Sub 2 Hour Half Marathon Training Plan: 12 Weeks, Paces, and Race-Day Fueling
A sub 2 hour half marathon means 5:41 per km (9:09 per mile) for 21.1 km. Here is how to check if you are ready, a 12-week plan with every key session, the paces for each run, a taper, a pacing plan for race day, and the fueling that keeps you on pace to the finish.
Quick answer
To run a half marathon under 2 hours you need to average 5:41 per km (9:09 per mile) for 21.1 km. Aim for about 5:35 per km (8:59 per mile), which gives about 1:58 and covers the extra distance your watch will measure. You are likely ready if you can run 10 km in about 53:30 to 55:00 or 5 km in about 25:30 to 26:00. Train for 12 weeks with 4 to 5 runs a week, building from about 30 to 48 km, with one key workout (tempo, intervals, or race pace) and one long run that grows to 18 to 19 km. On race day, eat 1 to 2 g of carbs per kg 2 to 3 hours before, take a gel at 40 to 45 minutes and another at about 80 minutes, and run even or slightly faster in the second half.
A sub 2 hour half marathon is one of the most popular goals in running. The math is simple: 2 hours for 21.0975 km means an average of 5:41 per km, or 9:09 per mile. The hard part is holding that pace for the full distance. For most runners, that takes a recent 10 km of about 53:30 to 55:00, 12 weeks of focused training, and a race-day fueling plan so the last 5 km are not a fight.
This guide gives you all of it: a pace table with 5 km splits, a readiness check based on your recent races, a 12-week plan with every key session, the paces for each type of run, a sample week with daily carbs, the taper, a pacing plan for race day, and what to eat before and during the race.
Sub 2 Half Marathon Pace at a Glance
| Pace per km | Pace per mile | 5 km | 10 km | 15 km | 20 km | Finish (21.1 km) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5:41 (the limit) | 9:09 | 28:25 | 56:50 | 1:25:15 | 1:53:40 | 1:59:54 |
| 5:40 | 9:07 | 28:20 | 56:40 | 1:25:00 | 1:53:20 | 1:59:33 |
| 5:38 | 9:04 | 28:10 | 56:20 | 1:24:30 | 1:52:40 | 1:58:51 |
| 5:35 (the 1:58 buffer) | 8:59 | 27:55 | 55:50 | 1:23:45 | 1:51:40 | 1:57:48 |
| 5:30 | 8:51 | 27:30 | 55:00 | 1:22:30 | 1:50:00 | 1:56:02 |
Why aim for 5:35 and not 5:41? Race courses are measured on the shortest possible line. You will weave around people, run wide on corners, and stop briefly at water stations. Many runners see 21.3 to 21.4 km on their watch at the finish. At 5:41 per km, 21.3 km takes 2:01:03 and 21.4 km takes 2:01:37. At 5:35 per km, even 21.4 km comes in at 1:59:29. Train for 5:35, and on race day go by the km markers on the course, not the pace on your watch.
Are You Ready for Sub 2? Check Your Recent Race Times
The best predictor of your half marathon is a recent race at a shorter distance. The Riegel formula, which scales a race time up to a longer distance, predicts half marathon times well for recreational runners. It only becomes too optimistic at the full marathon. Use a race or all-out time trial from the last 6 to 8 weeks.
| Recent result | Predicted half marathon | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 5 km in 25:00 | 1:55:00 | Ready now. A 1:58 target has real margin. |
| 5 km in 25:30 | 1:57:18 | Ready. Train to hold 5:35 per km. |
| 5 km in 26:00 | 1:59:36 | On the line. 12 weeks of training should get you there. |
| 10 km in 52:00 | 1:54:44 | Ready now, with room to spare. |
| 10 km in 53:30 | 1:58:03 | Ready. This is the classic sub 2 starting point. |
| 10 km in 55:00 | 2:01:21 | Realistic after 12 good weeks, but not guaranteed. |
| 10 km in 57:00 | 2:05:46 | A stretch. Aim for about 2:05 first, then sub 2 next cycle. |
You also need a base before week 1. You should be running 3 to 4 times a week, about 25 to 30 km (15 to 19 mi) per week, with a long run of 10 to 12 km that feels easy. If you are not there yet, spend 4 to 6 weeks building up with easy running first.
