always my worse runs, and Friday is the run that takes the most motivation to get started.
However, over time, you want to notice some improvement which could be every 6-8weeks before your times change significantly. If you see no change after a couple of months, you might need to change your treadmill workouts or look at other factors like your weight or recovery.
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How Long Does it Take to Run 1 Mile on the Treadmill?
A runner with an average level of fitness can run 1 mile on a treadmill between 9 minutes and 16 minutes. The average time for a male aged 20-40 is 10 minutes 30 seconds. For a female is 12 minutes 20 seconds.
The table below gives you the average times for 1 mile run on a treadmill for all age groups for both men and women.
| Age | Men (minutes per mile) | Women (minutes per mile) |
| 16–19 | 9:34 | 11:09 |
| 20–24 | 9:30 | 11:44 |
| 25–29 | 10:03 | 11:42 |
| 30–34 | 10:09 | 12:09 |
| 35–39 | 10:53 | 12:03 |
| 40–44 | 10:28 | 12:24 |
| 45–49 | 10:43 | 12:41 |
| 50–54 | 11:08 | 13:20 |
| 55–59 | 12:08 | 14:37 |
| 60–64 | 13:05 | 14:47 |
| 65–99 | 13:52 | 16:12 |
Understanding your 1-mile run is ideal for learning how long other distances can take. For instance, if you can run 1 mile in 10 minutes, you can probably run:
- 2 miles in 20 minutes
- 3 miles in 30 minutes
- 4 miles in 40 minutes
Knowing your 1 mile run time is essential for when you start to do speed work or tempo runs in your training. These are workouts where you push yourself to run faster than your average pace. By knowing your 1-mile time, you can make sure you’re running fast enough to get the most benefit from these types of workouts.
However, if you only want to run 1 mile, you can run flat out from the start. This is a good practice to measure your fitness levels as you can see how long it takes you to run 1 mile at your fastest pace. You won’t be able to repeat this every day because it takes a lot out of your legs and increases the likelihood of injury. Most people test their fastest 1-mile time every 3 months.
How Long Does it Take to Run 3 Mile on the Treadmill?
For most people, it will take between 25 and 40 minutes to run 3 miles on a treadmill. If you’re just starting out, it’s completely normal to run more slowly at first. In fact, most people who start running don’t even worry about how fast they’re going.
The table below gives you the average times for 3 miles run on a treadmill for all age groups for both men and women.
| Age | Men (minutes for 3 mile) | Women (minutes for 3 mile) |
| 16–19 | 28:32 | 33:27 |
| 20–24 | 28:30 | 34:32 |
| 25–29 | 30:09 | 34:26 |
| 30–34 | 30:27 | 36:27 |
| 35–39 | 31:59 | 36:09 |
| 40–44 | 31:24 | 37:12 |
| 45–49 | 31:29 | 37:23 |
| 50–54 | 33:24 | 40:00 |
| 55–59 | 36:24 | 43:11 |
| 60–64 | 39:15 | 43:41 |
| 65–99 | 40:56 | 48:36 |
3 miles is probably the shortest distance that most beginners can run non-stop. Even if you can’t run the whole 3 miles without stopping, it’s still a great accomplishment. Your time will obviously increase, but the numbers above are a great target.
3.1 miles is the distance for a 5km run which is a massive achievement for every runner. If you can run 3 miles on the treadmill, you should be able to complete a 5km race outdoors. The couch to 5km run is one of the most popular runs globally, and races like Park runs are growing in participants every year.
How Long Does it Take to Run 5 Mile on the Treadmill?
On average, it takes between 49 mins and 1 hour 30 minutes to run 5 miles on a treadmill. This is a pace of between 9.8 and 10.8 minutes per mile and a treadmill speed of between 6 and 7 mph.
5 miles is a popular distance to run as it’s a good way to improve your fitness levels without having to commit to a longer distance. It’s also a popular race length. To calculate your 5-mile distance time, you can’t just multiply your 1-mile time by 5 because as you run further, your body tires, and you can’t maintain the same pace for the whole distance.
