Athens Marathon 3:45 pace chart
A 3:45:00 finish at the Athens Marathon averages 8:35 per mile (5:20 per kilometre) — a fast recreational time, roughly the top quintile of a big-city field. Run at even effort rather than even pace, the easiest kilometre comes in around 4:33/km and the hardest around 6:12/km — about 99 seconds between the two extremes. Holding an identical number on every kilometre of a course with this profile means running the climbs too hard and the descents too easy. Held at even effort, halfway comes up at 1:53:20 — a 1:39 negative split, because the harder half comes first. The hardest kilometre on the course sits near kilometre 30; at this goal time it should take 6:12/km, and giving it that time is the difference between finishing Athens on plan and unravelling in the last hour.
Kilometre-by-kilometre targets for 3:45:00
Grade-adjusted splits computed from the Athens Marathon elevation profile with the Minetti gradient-cost model, scaled so the full course adds up to 3:45:00. Uphill sections get more time, downhills less, at one constant effort throughout.
| Kilometre | Target /km | Target /mi | Elev Δ | Elapsed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5:04 | 8:10 | -24 ft (-7 m) | 5:04 |
| 2 | 5:00 | 8:03 | -30 ft (-9 m) | 10:05 |
| 3 | 5:10 | 8:20 | -10 ft (-3 m) | 15:15 |
| 4 | 5:09 | 8:18 | -12 ft (-4 m) | 20:25 |
| 5 | 5:11 | 8:20 | -9 ft (-3 m) | 25:35 |
| 6 | 5:19 | 8:33 | +6 ft (+2 m) | 30:54 |
| 7 | 5:11 | 8:20 | -10 ft (-3 m) | 36:05 |
| 8 | 5:19 | 8:33 | +6 ft (+2 m) | 41:24 |
| 9 | 5:26 | 8:44 | +19 ft (+6 m) | 46:49 |
| 10 | 5:25 | 8:42 | +17 ft (+5 m) | 52:14 |
| 11 | 5:33 | 8:56 | +32 ft (+10 m) | 57:47 |
| 12 | 5:52 | 9:27 | +66 ft (+20 m) | 1:03:39 |
| 13 | 5:36 | 9:00 | +36 ft (+11 m) | 1:09:15 |
| 14 | 5:11 | 8:21 | -10 ft (-3 m) | 1:14:26 |
| 15 | 5:24 | 8:42 | +12 ft (+4 m) | 1:19:50 |
| 16 | 6:10 | 9:55 | +92 ft (+28 m) | 1:26:00 |
| 17 | 4:33 | 7:19 | -95 ft (-29 m) | 1:30:33 |
| 18 | 4:50 | 7:47 | -60 ft (-18 m) | 1:35:23 |
| 19 | 5:24 | 8:41 | +10 ft (+3 m) | 1:40:47 |
| 20 | 6:01 | 9:41 | +80 ft (+24 m) | 1:46:47 |
| 21 | 5:59 | 9:38 | +77 ft (+23 m) | 1:52:46 |
| 22 | 5:43 | 9:11 | +49 ft (+15 m) | 1:58:29 |
| 23 | 5:39 | 9:05 | +43 ft (+13 m) | 2:04:08 |
| 24 | 5:32 | 8:54 | +29 ft (+9 m) | 2:09:39 |
| 25 | 6:11 | 9:58 | +99 ft (+30 m) | 2:15:51 |
| 26 | 5:51 | 9:25 | +64 ft (+20 m) | 2:21:42 |
| 27 | 5:37 | 9:03 | +40 ft (+12 m) | 2:27:19 |
| 28 | 5:45 | 9:16 | +54 ft (+16 m) | 2:33:04 |
| 29 | 5:10 | 8:19 | -13 ft (-4 m) | 2:38:14 |
| 30 | 5:28 | 8:47 | +22 ft (+7 m) | 2:43:42 |
| 31 | 6:12 | 9:59 | +101 ft (+31 m) | 2:49:54 |
| 32 | 4:48 | 7:44 | -61 ft (-19 m) | 2:54:42 |
| 33 | 4:52 | 7:49 | -48 ft (-15 m) | 2:59:34 |
| 34 | 4:57 | 7:58 | -36 ft (-11 m) | 3:04:31 |
| 35 | 5:09 | 8:17 | -15 ft (-5 m) | 3:09:40 |
| 36 | 5:07 | 8:15 | -17 ft (-5 m) | 3:14:48 |
| 37 | 4:48 | 7:43 | -56 ft (-17 m) | 3:19:35 |
| 38 | 4:57 | 7:59 | -37 ft (-11 m) | 3:24:33 |
| 39 | 4:58 | 8:00 | -36 ft (-11 m) | 3:29:31 |
| 40 | 4:37 | 7:25 | -83 ft (-25 m) | 3:34:08 |
| 41 | 5:02 | 8:07 | -30 ft (-9 m) | 3:39:10 |
| 42 | 4:39 | 7:29 | -81 ft (-25 m) | 3:43:49 |
| 42.2 | 6:04 | 9:45 | +16 ft (+5 m) | 3:45:00 |
Frequently asked questions
What pace is a 3:45 marathon?
A 3:45:00 marathon is 8:35 per mile or 5:20 per kilometre held for the full 26.2 miles (42.195 km). On the Athens Marathon specifically, the elevation profile means even effort produces uneven splits — the table on this page gives the target for every kilometre.
What should my halfway split be for a 3:45 at the Athens Marathon?
1:53:20. That is the grade-adjusted halfway target for this course, not simply half of 3:45:00 — it accounts for where the climbing sits. Reaching the half meaningfully faster than this on this course usually means you have spent the effort you need for the closing miles.
Should I run even splits at the Athens Marathon?
Even effort at a 3:45 goal produces splits between 4:33 and 6:12 per kilometre — about 99 seconds between the easiest and hardest one. Grade-adjusted pacing gives back time on the descents and spends it on the climbs, which is what running an even physiological effort actually looks like on a course with this profile.
How are these Athens Marathon splits calculated?
Each kilometre is weighted by its gradient using the Minetti et al. (2002) cost-of-running polynomial, which measures the metabolic cost of running at grades from −45% to +45%. The total is then scaled so the whole course adds up to 3:45:00. Uphill sections get more time and downhill sections less, at a constant effort throughout.
Is 3:45 a realistic marathon goal?
3:45 is a fast recreational time, roughly the top quintile of a big-city field. Whether it is realistic for you depends on your recent race results and weekly volume rather than on the number itself — the race-time predictor on this site will convert a recent 5K, 10K or half-marathon result into a marathon estimate using the Riegel power-law model.