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

In the menu you’ll learn the answers to 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.

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.  Read the full article here.

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 and gender. You can read about the details in the full article here.

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.

Can you Train for a 10k on a Treadmill?

You can absolutely do all of your training for a 10k 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 10k?

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

How much you decide to train for your 10k running race depends on the goals you have for those races. You can read all about the details here.

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 read about the details here.

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 here.

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 about the details here.

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 here.

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 are here.

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

You can see a beginner 10k training plan here.

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

You can see an intermediate 10k training plan here.

Advanced 10k 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 10k training plan here.

Wrap-Up

Read as much as you can in this 10k running race guide and you’ll know all about what it takes to finish a 10k race feeling great!

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