The average person will start to slow down after the first 2 miles and will run slightly slower for the last 3 miles. On average, you can add 30 seconds to your 1-mile time for each mile run during your 5 miles. This is just an estimation as you might find you can add 1 minute or more to the last 2 miles of your 5-mile run.
The table below shows the average time it takes both men and woman of all ages to run 5 miles.
| Age | Men (minutes per mile) | Women (minutes per mile) |
| 16–19 | 49:20 | 58:35 |
| 20–24 | 49:00 | 60:10 |
| 25–29 | 53:05 | 60:00 |
| 30–34 | 53:35 | 63:35 (1 hour 3 minutes 35 seconds) |
| 35–39 | 54:25 | 63:05 (1 hour 3 minutes 05 seconds) |
| 40–44 | 54:30 | 64:10 (1 hour 4 minutes 10 seconds) |
| 45–49 | 54:20 | 64:55 (1 hour 4 minutes 55 seconds) |
| 50–54 | 58:30 | 68:50 (1 hour 8 minutes 50 seconds) |
| 55–59 | 63:30 (1 hour 3 minutes 30 seconds) | 74:35 (1 hour 14 minutes 35 seconds) |
| 60–64 | 68:25 (1 hour 8 minutes 25 seconds) | 75:25 (1 hour 15 minutes 25 seconds) |
| 65–99 | 70:10 (1 hour 10 minutes 10 seconds) | 83:10 (1 hour 23 minutes 10 seconds) |
How Long Does it Take to Run 10 Mile on the Treadmill?
On average, it takes between 1 hour 30 minutes (93 minutes) and 2 hours 30 minutes (150 minutes) to run 10 miles on a treadmill. This is a pace of between 10 and 11 minutes per mile and a treadmill speed of between 6 and 7 mph without stopping.
| Age | Men (minutes per mile) | Women (minutes per mile) |
| 16–19 | 93:34 (1 hour 33 minutes 43 seconds) | 113:09 (1 hour 53 minutes 09 seconds) |
| 20–24 | 93:30 (1 hour 33 minutes 30 seconds) | 113:44 (1 hour 53 minutes 44 seconds) |
| 25–29 | 103:03 (1 hour 43 minutes 03 seconds) | 113:42 (1 hour 53 minutes 42 seconds) |
| 30–34 | 103:09 (1 hour 43 minutes 09 seconds) | 123:09 (2 hour 03 minutes 09 seconds) |
| 35–39 | 103:53 (1 hour 43 minutes 53 seconds) | 123:03 (2 hour 03 minutes 03 seconds) |
| 40–44 | 103:28 (1 hour 43 minutes 28 seconds) | 123:24 (2 hour 03 minutes 24 seconds) |
| 45–49 | 103:43 (1 hour 43 minutes 43 seconds) | 123:41 (2 hour 03 minutes 41 seconds) |
| 50–54 | 113:08 (1 hour 53 minutes 08 seconds) | 133:20 (2 hour 13 minutes 20 seconds) |
| 55–59 | 123:08 (2 hour 03 minutes 08 seconds) | 143:37 (2 hour 23 minutes 37 seconds) |
| 60–64 | 133:05 (2 hour 13 minutes 05 seconds) | 143:47 (2 hour 23 minutes 47 seconds) |
| 65–99 | 133:52 (2 hour 13 minutes 52 seconds) | 163:12 (2 hour 43 minutes 12 seconds) |
Running 10 miles is a challenge for most runners as it’s a long-distance to cover. If you’re just starting out, it’s completely normal to run more slowly at first. In fact, most people who start running don’t even worry about how fast they’re going. They focus on building up their endurance and distance first.
To calculate your 10-mile distance time, you can’t just time your 1 miles time by 10 because as you run further, your body tires, your legs get heavy, you become dehydrated quicker, and you can’t maintain the same pace for the whole distance. I typically like to add 30 seconds up to 2 minutes to my 1-mile time, and this estimate isn’t far off.
If you intend to run 10miles on the treadmill, you should have built your endurance and miles on your legs for 6 weeks to 3 months before attempting this distance. Many people get injured because they try to run too much too soon. Furthermore, it will impact your legs for a week after the run, so it’s counterintuitive to run this distance when you are not ready.