Your Training Paces
Most of your running should be easy. Only one run a week is hard, and the long run is mostly easy with some race pace near the end in the later weeks. These paces fit a runner who can run 10 km in about 53:30 to 55:00. If your recent 10 km is faster, move all paces 5 to 10 seconds per km quicker.
| Run type | Pace per km | Pace per mile | How it should feel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Easy | 6:35 to 7:15 | 10:36 to 11:40 | Relaxed. You can talk in full sentences. |
| Long run | 6:30 to 7:10 | 10:28 to 11:32 | Easy, with race pace blocks in weeks 6 to 10 |
| Race pace | 5:35 to 5:41 | 8:59 to 9:09 | Steady and controlled. A few words at a time. |
| Tempo (threshold) | 5:20 to 5:30 | 8:35 to 8:51 | Comfortably hard. You could hold it for about an hour in a race. |
| Intervals | 4:55 to 5:05 | 7:55 to 8:11 | About your 5 km race pace. Hard but even. |
| Strides | Fast and relaxed | Fast and relaxed | 6 x 20 seconds after an easy run, walk back to recover |
The 12-Week Sub 2 Half Marathon Training Plan
Each week has one key workout and one long run. Every other run is easy. Start every key workout with 2 km of easy running and finish with 1 to 2 km easy. Weeks 4 and 8 are lighter weeks with a time trial or race, so you can check your fitness and adjust your target. Put at least one easy day or rest day between the key workout and the long run.
| Week | Runs | Weekly km (mi) | Long run | Key workout |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | 30 (19) | 12 km easy | 5 x 1 km at tempo pace, 90 seconds jog between |
| 2 | 4 | 32 (20) | 13 km easy | 6 x 800 m at interval pace, 2 minutes jog |
| 3 | 5 | 36 (22) | 14 km easy | 3 x 2 km at tempo pace, 2 minutes jog |
| 4 (lighter) | 4 | 30 (19) | 12 km easy | 5 km time trial or parkrun. Goal: 25:30 or faster. |
| 5 | 5 | 38 (24) | 15 km easy | 5 x 1 km at interval pace, 2 minutes jog |
| 6 | 5 | 41 (25) | 16 km, last 3 km at race pace | 2 x 3 km at tempo pace, 3 minutes jog |
| 7 | 5 | 43 (27) | 17 km easy | 6 x 1 km at interval pace, 2 minutes jog |
| 8 (lighter) | 4 | 34 (21) | 12 km easy | 10 km race or time trial. Goal: 53:30 to 55:00. |
| 9 | 5 | 45 (28) | 18 km, last 6 km at race pace | 3 x 2.5 km at tempo pace, 2 minutes jog |
| 10 (peak) | 5 | 48 (30) | 19 km with 2 x 4 km at race pace | 5 x 1.2 km at interval pace, 2 minutes jog |
| 11 (taper) | 4 | 34 (21) | 14 km easy | 3 x 2 km at race pace, 2 minutes jog |
| 12 (race week) | 3 + race | 16 + race | The race | 4 x 1 km at race pace early in the week |
Use the week 8 result to set your race target. If your 10 km was 53:30 or faster, aim for 5:35 per km. If it was 54:00 to 55:00, start at 5:40 per km and only speed up after 15 km if you feel good. If it was slower than 56:00, a strong 2:02 to 2:04 this time is a better plan than blowing up at 15 km.
