What can the average 23-26 year old male run for 5k?

At 40 years old, with no running history (I played basketball in HS), I ran 23:30 for a 5k. I had started to run, maybe 6 mos prior. But with no real goal or consistent focus. No diet changes. I probably did a "beginner" plan the last 10 weeks. My long run was 4 miles (maybe) and I peaked at 12-15 miles. At 23-26, given the same training, no way I'm not in the 21's.

With 1 year of "training and good diet", at 23-26, no way I don't break 20:00, 3 years, I can't imagine I don't run sub 18:00.

I consider myself slightly above AVERAGE in distance running ability. Your time predictions are too slow by at least 2 mins.

I'll go 23:00 & low 20:xx.

Good point...what's with all these "what could the average person run?" posts?

These posts make absolutely no sense because the "average" American male is generally overweight, out-of-shape, and doesn't even run let alone walk on a regular basis.

Just the other day, I was shopping at my local grocery store. The store now hires private, uniformed security guards because of on-going theft problems.

This young man, probably in his mid to late 20's, overweight, sloppy looking, had to chase after a shoplifter in the parking lot catching & apprehending the suspect after running a few hundred yards.

When the security guard got back to the store, he called paramedics for chest pain, difficulty breathing & dizziness. He was sitting on the floor near the entrance attended by other employees as they waited for paramedics. He looked terrible & I hope he didn't actually suffer a heart attack or stroke - but I wouldn't be surprised.

So, here's an average guy who couldn't even run a few hundreds without suffering a medical event.😉

I am assuming that by average male, we are talking about your average healthy male (e.g. not overweight / disgusting, lazy slob). With that criteria, I consider myself to be bang on average as far as running goes - straight up 50th percentile. I did have a background in running cross country in high school, but was 29 when I picked it up again.

I started running right at the beginning of the pandemic and ran 20:59 a year later (April 2021). I was nearly dead crossing the finish line so all out effort. I think I ran something like 23-24 minutes when I had first started training, but can't find those results saved anywhere

On Sep 2022, I ran an 18:47

And Oct 2023, I ran 18:03

So ran 21 minutes with nothing but consistent running for a year. Dropped two minutes to 19 after 2 years of consistent running. And dropped another minute after another year, during which I paid for an online coach to structure my training. The vast majority of my weeks are 30-40 miles/week.

That's a VERY specific age range. Idiot. Why not ask what 24 to 25.5 year olds can run

Sure, I'll share some numbers. I started April 2020 at age 34, weighing ~185 lb, 5'10". Sedentary since high school, where I was a decent sprinter/jumper but felt like I sucked at distance in gym class (but was probably pretty average for my low weight back then) and hated running.

- After Couch to 5k (8 weeks), I never did a full race effort, but it would have been around 30 mins 5k. Weight 175 lb.

- No race efforts and lots of issues with injuries during 2020. Rough estimate would be a 27 min 5k if I tried one. Weight 165 lb by the end. About 600 km ran during the year. Just too-fast "easy" runs, no structured quality days.

- Started JD type of training in spring/summer 2021. First race effort was 24 min 5k in late 2021. Probably around 155 lb. Distance ran in 2021 was 2160 km. Still dealing with some mostly chronic injuries (PTT).

- Continued similar training in 2022 but more consistent and building distance as possible. Did a 22 min 5k late in the year. 2700 km for the year.

- Did a Pfitz HM cycle early 2023, then my own training that's mostly threshold-oriented. Did a 21 min 5k two months ago, weight 150 lb. 3600 km for the year.

I'll add that I was trying hard and motivated to get fast the whole time, and wasn't limited by time to train but by what my body could do.

Good grief. Why do so many runners get off on insisting they have average or even no talent? Are they trying to impress us by how much they achieved on gritty hard work alone?

If you've run in the 18's, you are NOT "straight up 50th percentile." That's nonsense. You're placing in the top 5 to 10 percent at typical 5k races, and that's just among the self selected sample size that actually enters 5ks.

50th percentile of the entire population? That's straight up crazy. The letsrun bubble is alive and well.

False. (Especially if you mean a 16:00 5k). Take your gulag scenario and replace a 16 min 5k with a 12.00 100M or even a 53.00 sec 400M. Most guys, no matter what the incentive or training is simply dont have the speed to hit those marks.

Same for a 16:00 5k. Most guys simply don't have the V02 max needed to hit that mark and training won't get you ther if you dont have the engine.

Yep, these threads seem to try to break people down into body mechanics, with no accounting for motivations. Also, people have a lot more going on physically than just their variations in distance running ability.

