What is the average mile time of the GENERAL population for a 30 year old male?

To add to this, in an exercise testing and prescription class that I teach, my college students are rarely capable of beating me in a 1.5 mile run (I usually do it roughly 8:30 -9:00, at altitude). Most students are in the 11-13 minute range for 1.5 miles, and these are generally 20-24 year old exercise sciences students, so I imagine the general populations can't of 30 year old would have trouble breaking 8 or 9 minutes in the mile.

Extra Medium wrote:

I think the median would be around 8:00 assuming decent pacing.

It is only a mile, anybody with any endurance that isn't way fat could probably gut out a 7:00. There are a lot of fatties, so I'll go with 8:00

I'm not fat and I run 4 miles 3-4 times a week (i.e. I run more often and further than 95% of the population). I could barely gut out a 7:00 right now. The idea that "anybody with any endurance" could is laughable.

I'm also 48, but still...

Brandon wrote:

Well, that's a lie since the WORLD RECORD is a 3.43.13 set in 1999. Is this site even remotely serious, because the comments on here are laughable. I am almost 36 and I can run a 6 or possibly a bit better, but I train HARD. Average runners who are either new or don't run competitively will average in between the 8-10 minute range, depending on their build and how often they run.

heheeeeheaaahahahahah

you're new here aren't you

(when you just now realise the post was from 2012)

* I ran 4:22 in HS

* I ran 4:13 in a brief college career

* I hold a lifetime 5000 PR of 15:08

At 33 I can run in the high 17s, low 18s for 5000. Admittedly I do run a lot of miles. I dont call them junk miles but at the same time I am not aiming to be faster. I just try to enjoy running and have nothing to prove.

I think I could run about 4:55-5:00 with 4-6 weeks of focus. I would wager the average person, no running background, could run about 8:30-9:00.

This post summarizes my thoughts completely!

At the average school fundraiser 5K, with a hundred entrants, there will be a 19 year old alum who will win it in 17 and change. There will be a about 10 runners of varying ages, but primarily in their 30s and 40s, under 20 minutes. There will be 20 or so between 20 and 27 minutes. There will be 50 between 26 and 36 minutes, and the last 19 will walk it in under an hour.

And these hundred are the fit half of society who would even consider such a race.

Average 30 year old mile time is 20 minutes. Not even a brisk walk. Don't believe me, leave your spandex lined coccoon and take a ride to the DMV and look at a true cross section of the society we live in.

Do you meet all 4 criteria? Most runners do.

1. Moderate or vigorous exercise for at least 150 minutes a week

2. A diet score in the top 40 percent on the Healthy Eating Index

3. A body fat percentage under 20 percent (for men) or 30 percent (for women)

4. Not smoking

Congratulations! Just 2.7 percent of Americans meet all four. As you can see, runners are an elite bunch.

What kinds of mile times would the remaining 97.3% have? Mostly DNF.

I think a lot of people could run it a lot faster than they think they could, but they would bag it the millisecond any form of physical discomfort set in.

Raptured wrote:

I'd guess the average 30 year old american male could run an 8:40, but would be laid up for a day or two after doing so.

After spending 14 years in the National Guard and seeing slightly above average guys (way less obesity) that had to take their annual physical fitness test, I would say 8:40 is probably pretty close, give or take 15 - 20 seconds.

This question would be interesting in regards to women. I always get the feeling that women, moreso than men, who were not athletes at some point want absolutely no part of something like a mile run. It might as well be Everest.

timerr wrote:

Including runners and nonrunners for a male age 30?

You didn't specify that you were talking about the USA, which everybody is assuming. USA, I would say 90% of 30 year old males couldn't even finish a mile, but the average including run/walk would be 12 minutes or so.

Kenya, you're talking more like 6 flat. Countries like UK and Germany, maybe 9 minutes.

I used to think average was about 10:00 but I saw a VERY obese person run a 9 minute mile the other day which changed my view completely, although 9 minutes is not fast - if you saw the size of this guy you would hav ebeen impressed that he could have done it at any speed. It makes me think that an average healthy weight person untrained would be capable of 7-7:30. If you’re talking runners, bring that down to 6:00.

C'mon man! A "VERY obese" person running a 9 min mile? here? Did this person live to tell about it? Did they go into cardiac arrest? I've know moderately overweight people who have gone into cardiac arrest while attempting to slow jog a mile (>11 min pace). Thats why a cardiologist has obese people do a walking treadmill test with the paddles on standby. Ask any competent cardiologist about a "VERY obese" fat person running a 9 min mile who didn't suffer a cardiac event or other cardiovascular pathology and I'm sure you'll get the proverbial "yeah...right" response. ?

Yeah but I actually saw this guy do it ....

Rez wrote:

It makes me think that an average healthy weight person untrained would be capable of 7-7:30. If you’re talking runners, bring that down to 6:00.

Untrained? No way! Untrained 30 year olds are clueless about pacing and don't have the mental toughness to push through the pain.

Our office participated in a corporate mile race a couple of years ago. There was a few different races. We had 7 males in our office aged 25-37 participate.

All of them do some form of exercise a few days a week. Basketball, elliptical, spin class, some weights. None are what Letsrunners would call "fit," but they are all thin by US standards.

The fastest guy out of these 7 ran around 8:20. A couple ran over 10 minutes.

Again, these people are not really overweight and actually exercise.

"General population" would include a large % of 30 year old males who couldn't run a mile at any speed. Some might not be able to walk a mile.

I just disagree. I don’t think the average person is as unfit as people make out. We are homosapians and are born to run, a large part of it is actually in our genes to do it. I know a lot of non-runners who could beat me in a race over short distance. People arent as weak and slow as you think, especially when young.

Rez wrote:

I just disagree. I don’t think the average person is as unfit as people make out. We are homosapians and are born to run, a large part of it is actually in our genes to do it. I know a lot of non-runners who could beat me in a race over short distance. People arent as weak and slow as you think, especially when young.

Well unfit means pretty much deviating from what you 'naturally' should be. We were born to run every day, but in modern society most never run. People who have been bedridden for weeks, let alone months or years, find it difficult to get back to walking at first, no matter that their genes have built them for walking.

I recently took up hobby jogging after not really running since school, which is now 30 years ago. I could run a mile in 8 minutes when I was 12, but was struggling to break 10 minutes when I started a couple of months ago. Even though I'm in my forties, I'd say I'm significantly fitter than the average 30 year old, and have held my own in very intense MMA classes and sparring against very fit young men, some actual sparring partners of UFC fighters.