Half Marathon Pace Band Generator
Enter your goal and see the band at its real printed size, then print two to a page. Your watch will probably show 13.2 to 13.3 miles at the finish. So you get two numbers on the band: the time for each course sign, and the faster pace to hold on your watch.
Something off?
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Your band
8.0 × 1.50 in for a 7 in wrist, with an inch of overlap at the right end. A dot means take a gel; one every 40 minutes.
Wrist test
About 2.6 inches of band faces you on top of the wrist. Hold your screen at arm's length, turn on the stride bounce, and tap the one you can read fastest.
Printed sheet
U.S. Letter, landscape, two bands with cut lines. The second band is a spare copy. Choose plan B or the other unit under Fit and paper.
What is a half marathon pace band?
A half marathon pace band is a strip of paper on your wrist. It has the time you should see at each course sign, mile or kilometre, to finish on your goal. You compare it to your stopwatch as you pass each sign. This one also has the pace to hold on your watch. That pace is faster than course pace, because a GPS watch usually shows 13.2 to 13.3 miles at the end of a 13.1-mile race.
Updated · KenyanRunning.com
What pace should your watch show for each half marathon goal?
Course pace is your goal divided by 13.1 miles. Watch pace is your goal divided by the distance you will actually log, 13.25 miles here. Watch paces are rounded down, as on the band. The 10K and mile 10 times are what your stopwatch should read at those course signs, at even pace.
| Goal | Course pace /mi | Watch pace /mi | Course pace /km | Watch pace /km | 10K sign | Mile 10 sign | Late at course pace |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1:20 | 6:06 | 6:02 | 3:48 | 3:45 | 37:55 | 1:01:01 | +0:50 |
| 1:30 | 6:52 | 6:47 | 4:16 | 4:13 | 42:39 | 1:08:39 | +0:59 |
| 1:40 | 7:38 | 7:32 | 4:44 | 4:41 | 47:23 | 1:16:16 | +1:09 |
| 1:45 | 8:01 | 7:55 | 4:59 | 4:55 | 49:46 | 1:20:05 | +1:13 |
| 1:50 | 8:23 | 8:18 | 5:13 | 5:09 | 52:08 | 1:23:54 | +1:05 |
| 2:00 | 9:09 | 9:03 | 5:41 | 5:37 | 56:52 | 1:31:32 | +1:14 |
| 2:15 | 10:18 | 10:11 | 6:24 | 6:19 | 1:03:59 | 1:42:58 | +1:29 |
| 2:30 | 11:27 | 11:19 | 7:07 | 7:02 | 1:11:05 | 1:54:25 | +1:43 |
| 2:45 | 12:35 | 12:27 | 7:49 | 7:44 | 1:18:12 | 2:05:51 | +1:44 |
| 3:00 | 13:44 | 13:35 | 8:32 | 8:26 | 1:25:19 | 2:17:18 | +1:58 |
How do you use a half marathon pace band on race day?
In order, from race week to the finish.
- Before race day, set one watch screen to show lap pace, elapsed time and average pace together.
- Wear one band and keep the spare in a dry pocket.
- Start your stopwatch as you reach the start mat. Ignore the gun time.
- Hold back over the first two miles. Rested legs make goal pace feel easy, and a few seconds behind is easy to win back.
- At each course sign, compare your stopwatch with the big number. Aim to be a few seconds under it.
- Trust the signs over your watch. GPS usually reads long, so its mile beeps come early.
- If you turn off auto-lap before the race, press the lap button at each sign. Your lap pace then covers the real mile, not the GPS mile.
- Between signs, hold the watch pace printed on the black tab. On a negative-split band, hold the pace on each row instead.
- At the shaded 10K row, see where you stand. If you are behind, hold the watch pace instead of surging to catch up.
- From mile 10, if you are on or under the band, you can start to push.
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Half marathon pace band questions
How do I make a half marathon pace band?
- Enter your goal time.
- Pick miles or kilometres.
- Set the distance your watch will log (13.25 miles if you are unsure).
- Choose a row every mile or every two miles.
- Print at 100% scale.
- Cut on the dashed lines.
- Cover the whole band, front and back, with clear packing tape or Scotch tape.
Why does my watch say 13.2 or 13.3 miles after a half marathon?
Courses are measured along the shortest legal line, hugging every corner. Real runners weave past others, swing wide on turns and drift toward water tables. GPS error can add or take away a little more. So a watch usually shows 13.2 to 13.3 miles at the end of a 13.1-mile half. The course signs are measured; your watch is estimating. Check your time at the signs, not at your watch's mile beeps.
What pace should my watch show to hit my half marathon goal?
Divide your goal by the distance you will actually log, not by 13.1. For a 1:45 goal over 13.25 miles that is 7:55 per mile, not the 8:01 course pace. Run 8:01 on the watch and you finish about 1:13 late, in 1:46:13.
Do I need a pace band for a half marathon?
It helps most early. You start rested, the crowd pulls you along, and goal pace feels easy, so the first miles are where you are most likely to go out too fast. One look at the band and you know whether you are ahead of plan. Late in the race, comparing one number on the band to your stopwatch beats doing arithmetic while tired.
What is the 10K row on the band?
Big half marathons put timing mats every 5 km, and race apps show the 10K split to anyone tracking you. The shaded 10K row gives the time to see there: 49:46 for a 1:45 goal. If you pass it behind, hold the watch pace. Do not try to win the time back in one fast mile.
Should my half marathon band show every mile or every 2 miles?
Every mile. A half has only 13 mile signs, so a row at each one still leaves room for big numbers on a 1.5 inch band. In kilometres, the band defaults to every km, which still prints at a readable size and gives a check every four to six minutes. Every 5 km gives the biggest numbers but only four checks.
Should I run a negative split in a half marathon?
Even pace is the safe plan, and it is the band's default. A 1% negative split makes your second half about 1:03 faster than your first at a 1:45 goal, with the same finish time. Pick it if you tend to start too fast, or if the second half of your course is flatter or downhill.
How do I make a paper pace band last a whole half marathon?
Print at 100% scale and cut on the dashed lines. Cover the full length of the band, front and back, with clear packing tape or Scotch tape, so sweat and rain cannot smear the ink. Scotch tape is narrower than the band, so lay two overlapping strips on each side. Tape the ends together around your wrist with the overlap zone underneath.