Time for some fast facts and speedy stats! Wondering how fast the average human can run? Or their average sprint speed?
The average person can run a mile in 9 minutes and 48 seconds, according to data analysts Strava who looked at the stats from over 3000 runs recorded by runners of all ages and demographics.
Of course, these times are heavily influenced by a number of facts. How fast you can run depends on the following:
- Your age
- Your gender
- Your height and weight
- Your overall health
- Your genetics
While most of us will never run like Usain Bolt (the Jamaican athlete can run over 23 miles in an hour!), paying attention to our pace is important if we want to maximize our mobility. People who walk more often and more briskly live longer than those who stroll.
The average human walking speed is around 3 mph or 4.8 km/hr. That means we’ve some way to go before we’re walking at a speed that boosts our health!
Need more motivation? Take a look at what the pro athletes are clocking in. The world’s best sprinters in both men’s and women’s athletic events set records and break limits. Pushing themselves to the limit, they’re racking up some impressive numbers.
Men’s World Records Translated Into Average Speeds
| Event | Record | Athlete | mph | ft/s | km/h | m/s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 m (indoor) | 6.34 s | Christian Coleman | 21.17 | 31.05 | 34.07 | 9.46 |
| 100 m | 9.58 s | Usain Bolt | 23.35 | 34.25 | 37.58 | 10.44 |
| 200 m | 19.19 s | Usain Bolt | 23.31 | 34.19 | 37.52 | 10.42 |
| 400 m | 43.03 s | Wayde van Niekerk | 20.79 | 30.50 | 33.47 | 9.30 |
| 800 m | 1:40.91 | David Rudisha | 17.73 | 26.01 | 28.54 | 7.93 |
| 1,000 m | 2:11.96 | Noah Ngeny | 16.96 | 24.87 | 27.29 | 7.58 |
| 1,500 m | 3:26.00 | Hicham El Geerrouj | 16.28 | 23.88 | 26.21 | 7.28 |
| Mile | 3:43.13 | Hicham El Geerrouj | 16.13 | 23.65 | 25.96 | 7.21 |
| 5,000 m | 12:37.35 | Kenenisa Bekele | 14.76 | 21.65 | 23.76 | 6.60 |
| 10,000 m | 26:17.53 | Kenenisa Bekele | 14.18 | 20.80 | 22.82 | 6.34 |
| Half Marathon | 58:23 | Zersenay Tadese | 13.47 | 19.76 | 21.68 | 6.02 |
| Marathon | 2:01:39 | Eliud Kipchoge | 12.93 | 18.97 | 20.81 | 5.78 |
| 110 m hurdles | 12.80 s | Aries Merritt | 19.22 | 28.19 | 30.94 | 8.59 |
| 400 m hurdles | 46.78 s | Kevin Young | 19.13 | 28.05 | 30.78 | 8.55 |
| 4×100 m relay | 36.84 s | Nesta Carter, Michael Frater, Yohan Blake, Usain Bolt | 24.12 | 35.37 | 38.81 | 10.78 |
| 4×200 m relay | 1:18.63 | Nickel Ashmeade, Warren Weir, Jermaine Brown, Yohan Blake | 22.76 | 33.38 | 36.63 | 10.17 |
| 4×400 m relay | 2:54.29 | Andrew Valmon, Quincy Watts, Butch Reynolds, Michael Johnson | 20.54 | 30.12 | 33.05 | 9.18 |
| 4×800 m relay | 7:02.43 | Joseph Mutua, William Yiampoy, Ismael Kombich, Wilfred Bungei | 16.96 | 24.87 | 27.29 | 7.58 |
Women’s World Records Translated Into Average Speeds
| Event | Record | Athlete | mph | ft/s | km/h | m/s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 m (indoor) | 6.92 | Irina Privalova | 19.39 | 28.44 | 31.21 | 8.67 |
| 100 m | 10.49 s | Florence Griffith Joyner | 21.32 | 31.27 | 34.31 | 9.53 |
| 200 m | 21.34 s | Florence Griffith Joyner | 20.96 | 30.74 | 33.73 | 9.37 |
| 400 m | 47.60 s | Marita Koch | 18.79 | 27.60 | 30.24 | 8.40 |
| 800 m | 1:53.28 | Jarmila Kratochvílová | 15.79 | 23.16 | 25.42 | 7.06 |
| 1,000 m | 2:28.98 | Svetlana Masterkova | 15.01 | 22.01 | 24.16 | 6.71 |
| 1,500 m | 3:50.07 | Genzebe Dibaba | 14.58 | 21.39 | 23.47 | 6.52 |
| Mile | 4:12.33 | Sifan Hassan | 14.27 | 20.92 | 22.96 | 6.38 |
| 5,000 m | 14:11.15 | Tirunesh Dibaba | 13.13 | 19.26 | 21.13 | 5.87 |
| 10,000 m | 29:17.45 | Almaz Ayana | 12.73 | 18.67 | 20.48 | 5.69 |
| Half Marathon | 1:04:31 | Ababel Yeshaneh | 12.19 | 17.88 | 19.62 | 5.45 |
| Marathon | 2:14:04 | Brigid Kosgei | 11.73 | 17.21 | 18.88 | 5.25 |
| 100 m hurdles | 12.20 s | Kendra Harrison | 18.34 | 26.89 | 29.51 | 8.20 |
| 400 m hurdles | 52.16 s | Dalilah Muhammad | 17.15 | 25.16 | 27.61 | 7.67 |
| 4×100 m relay | 40.82 s | Tianna Madison, Allyson Felix, Bianca Knight, Carmelita Jeter | 21.92 | 32.15 | 35.28 | 9.80 |
| 4×200 m relay | 1:27.46 | LaTasha Jenkins, LaTasha Colander- Richardson, Nanceen Perry, Marion Jones | 20.45 | 29.99 | 32.90 | 9.14 |
| 4×400 m relay | 3:15.17 | Tatyana Ledovskaya, Olga Nazarova, Mariya Pinigina, Olga Bryzgina | 18.34 | 26.90 | 29.52 | 8.20 |
| 4×800 m relay | 7:50.17 | Nadezhda Olizarenko, Lyubov Gurina, Lyudmila Borisova, Irina Podyalovskaya | 15.23 | 22.34 | 24.52 | 6.81 |
It’s worth noting that the 60-meter race surprisingly has an average speed slower for men & women (compared to the 100-meter race). This is likely due to the process of acceleration at the beginning of a race (which inevitably adds up and takes time).
This article was last updated in May 2021.
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