A Sample Week With Daily Carbs (Week 9)
Your food should follow your training. Hard days and long runs need more carbohydrate than rest days. Sports nutrition guidelines set carbs by body weight: about 3 to 5 g per kg on light days, 5 to 7 g per kg for about an hour of training, and more for longer sessions. Here is week 9 for a 65 kg (143 lb) runner.
| Day | Session | Carbs per kg | Carbs at 65 kg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | Rest | 3 to 5 g | 195 to 325 g |
| Tuesday | About 11 km with 3 x 2.5 km at tempo | 5 to 7 g | 325 to 455 g |
| Wednesday | 6 km easy | 4 to 5 g | 260 to 325 g |
| Thursday | 6 km easy plus 6 strides | 4 to 5 g | 260 to 325 g |
| Friday | Rest | 3 to 5 g | 195 to 325 g |
| Saturday | 4 km easy | 5 to 6 g | 325 to 390 g |
| Sunday | 18 km, last 6 km at race pace (about 1 h 55 min) | 6 to 7 g | 390 to 455 g, plus 30 to 60 g per hour during the run |
Daily Fueling While You Train
- Eat carbs before key workouts. A meal with 1 to 2 g of carbs per kg 2 to 3 hours before a tempo or interval session helps you hit the paces.
- Fuel long runs over 75 to 90 minutes. From week 6 on, your long runs last about 1 h 40 min or more. Take 30 to 60 g of carbs per hour, the same gels you will use in the race.
- Use the long run as race practice. In weeks 9 and 10, eat your race breakfast, take gels at the times you plan to use them, and wear your race shoes.
- Eat protein at every meal. Aim for 1.2 to 2.0 g per kg per day, about 80 to 130 g at 65 kg, with 20 to 40 g after hard sessions.
- Do not diet hard in a build. A big calorie deficit makes key workouts feel slow and raises injury risk. If you want to lose weight, keep the deficit small and eat well on hard days.
The hard part is that these numbers change every day with the plan, and they change again when a session moves. Mavr does that math from your synced training, so your daily carbs, meal timing, and long run fuel follow the week you are actually running.
The Taper: Weeks 11 and 12
A research review of tapering found that about 2 weeks, with training volume cut by roughly 40 to 60 percent and intensity kept the same, gives the best race performance. In this plan, week 11 drops from 48 km to 34 km and race week drops to about 16 km plus the race. Keep some race pace running in both weeks so your legs stay sharp. Do not add extra sessions because you feel fresh. That feeling is the point of the taper.
Race week example for a Sunday race: Tuesday 7 km with 4 x 1 km at race pace, Thursday 5 km easy, Saturday 3 to 4 km very easy with 4 strides. Eat normally in the taper. You are running less, but your body is repairing and refilling glycogen stores, so this is not the week to cut carbs.
Race-Day Pacing: Even or a Slight Negative Split
The most common way to miss sub 2 is to run the first 5 km at 5:20 per km because you feel great, then fade after 15 km. Banking time does not work. Every second you go too fast early costs you more later. Start a little slower than goal pace, settle in, and save your push for the last 5 km.
| Section | Pace per km | Split | Clock time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start to 5 km | 5:40 | 28:20 | 28:20 |
| 5 to 10 km | 5:36 | 28:00 | 56:20 |
| 10 to 15 km | 5:35 | 27:55 | 1:24:15 |
| 15 to 20 km | 5:33 | 27:45 | 1:52:00 |
| 20 km to finish | 5:25 | 5:57 | 1:57:57 |
If you are running with a 2:00 pace group, stay just ahead of it, not with it. Pacers often run close to 2:00 exactly, and the crowd around the balloon makes water stations slow.
Race-Day Fueling for a Sub 2 Half
You might think a race under 2 hours does not need fuel. At sub 2 effort, most of your energy comes from carbohydrate, and a full race is close to the point where stores start to run low. Guidelines recommend 30 to 60 g of carbohydrate per hour for efforts of 1 to 2.5 hours. For most runners that means two gels plus a few sips of sports drink, starting before you feel you need it.
| When | What to do | Target |
|---|---|---|
| The day before | Carb-rich meals and snacks, low fiber, early dinner | 7 to 10 g carbs per kg (455 to 650 g at 65 kg) |
| 2 to 3 hours before | Breakfast: bagel or white toast with jam, banana, juice | 1 to 2 g carbs per kg (65 to 130 g at 65 kg) |
| 45 to 60 minutes before | Your usual coffee, if you drink it | About 3 mg caffeine per kg |
| 10 to 15 minutes before | Optional gel with a few sips of water | 20 to 25 g carbs |
| 40 to 45 minutes in (about 7 to 8 km) | First gel, with water at a station | 20 to 30 g carbs |
| About 80 minutes in (about 14 km) | Second gel, with water | 20 to 30 g carbs |
| Aid stations | Sips of water or sports drink to thirst | About 400 to 800 ml per hour in total |
One high-carb day is enough for a half marathon. You do not need the 2 to 3 day load that marathon runners use. Only use gels you have tested on long runs, and take each gel with water, not sports drink, to keep it easy on your stomach. The half marathon carb loading, breakfast, and gel guides linked at the end have sample menus and a gel count for every finish time.
