How much slower should 5K pace be versus 3200?

Depends on 400, mile, 2 mile, 10k level

I have posted for almost a couple years about how slight pace change from 3000m to 1/2 Marathon pace. The percentage change from 400m to 800m is nearly the same as percentage change from 3000m to 1/2 Marathon (for high mileage elite runners).

Do high schools still occasionally race 2 mile XC? It's about the same pace. One season in high school, we raced 2 mile XC one meet. By the middle of the XC season, my 3 mile XC pace was faster than my 2 mile XC pace.

3200m on track pace is only slightly faster than 5000m XC pace.

If my memory is correct, Daniels suggests that it will be about 4 seconds slower per 400. From my experience with HS kids, it's often a bit more (5 or even 6) unless they're slower aerobic monsters.

I ran an analysis on a sample of 10 female runners' 3200 to 5k paces. I looked at their 3200 PR from the spring, compared to their 5k PR in the fall. I used the 1600 pace for the 3200, and the mile pace for the 5k.

On average, the 5k mile pace was 7.6% slower than the 1600 pace of the 3200.

For example, if a girl ran a 12:00 3200, the projected 5k would be 20:03 (6:00 * 1.076 * 3.107 mi).

If all goes according to plan you should be able to run track 2 mile pace for the 5k XC the next fall season.

15 seconds per mile if both on track. tack on another 15 seconds per mile for xc.

I think around 30 seconds per mile slower for xc is reasonable. if you are improving, you can close that gap even tighter, perhaps even matching that previous 2 mile track pace.

I have had kids go through 2 mile mark in xc, at their previous 3200 PR, but it's not the norm.

My short answer: on a fast cross course, expect around 10-30 seconds slower per mile for xc pace per mile.