Sub-2 Hour Half Marathon — Training Paces and Fitness Profile
Two hours in the half marathon has become the recreational runner's most widely aspired-to milestone — meaningful, achievable with structured training, and more demanding than most first-timers expect. The training paces here represent what a genuine sub-2 runner trains at across all five zones.
Quick answer: To break Sub-2:00:00 in the Half Marathon (RPI 36.5), your training paces are: easy 10:39/mi, threshold 8:19/mi, interval 7:14/mi. Equivalent fitness: Marathon 4:07:29, 10K 54:04.
Training paces for Sub-2:00:00 Half Marathon
RPI 36.5 · Goal: 1:59:59 · All paces in min/mile
Calculated from Daniels/Gilbert oxygen cost equations. Easy pace means "this pace or slower."
Equivalent race fitness
These are the predicted equivalent times at other distances for a runner with RPI 36.5 — assuming comparable training for each distance.
Marathon
4:07:29
9:26/mi
10K
54:04
8:42/mi
5K
26:03
8:23/mi
Training approach for Sub-2:00:00 Half Marathon
For sub-2 hour half marathon, threshold running is the most race-specific training. The half marathon is essentially a long, sustained threshold effort — 75 to 110 minutes near your lactate threshold. Tempo runs at threshold pace build the metabolic capacity to sustain that effort. Long runs at easy pace build the endurance infrastructure that makes late-race pacing possible. Marathon-pace segments in long runs bridge the gap between easy endurance and race-day pace.
Calculate your current training paces
The table above shows paces for Sub-2:00:00 Half Marathon fitness. Enter your current race time to see where you are now and how far from the goal you sit.
Training Pace Calculator
These paces are based on your race time — not your body
The Daniels/Gilbert formula predicts training zones from a single race result. StrideIQ goes further: it tracks how your body specifically responds to threshold and interval work — which sessions produce your biggest gains, how quickly you recover, and when your fitness is peaking. Population formulas start the conversation. Your individual response data finishes it.
Common questions
What training paces do I need for a sub-2 hour half marathon?
To train for a sub-2:00:00 half marathon (1:59:59), your training zones are: Easy 10:39/mi, Marathon 8:49/mi, Threshold 8:19/mi, Interval 7:14/mi, Repetition 6:39/mi. Your race pace (approximately 9:10/mi) falls between your marathon and threshold pace — which is exactly where half marathon effort sits physiologically.
How important is the long run for a sub-2 hour half marathon?
Essential — but pace matters as much as distance. Long runs for half marathon training should be at easy pace (genuinely conversational). The aerobic adaptation comes from time on feet, not from pushing pace. Runners who hammer every long run accumulate fatigue and underperform at quality sessions during the week. A typical sub-2 half training block includes weekly long runs building to 14–18 miles over several months, all at easy pace, with marathon-pace miles added at the finish as fitness develops.
What marathon time does sub-2 hour half marathon fitness predict?
Sub-2 hour half marathon fitness (RPI 36.5) projects to approximately 4:07:29 for the full marathon — assuming full marathon-specific preparation (20-mile long runs, marathon-pace work, adequate weekly volume). Without marathon-specific training, most runners hit the wall well before this equivalent time. Aerobic fitness is necessary but not sufficient for marathon performance.
Other goal pace guides
Paces calculated using the Daniels/Gilbert oxygen cost equations (1979). All values derived from the same formula used by the StrideIQ training pace calculator. Goal times use the target-minus-one-second convention (e.g., sub-20 = 19:59 input).