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 26.3 to 26.5 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.
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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 marathon pace band?
A marathon pace band is a strip of paper or plastic 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 26.3 to 26.5 miles at the end of a 26.2-mile race.
Updated · KenyanRunning.com
What pace should your watch show for each marathon goal?
Course pace is your goal divided by 26.2 miles. Watch pace is your goal divided by the distance you will actually log, 26.4 miles here. Watch paces are rounded down, as on the band. The halfway and mile 20 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 | Halfway sign | Mile 20 sign | Late at course pace |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3:00 | 6:52 | 6:49 | 4:16 | 4:14 | 1:30:00 | 2:17:18 | +1:17 |
| 3:15 | 7:26 | 7:23 | 4:37 | 4:35 | 1:37:30 | 2:28:44 | +1:14 |
| 3:30 | 8:01 | 7:57 | 4:59 | 4:56 | 1:45:00 | 2:40:11 | +1:38 |
| 3:45 | 8:35 | 8:31 | 5:20 | 5:17 | 1:52:30 | 2:51:37 | +1:36 |
| 4:00 | 9:09 | 9:05 | 5:41 | 5:38 | 2:00:00 | 3:03:04 | +1:34 |
| 4:15 | 9:44 | 9:39 | 6:03 | 6:00 | 2:07:30 | 3:14:31 | +1:58 |
| 4:30 | 10:18 | 10:13 | 6:24 | 6:21 | 2:15:00 | 3:25:57 | +1:55 |
| 5:00 | 11:27 | 11:21 | 7:07 | 7:03 | 2:30:00 | 3:48:50 | +2:17 |
| 5:30 | 12:35 | 12:30 | 7:49 | 7:46 | 2:45:00 | 4:11:43 | +2:12 |
| 6:00 | 13:44 | 13:38 | 8:32 | 8:28 | 3:00:00 | 4:34:36 | +2:34 |
How do you use a 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, a second early rather than late. Ignore the gun time.
- Run the first mile a touch slow if anything. A few seconds behind is easy to win back; a fast start costs you later.
- At each course sign, compare your stopwatch with the big number. Aim to be a few seconds under it. Right on it means pick up slightly; over it means you are behind.
- 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. It already includes the extra distance. On a negative-split band, hold the pace on each row instead: a little slower than the tab in the first half, a little faster in the second.
- A dot beside a row means take a gel at that sign.
- Lost time at a toilet stop? Ignore the old times and run the watch pace. Do not chase the band.
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Pace band questions
How do I make a marathon pace band?
- Enter your goal time.
- Pick miles or kilometres.
- Set the distance your watch will log (26.4 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 26.4 miles after a marathon?
Courses are measured along the shortest legal line, hugging every corner. Real runners weave through the crowd, swing wide on turns and drift toward water tables. GPS error can add or take away a little more. So a watch usually shows 26.3 to 26.5 miles at the finish. The course signs are measured; your watch is estimating. Check your time at the signs, not at your watch's mile beeps.
Should I trust my GPS watch or my pace band in a big-city marathon?
Use both, for different jobs. Tall buildings, tunnels and bridge decks block or bounce the satellite signal. Downtown Chicago and the lower deck of the Queensboro Bridge in New York are known for it. On those stretches the instant pace on your watch can be far off for a mile or more. The course signs stay put. Check your stopwatch against the band at each sign to know where you stand. Between signs, hold a steady effort and read lap pace, not instant pace.
What pace should my watch show to hit my marathon goal?
Divide your goal by the distance you will actually log, not by 26.2. For a 3:35 goal over 26.4 miles that is 8:08 per mile, not 8:12. Run 8:12 on the watch and you finish about a minute and a half late.
Do the times at the course signs change if I run long?
No. The time you need at each course sign depends only on your goal and strategy. Running extra distance changes the pace you must hold between signs, which is why the band has the watch pace beside the times.
Why does my pace band show 8:00 on one mile and 8:01 on the next?
Some bands get each split by subtracting two rounded times, so a 3:30 band flips between 8:00 and 8:01. Hold the 8:01 and you finish over your goal. On this band the pace is the same on every row for even splits. Every number is rounded down, so following the band keeps you on or just under the goal. For 3:30 over 26.5 logged miles, that pace is 7:55.
How consistent should my mile splits be?
On a flat course, keep each mile within about five seconds of the one before. Check your total time at every sign, so a small drift never grows into a big one. On a hilly course, or with run-walk intervals, climbs run slower and descents faster. Judge yourself by your time at the signs over several miles, not by single splits.
How do I use an even-pace band on a hilly course like Boston or New York?
Run even effort, not even pace. You lose time on the climbs and win it back on the descents. In Boston, expect to fall behind the band on the Newton hills, miles 16 to 21. In New York, expect the same on the bridges and the long climb up Fifth Avenue near mile 23. Boston's first miles run downhill, so you will sit ahead of the band there. Do not bank that time. Run those miles too fast and you pay for it on the hills. Over several miles, your time at the signs should stay close to the band.
Boston Marathon course and hills · NYC Marathon elevation, mile by mile
Should a pace band show split pace or time from the start?
Time from the start is easier late in a race: you compare one number on the band to one number on your stopwatch, with no arithmetic. Pace is more familiar early on. You can put either one in large type.
Should my pace band show every kilometre or every 5 km?
Every 5 km, which is the default in kilometres. A band with a row every kilometre has more than 40 rows, so you get numbers about half the size. Big races put timing mats every 5 km, so your band times also match the splits your friends see in the race app. Pick every kilometre if you want a check every four or five minutes. With rows every 5 km, hold the watch pace between signs so a drift does not grow for 5 km before you catch it.
How do I make a paper pace band last a whole 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 rain and sweat 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. Keep the second band from the sheet in a dry pocket as a spare.
Is a paper pace band better than a pace tattoo?
Both work. A paper band is free, you print it at home, and you get a spare. You can reprint it the night before if you change your goal for the weather. Taped front and back, it holds up in rain and sweat. A tattoo sits flat on your forearm and cannot slip or tear. But you buy it ahead of time, and once it is on, your goal is set. Whichever you use, check that its paces allow for the extra distance you will log.
Why not use the free pace band from the race expo?
Expo bands come in fixed steps, often every 5 minutes, so a 3:37 goal means rounding to 3:35 or 3:40. Their times at the signs are fine, but any pace printed on them assumes 26.2 miles, so it is slower than the pace you need on your watch. For a 3:35 goal that is 8:12 a mile instead of 8:08. You also get one copy and no spare. If your goal falls on a step and you only check the course signs, an expo band is fine.