In this complete guide you’ll learn the answers to every question beginner runners have about running a 5k race.

In the menu you’ll learn the answers to the following questions:

1. How Long is a 5k?
2. Can You Walk a 5k?
3. What’s the Average 5k Time?
4. How Long Does it Take to Train for a 5k?
5. Can you Train for a 5k on a Treadmill?
6. What’s the Weekly Mileage you Need to Train for a 5k?
7. How to Pace a 5k?
8. What to Wear for a 5k?
9. What to Eat and Drink During a 5k?
10. What to Eat After Running a 5k?
11. What to do Before a 5k?

You’ll also see several 5k training plans ranging from 8 week, 12 week, to 16 week 5k training plans. You’ll also see variations for beginners, intermediate, and advanced runners.

Complete 5k Race Guide 

How Long is a 5k?

A 5k running race is 5000 metres, twelve and a half laps on a standard 400 metre track, or 3.11 miles. 

Read the full article here.

Can You Walk a 5k?

You can absolutely walk a 5k, there is no ruling stopping you from walking a 5k running race. 

However, you might encounter time cutoff issues if you can’t walk the 5k in under 60 minutes.  Read the full article here.

What’s the Average 5k Time?

The average finish time for a 5 race is between 25 and 28 minutes. 

But answering the question, “What’s a Good 5k Time?” depends on your age and gender. You can read about the details in the full article here.

How Long Does it Take to Train for a 5k?

Training for a 5k can take anywhere from four to sixteen weeks.

How long it will take you to take for a 5k race will depend on your current athletic ability and your race goals.  You can find out all the details here.

Can you Train for a 5k on a Treadmill?

You can absolutely do all of your training for a 5k on the treadmill.

Running on a treadmill has some distinct advantages, but also some serious drawbacks so we shouldn’t do all our running on a treadmill. You can read about this here.

What’s the Weekly Mileage you Need to Train for a 5k?

Training for a 5k race can be done in two to four runs of just 30-75 minutes each.

How much you decide to train for your 5k running race depends on the goals you have for those races. You can read all about the details here.

How to Pace a 5k?

You pace a 5k by running at an 8-9/10 effort level. 

5k race pacing is very challenging, it should feel very close to “blowing up”. You can read about the details here.

What to Wear for a 5k?

During a 5k you should wear a pair of quick dry running shorts, a quick dry shirt, and a proper pair of running shoes.

See more details about what to wear when running here.

What to Eat and Drink During a 5k?

You don’t need to eat or drink much, if anything, during a 5k race because it’s a very short race.

However, some runners will get thirsty in a race, others might feel a performance benefit from a small amount of calories. You can read about the details here.

What to Eat After Running a 5k?

After a 5k you should eat a large meal with at least 15 grams of protein and 50 grams of carbohydrates.

We discuss all the options for what to eat after a 5k and what the benefits are here.

What to do Before a 5k?

Before a 5k you should spend several days resting, doing short runs with small fast bursts, and the morning of a 5k you should have a carbohydrate focused breakfast.

All the details of what to do before a 5k are here.

5k Training Plans

Beginner 5k Training Plans

Beginner runners are people who fall into one of the following categories:

1. You have never run before and have very little fitness background
2. You want to train as little as possible
3. You just want to finish a race and don’t care at all about the time

You can see a beginner 5k training plan here.

Intermediate 5k Training Plans

Intermediate runners are people who fall into one of the following categories:

1. You have a strong fitness background in another high level sports
2. You want to train a moderate amount, but not to huge levels
3. You want to finish the race in a solid time

You can see an intermediate 5k training plan here.

Advanced 5k Training Plans

Intermediate runners are people who fall into one of the following categories:

1. You have an elite fitness background in other endurance sports
2. You don’t mind training as much as reasonably possible
3. You want to finish the race in as fast a time as you possibly can.

You can see an advanced 5k training plan here.

Wrap-Up

Read as much as you can in this 5k running race guide and you’ll know all about what it takes to finish a 5k race feeling great!

You can also check out our Learn to Run guides and our complete list of 5k training plans.

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