Enter your goal time, body weight, and your gel. Get your carb target for the day before, your race breakfast, gel timing by km, and fluids and sodium for race day. Free, and it takes about a minute.
Frequently Asked Questions
What pace do I need for a sub 2 hour half marathon?
You need 5:41 per km or 9:09 per mile on average. Because many runners cover 21.3 to 21.4 km on race day, aim for about 5:35 per km (8:59 per mile), which gives about 1:58 over the official distance.
What 10 km time do I need to run a sub 2 half marathon?
A 10 km of about 53:30 predicts a half marathon of about 1:58. A 10 km of 54:30 predicts about 2:00, and 55:00 predicts about 2:01. With 12 weeks of good training, runners around 55:00 can often get under 2 hours.
How many weeks do I need to train for a sub 2 half marathon?
About 12 weeks if you already run 3 to 4 times a week and about 25 to 30 km per week. If you are starting from less, add 4 to 6 weeks of easy base running first.
How many km a week do I need to run for a sub 2 half?
Most runners get there on 30 to 50 km (19 to 31 mi) per week over 4 to 5 runs. This plan starts at 30 km and peaks at 48 km in week 10.
Do I need gels for a sub 2 hour half marathon?
They help. Races of about 2 hours benefit from 30 to 60 g of carbs per hour. For most runners, one gel at 40 to 45 minutes and one at about 80 minutes, plus sips of sports drink, is enough.
Is a sub 2 half marathon the same pace as a sub 4 marathon?
Yes, both are 5:41 per km or 9:09 per mile. But holding it for twice the distance is much harder. A 2:00 half predicts a marathon of about 4:10, so a sub 4 marathon usually needs a half of about 1:52 to 1:55.
Sources
Sources and official references
- 1.Position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Dietitians of Canada, and ACSM: Nutrition and Athletic PerformanceJournal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (Thomas et al., 2016) · Daily carbs of 3 to 10 g/kg by training load, 1 to 4 g/kg pre-event meals, 30 to 60 g per hour for 1 to 2.5 hour efforts, protein 1.2 to 2.0 g/kg
- 2.Contemporary Nutrition Strategies to Optimize Performance in Distance Runners and Race WalkersInternational Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism (Burke et al., 2019) · Pre-race carb intake and in-race carbs and fluid for half marathon and marathon runners
- 3.A Step Towards Personalized Sports Nutrition: Carbohydrate Intake During ExerciseSports Medicine (Jeukendrup, 2014) · Carbohydrate intake during exercise scaled to event duration
- 4.An Empirical Study of Race Times in Recreational Endurance RunnersBMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation (Vickers and Vertosick, 2016) · The Riegel formula was well calibrated up to the half marathon in 2,303 recreational runners
- 5.Effects of Tapering on Performance: A Meta-AnalysisMedicine and Science in Sports and Exercise (Bosquet et al., 2007) · A 2-week taper with volume cut by 41 to 60 percent and intensity kept gave the best results
Prompt ideas for AI assistants
- “My 10 km best is 54:40. Can I run a sub 2 hour half marathon in 12 weeks?”
- “What should my tempo and easy paces be for a sub 2 half?”
- “When should I take gels in a half marathon if I am aiming for 1:58?”
Mavr syncs your plan from Garmin, Strava, TrainingPeaks, Runna, Intervals.icu or Apple Health and sets your carbs for every training day, plus a gel and fluid plan for the race.
Written by
Mavr Sports Nutrition Team
The Mavr sports-nutrition team translates peer-reviewed endurance research (Jeukendrup, Burke, the ISSN) into daily fueling for runners and triathletes.