Good 10K Times by Age

Quick answer: A good 10K time depends on your age and sex. Using WMA age-grading standards, a 50-year-old male running 49:31 scores 60% — "Local Class." A 70% Regional Class performance at that age requires 42:27. These are real benchmarks derived from world-record data, not population surveys.

Men's 10K Times by Age

Age	Recreational 50%	Local Class 60%	Regional 70%	National 80%	World Class 90%
30	52:48 8:30/mi	44:00 7:05/mi	37:43 6:04/mi	33:00 5:19/mi	29:20 4:43/mi
35	53:17 8:35/mi	44:24 7:09/mi	38:04 6:08/mi	33:18 5:22/mi	29:36 4:46/mi
40	54:48 8:49/mi	45:40 7:21/mi	39:08 6:18/mi	34:15 5:31/mi	30:27 4:54/mi
45	57:01 9:11/mi	47:31 7:39/mi	40:43 6:33/mi	35:38 5:44/mi	31:40 5:06/mi
50	59:25 9:34/mi	49:31 7:58/mi	42:27 6:50/mi	37:08 5:59/mi	33:01 5:19/mi
55	1:02:02 9:59/mi	51:42 8:19/mi	44:19 7:08/mi	38:47 6:14/mi	34:28 5:33/mi
60	1:04:54 10:27/mi	54:05 8:42/mi	46:21 7:28/mi	40:34 6:32/mi	36:03 5:48/mi
65	1:08:02 10:57/mi	56:42 9:07/mi	48:36 7:49/mi	42:31 6:51/mi	37:48 6:05/mi
70	1:11:29 11:30/mi	59:34 9:35/mi	51:04 8:13/mi	44:41 7:11/mi	39:43 6:23/mi
75	1:16:13 12:16/mi	1:03:31 10:13/mi	54:26 8:46/mi	47:38 7:40/mi	42:20 6:49/mi
80	1:23:48 13:29/mi	1:09:50 11:14/mi	59:51 9:38/mi	52:22 8:26/mi	46:33 7:30/mi

Women's 10K Times by Age

Age	Recreational 50%	Local Class 60%	Regional 70%	National 80%	World Class 90%
30	57:39 9:17/mi	48:02 7:44/mi	41:11 6:38/mi	36:02 5:48/mi	32:02 5:09/mi
35	58:22 9:24/mi	48:38 7:50/mi	41:41 6:43/mi	36:29 5:52/mi	32:26 5:13/mi
40	59:47 9:37/mi	49:49 8:01/mi	42:42 6:52/mi	37:22 6:01/mi	33:13 5:21/mi
45	1:02:01 9:59/mi	51:40 8:19/mi	44:18 7:08/mi	38:45 6:14/mi	34:27 5:33/mi
50	1:05:13 10:30/mi	54:21 8:45/mi	46:35 7:30/mi	40:46 6:34/mi	36:14 5:50/mi
55	1:09:07 11:07/mi	57:35 9:16/mi	49:22 7:57/mi	43:12 6:57/mi	38:24 6:11/mi
60	1:13:30 11:50/mi	1:01:15 9:51/mi	52:30 8:27/mi	45:56 7:24/mi	40:50 6:34/mi
65	1:18:29 12:38/mi	1:05:24 10:32/mi	56:03 9:01/mi	49:03 7:54/mi	43:36 7:01/mi
70	1:24:11 13:33/mi	1:10:09 11:17/mi	1:00:08 9:41/mi	52:37 8:28/mi	46:46 7:32/mi
75	1:30:47 14:37/mi	1:15:39 12:11/mi	1:04:51 10:26/mi	56:45 9:08/mi	50:26 8:07/mi
80	1:40:09 16:07/mi	1:23:27 13:26/mi	1:11:32 11:31/mi	1:02:35 10:04/mi	55:38 8:57/mi

What the performance levels mean

World Class (90%+) — National or world age-group record territory. Very few runners at any age reach this level.
National Class (80–89%) — Competitive at national masters championships. Requires serious, structured training over years.
Regional Class (70–79%) — Strong age-group placements at regional and larger local races. Consistent training with quality sessions.
Local Class (60–69%) — Competitive in local races. Solid fitness from regular running and some structured training.
Recreational (below 60%) — Running for fitness and enjoyment. Most runners start here and can improve significantly with consistent training.

Training for a faster 10K

The 10K sits at the intersection of aerobic endurance and lactate threshold. Competitive 10K running requires a high percentage of VO2max sustained for 30–60 minutes. Threshold training — comfortably hard effort held for 20–40 minutes — is the single most impactful session for 10K improvement. Volume matters too: most runners who break 45:00 run 25+ miles per week consistently.

Calculate your exact age-graded score

The table above shows benchmarks at round performance levels. Enter your exact race time below to see your precise WMA age-graded percentage.

Age-Grading: Calculates your performance as a percentage of the World Record standard for your specific age and gender. This creates a unified 'Level Playing Field' across all demographics. An 80% score at age 60 represents the exact same relative competitiveness as an 80% score at age 25, even though the absolute race times differ.

Age

Gender

Distance

Time

These are population benchmarks

WMA age-grading tells you how your time compares to world-record standards. StrideIQ goes further — it tracks your individual recovery patterns, efficiency trends, and supercompensation curves from your own training data. Population benchmarks are a starting point. Your body's individual response is where real coaching begins.

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Common questions

What is a good 10K time for a 50 year old?

For a 50-year-old male, WMA benchmarks show: 49:31 = Local Class (60%), 42:27 = Regional Class (70%), 37:08 = National Class (80%). For a 50-year-old female, the equivalent times are 54:21, 46:35, and 40:46. These are computed from actual world-record data for each age group.

How fast should I run a 10K for my age?

There is no universal "should." WMA age-grading gives you a factual benchmark: your time as a percentage of the world record for your age and sex. 50% is recreational, 60% is competitive for a local race, 70% places you well at regional events, and 80%+ is national-level masters running.

Is a 50-minute 10K good?

For a 30-year-old male, a 50:00 10K is about 53% age-graded — recreational. For a 60-year-old male, the same 50:00 is about 65% — solidly Local Class. For a 70-year-old male, it is about 71% — Regional Class. Context matters more than the raw time.

See times for other distances

Good 5K Times by Age →Good Half Marathon Times by Age →Good Marathon Times by Age →Full Calculator →

Data source: Alan Jones 2025 WMA Road Age-Grading Tables, approved by USATF Masters Long Distance Running Council (January 2025). Times computed from official age-factor tables and open-class world-record standards.