Running a 10k race is a fantastic accomplishment. For a beginner runner, it's a heck of an achievement to run this type of distance.  

In this complete guide, you’ll learn the answers to every question beginner runners have about running a 10k race.

We'll answer the following questions:

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

You’ll also see several 10k 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 10k Race Guide

How Long is a 10k?

A 10k 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: How Long is a 10k?

Can You Walk a 10k?

You can absolutely walk a 10k, there is no ruling stopping you from walking a 10k running race (or any distance of running race for that matter!) 

However, you might encounter time cutoff issues if you can’t walk the 10k in under 90 minutes.  To find out how fast you'd need to walk to finish a 10k, read the full article here: Can You Walk a 10k?

What’s the Average 10k Time?

The average finish time for a 10k race is between 25 and 28 minutes. 

But answering the question, “What’s a Good 10k Time?” depends on your age, gender and fitness levels. You can read about the details in the full article here: What's the Average 10k Time?

How Long Does it Take to Train for a 10k?

Training for a 10k can take anywhere from four to 24 weeks.

How long it will take you to take for a 10k race will depend on your current athletic ability and your race goals.  You can find out all the details here: How Long Does It Take To Train for a 10k?

Can you Train for a 10k on a Treadmill?

You can technically do all of your training for a 10k on a treadmill.

Running on a treadmill has some distinct advantages, but also some serious drawbacks so we shouldn’t do all of our running on a treadmill. You can read all of the reasons why here: Can You Train For a 10k on a Treadmill?

What’s the Weekly Mileage you Need to Train for a 10k?

Training for a 10k race can be done in two to four runs of just 30-75 minutes each, per week.

How much you decide to train for your 10k running race depends on the goals you have for the race. You can figure out your perfect mileage by reading this article: Weekly Mileage for a 10k

How to Pace a 10k?

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

10k race pacing is very challenging, it should feel very close to “blowing up”. You can click here for the details: How To Pace a 10k

What to Wear for a 10k?

During a 10k 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 in this article: What to Wear for a 10k

What to Eat and Drink During a 10k?

You don’t need to eat or drink much, if anything, during a 10k 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 more about race fuel here: What to Eat and Drink During a 10k

What to Eat After Running a 10k?

After a 10k 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 10k and what the benefits are in this article: What to Eat After Running a 10k

What to do Before a 10k?

Before a 10k you should spend several days resting, doing short runs with small fast bursts, and the morning of a 10k you should have a carbohydrate-focused breakfast.

All the details of what to do before a 10k can be found here: What To Do Before a 10k

10k Training Plans

Beginner 10k 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

Click here to see a beginner 10k training plan.

Intermediate 10k 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

Click here to see an intermediate 10k training plan.

Advanced 10k Training Plans

Advanced 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.

Click here to see an advanced 10k training plan.

Wrap-Up

Read as many of the above article as you can from our 10k race guide and you’ll know all about what it takes to finish a 10k running race feeling great!

You can also check out our Couch to 5k training plan article if you've never run before and are looking for a good way to begin.