What percent of men can run a 6 minute mile?
Depending on your age group, running a mile in 6 minutes might not land you in the top 1% as this data may indicate (since it's based on running
At one of the more competitive 5ks in the area here recently, 20% of men 20-29 ran a time equivalent to a 6min-mile or better. Definitely less than 5% in the whole population.
The percentage of american males who could at some point in their lives break 5 min for the mile if they focused on it (i.e., are genetically capable of this athletic feat) is probably somewhere around 10%. The percentage of all Americans who could break 5 minutes TODAY is probably less than 0.01% .
"For an athlete to break 6 minutes in the mile, they would have to run an average of 1:29.5 per quarter mile," McGee says. So, if you can run 1,000m in 3:32, you're already in 6-minute shape! Another accurate 5km race equivalent is 20:50.
A noncompetitive, relatively in-shape runner usually completes one mile in about 9 to 10 minutes, on average. If you're new to running, you might run one mile in closer to 12 to 15 minutes as you build up endurance. Elite marathon runners average a mile in around 4 to 5 minutes.
Enter a pace (mm:ss) or speed (MPH) to convert one to the other, i.e. 10mph = 6:00 per mile.
A 6-minute mile is kind of the unofficial threshold of fast endurance running. Casual runners are not likely to run a 6-minute mile on accident, but it's an achievable - if not high - bar for an aspiring new runner who is training hard.
Running Level, which reports average running times based on age and ability, reports that a good mile time is 7:04 across all genders, and a good mile time for a male is 6:37, and a good mile time for a female is 7:44.
A little research revealed that each year about 15 Americans over age 50 run a mile in under 5 minutes or the 1500m under 4:40, an equivalent effort in the more common metric distance. When I turned 49 in September 2012, I started an initial plan by running a series of 1-mile time trials on the track.
It was first achieved in 1954 by Roger Bannister, at age 25, in 3:59.4. As of June 2022, the "four-minute barrier" has been broken by 1,755 athletes, and is now a standard of professional middle distance runners in several cultures.
Is 10 mph a 6 minute mile?
The reason a 6 minute mile = 10 mph is because there are 60 minutes in an hour, and so there are 10 lots of six minutes in an hour. Each lot of six minutes means one mph. Similarly, there are 6 lots of ten minutes in an hour, so each of them is 1 mph.
Mile Times for Women
Running a mile in 6 minutes will put you in the “Elite” category for every age group. Even if you are running a mile between six and seven minutes (for example, 6:17), you will still likely fall within the “Elite” or “Advanced” category (or somewhere in between the two), depending on your age.
Running Level, which calculates running times based on age and ability, says that a good mile time for a male is 6:37, and a good mile time for a female is 7:44. Those average times to run a mile are based on an intermediate-level runner.
So far, the fastest anyone has run is about 27½ miles per hour, a speed reached (briefly) by sprinter Usain Bolt just after the midpoint of his world-record 100-meter dash in 2009. This speed limit probably is not imposed by the strength of our bones and tendons.
However, if this is just in gym class or you don't have much experience with running, I'd say anything below 8:00 is respectable. The average mile time for a 13 year old boy in relatively good shape would probably be around 8:20–8:40.
According to Guinness World Records, the fastest mile time by a male athlete is 3 minutes 43.13 seconds. It was achieved by two-time Olympic medalist Hicham El Guerrouj, representing Morocco in Rome on July 7, 1999. The fastest run mile by a female athlete is 4 minutes 12.33 seconds.
To run a 6 minute mile, start by trying to run a 1/4 mile in 90 seconds. Once you can do that, add another 1/4 mile to your run every few days until you work yourself up to a full mile. In addition, try adding longer runs to your training routine so that you'll gain endurance, along with speed.
In general, average jogging speed is 4 to 6 mph. It's faster than walking and slower than running. When you jog, you may need to stop and catch your breath before having a full conversation. If you prefer walking, jogging is a great way to challenge yourself.
Average Mile Times for Kids
Average times based on experience for 10-year-olds range from 7-12 minutes for girls and 6-11 minutes for boys. At age 15, those times drop to 6-11 minutes for girls and from 5 minutes to just under 10 minutes per mile for boys.
- Spend the first 15-25 minutes just running at your normal pace.
- Run the next 30 minutes kicked up a notch (ideally at a pace of 7.5min / mile)
- Spend the next 60 seconds running as fast as your legs will take you.
- Then slowly and carefully work yourself back down to your normal pace.
Is a 7 minute mile good for a 13 year old boy?
However, if this is just in gym class or you don't have much experience with running, I'd say anything below 8:00 is respectable. The average mile time for a 13 year old boy in relatively good shape would probably be around 8:20–8:40. My son's best time in 8th grade (age 13) was 5 minutes, 4 seconds.
So to get the pace of a 7 minute mile on a treadmill, you'd need to set it to 60/7 or 8.57 MPH. Most treadmills only adjust to one decimal, so you would just round this up to 8.6.
If you are running a mile in under 12 minutes you are doing ok. If you are running a mile in 8 minutes you are doing very well (something like the top 25% of the country for fitness). Only the truly elite athletes can do a mile in under 5 minutes. I'm a 14 year old female and I just did a 1 mile run at my school.
Running after age 50 can be a great way to improve cardiovascular fitness, and it's a particularly effective way to stay fit and strong as you grow older.
If you are running a mile in under 12 minutes you are doing ok. If you are running a mile in 8 minutes you are doing very well (something like the top 25% of the country for fitness).
References
- https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/21/science/human-running-speed-quadruped.html
- https://www.mensjournal.com/health-fitness/6-week-routine-run-6-minute-mile
- https://www.quora.com/How-difficult-is-it-to-run-a-6-minute-mile
- https://www.runtothefinish.com/how-long-to-run-a-mile/
- https://www.quora.com/What-is-a-fast-mile-time-for-a-13-year-old-boy
- https://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=5255585&page=1
- https://www.quora.com/How-fast-is-a-7-minute-mile-on-a-treadmill
- https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/2023/02/15/fastest-mile-time-record/10606213002/
- https://www.verywellfit.com/tips-for-running-in-your-50s-and-beyond-2911208
- https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-average-time-for-a-13-year-old-boy-running-1-mile
- https://www.quora.com/Is-an-8-minute-mile-slow-for-a-fifty-year-old-male
- https://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=3219327&page=1
- https://www.runnersworld.com/advanced/a20848861/under-5-00-at-50/
- https://www.quora.com/How-do-I-train-to-run-a-6-minute-mile
- https://marathonhandbook.com/is-a-6-minute-mile-good/
- https://marathonhandbook.com/whats-a-good-mile-time/
- https://tools.runnerspace.com/gprofile.php?do=title&title_id=804&mgroup_id=45577
- https://marathonhandbook.com/is-a-7-minute-mile-good/
- https://www.wikihow.com/Run-a-7-Minute-Mile
- https://www.healthline.com/health/average-mile-time
- https://www.quora.com/If-a-6-min-mile-has-an-average-speed-of-10-mph-and-a-10-min-mile-has-an-average-speed-of-6mph-why-doesn-t-an-8-min-mile-have-an-avg-speed-of-8-mph
- https://www.healthline.com/health/average-jogging-speed
- https://www.quora.com/What-time-should-a-14-year-old-run-a-mile
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four-minute_mile