There's a guy I talk with every day at work who was a jumper in high school and college, pretty darn buff, eats pretty clean, and for cardio does jump rope for 15-20 minutes total. He also runs a 2 mile route and attempts to do it in under 20 minutes. Getting the 2nd mile down under 10 minutes pace into the 9's is never easy, and sometimes he bows out. Now, how average is he? He has said before, I'd like to get that time down, to which I have replied on a few occassions, you might try running more. In the two years we've talked he has not run more than those two miles. So apparently he's not interested in that. Were I to imagine him doing "appropriate training" for distance running, he would essentially be a different dude.

what percent of folks do you think who get chunky come out with good knees and ankles left? IMO the ones who can start out chunky and shed it all and not mess up their body worse, were the ones who weren't athletes as kids. the ones i knew who were athletes as kids tend to be beat to heck. and they can't magically wave it away.

my experience not far behind these "average person" threads is some mix of modifying the baseline (ok, not quite average, really above average in some facet) or selling some ideology or training plan. it's all work rate. it's this training plan that would do it. sorry but i knew jocks who ran a full season of XC with serious workouts, fast teammates to chase, equipment, etc., never broke 20. and that's not average work ethic. my memory was how many soccer teammates and other people quit XC after 1-2 weeks of that kind of workouts. and they are above average jocks willing to drag their tookus up and down soccer fields for 90' all game. who say, woah, 2 miles of strides, 2 miles of warmups, 6 miles of intervals, haha pull the other one, i will be on the couch and at select soccer practice.

from this thread you had two people who booted or rebooted on this thread and gave times. the one guy with no prior experience who worked his butt off was in the low 20s. and not immediately, after a bunch of work. like i said. the other guy barely broke 20 and was former XC ie not average.

i agree with the poster saying these kind of posts are usually made by oblivious natural freaks who were born running 5 minute miles and had their view from the top and have no perspective on what even mediocrity or being the last kid on the varsity 7 takes. i was roughly 5th on my XC team. that equated out to i was roughly 5th in athletics period when we did our annual mile time trial -- even the throwers and jumpers. which, i was doing that before i started XC from soccer endurance.

no, you want an idea of average, it's not the 5th-7th guy on XC. they are probably 10-20 fastest distance runners in the school.

go watch a PE class run a mile. that gets timed with a sun dial. or they are walking. pick the middle kid. that's average. not the back end of XC kids who you are annoyed with because you wish you could win team. they are fairly fast and just not fast/deep enough. as someone said, your average kid in PE is either hacking up a lung or jogging or walking after a mile, lack the fitness and lungs to really race anything any distance, and would pull a muscle if they tried to explode. at best they jog along and run about an 8 or 9 or 10. this is real average.

Absolutely. At my high school we had a required health class with a running unit, building up to about 3 miles over a period of maybe 8 weeks or so. This is the only way to find out who is average, because they make everyone do it. I think I was in about the top quarter every time. That's how I know I am an above average distance runner, despite my 20 minute 5k PR.

My suite mates from college barely jogged. Maybe 10 miles per week. But raced each other on pure hate and bet. They both broke 21 minutes wearing trainers. Neither of them were fat though nor skinny. Just avg college kids.

Nope, the 18 min came after 3 years of very consistent training, not right away. I was not placing in the top 5/10% of 5k races when I started.

The average person at a 5k race also doesn't put a ton of effort into training. At a 5k the age group middle packers may not train at all, but just show up for the race. Sub 19 may well take more than average talent, but it definitely takes more than average training, defining average as median person showing up to a 5k in the men's 25‐29 age group

To be able to get to 100mpw off the couch within 2 years without getting injured requires a talent. And you still didn't break 20 minutes.

Ok, I'm going to go back...to boot camp. Third phase PT test, these are rough times and the numbers in each time range for the series (about 220 dudes)

under 18 Maybe 1 and not by much

18-19 I was right at 18 and probably 20-25 guys

19-21 50-60

21-23 50-60

23-25 50-60

25-28 about 20

By the turn around were way strung out. These are mostly motivated, not fat, (trained) and 21-22 is/was the average. Your average 23-26 yo if you have 220 of them are going to have a 33 minute 5k time, and I'm being generous.

You're not though. You may be judged by most sports, but the average person could not get near a 100 mile week off the couch within 2 years. You may also have had some very good fortune, or intelligent training to be able to do that. Most even fit young people would get injured trying to do 100 mile weeks within 2 years.

There frequently comments on LT about diet, but probably 99% of people’s diets are good enough, without even thinking about it.