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Swim Pace Calculator

Determine the optimal pace, distance, or time for any swim distance.

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Design by Aaron Iker

How To Quickly & Easily Calculate Your Swim Pace

Then choose the best pace for your next event.

Written by Matt Jensen

Are you coming up with a plan to tackle your next swimming milestone? Then this swim pace calculator is a must-have tool.

Choosing a good average pace is how professional swimmers plan for success. All you need is the distance you’re swimming and the final time you’re looking to achieve. Dividing your time by the distance will equal your target pace.

P a c e = \frac{T i m e}{D i s t a n c e}

This equation will determine how far is swum every second. So to swim 500 meters in 7:25 (or 445 seconds) would be 445 / 500, which equals 0.89 meters per second. Most swimmers will make this easier to understand by converting it into a 100 meter measurement as we’ll show later.

We used that same 100 meter or yard measurement to create the results above and expand on them to create the ultimate personal record planning tool. First, let’s see how advanced swimmers calculate their pace on the fly.

How Swimmers Calculate Pace

Professional swimmers use this pace converter to create a time it would take to reach 100 meters (or yards). That way you don’t have to worry about confusing fractions.

\frac{P a c e}{100 m} = (\frac{T i m e}{D i s t a n c e}) \cdot 100

This equation determines how many seconds it takes to swim 100 meters. So following our example above 0.89 x 100 = 89 seconds (or 1:29) to swim 100 meters or yards. That’s much easier to wrap your head around!

A swim time predictor for pace should be used as an average to help keep you on track. It does not have to be the exact time in which you swim each 100 meters of your event.

Now that you know how it’s calculated, let’s make sure you’re setting a good pace for your next event. Below are swim pace charts in meters for popular distances.

Men’s Freestyle 100m Swim Paces

Age	Pace / 100m	Time
15 - 19	0:02:29	0:02:29
20 - 24	0:02:10	0:02:10
25 - 29	0:02:16	0:02:16
30 - 34	0:02:21	0:02:21
35 - 39	0:02:26	0:02:26
40 - 44	0:02:31	0:02:31
45 - 49	0:02:50	0:02:50
50 - 54	0:02:56	0:02:56
55 - 59	0:03:03	0:03:03

This table includes the average paces for beginners. Source: Average Swim Times.

Women’s Freestyle 100m Swim Paces

Age	Pace / 100m	Time
15 - 19	0:02:51	0:02:51
20 - 24	0:02:34	0:02:34
25 - 29	0:02:41	0:02:41
30 - 34	0:02:43	0:02:43
35 - 39	0:02:44	0:02:44
40 - 44	0:02:47	0:02:47
45 - 49	0:02:53	0:02:53
50 - 54	0:03:01	0:03:01
55 - 59	0:03:11	0:03:11

This table includes the average paces for beginners. Source: Average Swim Times.

Men’s Freestyle 400m Swim Paces

Age	Pace / 100m	Time
15 - 19	0:02:29	0:09:56
20 - 24	0:02:10	0:08:40
25 - 29	0:02:16	0:09:04
30 - 34	0:02:21	0:09:24
35 - 39	0:02:26	0:09:44
40 - 44	0:02:31	0:10:04
45 - 49	0:02:50	0:11:20
50 - 54	0:02:56	0:11:44
55 - 59	0:03:03	0:12:12

This table includes the average paces for beginners. Source: Average Swim Times.

Women’s Freestyle 400m Swim Paces

Age	Pace / 100m	Time
15 - 19	0:02:51	0:11:24
20 - 24	0:02:34	0:10:16
25 - 29	0:02:41	0:10:44
30 - 34	0:02:43	0:10:52
35 - 39	0:02:44	0:10:56
40 - 44	0:02:47	0:11:08
45 - 49	0:02:53	0:11:32
50 - 54	0:03:01	0:12:04
55 - 59	0:03:11	0:12:44

This table includes the average paces for beginners. Source: Average Swim Times.

Men’s Freestyle 500m Swim Paces

Age	Pace / 100m	Time
15 - 19	0:02:29	0:12:25
20 - 24	0:02:10	0:10:50
25 - 29	0:02:16	0:11:20
30 - 34	0:02:21	0:11:45
35 - 39	0:02:26	0:12:10
40 - 44	0:02:31	0:12:35
45 - 49	0:02:50	0:14:10
50 - 54	0:02:56	0:14:40
55 - 59	0:03:03	0:15:15

This table includes the average paces for beginners. Source: Average Swim Times.

Women’s Freestyle 500m Swim Paces

Age	Pace / 100m	Time
15 - 19	0:02:51	0:14:15
20 - 24	0:02:34	0:12:50
25 - 29	0:02:41	0:13:25
30 - 34	0:02:43	0:13:35
35 - 39	0:02:44	0:13:40
40 - 44	0:02:47	0:13:55
45 - 49	0:02:53	0:14:25
50 - 54	0:03:01	0:15:05
55 - 59	0:03:11	0:15:55

This table includes the average paces for beginners. Source: Average Swim Times.

Men’s Freestyle 1,000m Swim Paces

Age	Pace / 100m	Time
15 - 19	0:03:10	0:31:37
20 - 24	0:03:03	0:30:33
25 - 29	0:03:03	0:30:33
30 - 34	0:03:04	0:30:35
35 - 39	0:03:06	0:31:04
40 - 44	0:03:13	0:32:09
45 - 49	0:03:20	0:33:22
50 - 54	0:03:28	0:34:40
55 - 59	0:03:37	0:36:05

This table includes the average paces for beginners. Source: 1,000m Swim Times.

Women’s Freestyle 1,000m Swim Paces

Age	Pace / 100m	Time
15 - 19	0:03:17	0:32:53
20 - 24	0:03:08	0:31:18
25 - 29	0:03:08	0:31:18
30 - 34	0:03:08	0:31:18
35 - 39	0:03:09	0:31:30
40 - 44	0:03:13	0:32:10
45 - 49	0:03:20	0:33:18
50 - 54	0:03:30	0:35:02
55 - 59	0:03:42	0:37:02

This table includes the average paces for beginners. Source: 1,000m Swim Times.

Men’s Freestyle 1,500m Swim Paces

Age	Pace / 100m	Time
15 - 19	0:03:12	0:48:00
20 - 24	0:03:06	0:46:23
25 - 29	0:03:06	0:46:23
30 - 34	0:03:06	0:46:25
35 - 39	0:03:09	0:47:11
40 - 44	0:03:15	0:48:48
45 - 49	0:03:23	0:50:39
50 - 54	0:03:31	0:52:38
55 - 59	0:03:39	0:54:46

This table includes the average paces for beginners. Source: 1,500m Swim Times.

Women’s Freestyle 1,500m Swim Paces

Age	Pace / 100m	Time
15 - 19	0:03:20	0:49:59
20 - 24	0:03:10	0:47:35
25 - 29	0:03:10	0:47:35
30 - 34	0:03:10	0:47:35
35 - 39	0:03:10	0:47:35
40 - 44	0:03:16	0:48:53
45 - 49	0:03:23	0:50:38
50 - 54	0:03:33	0:53:14
55 - 59	0:03:45	0:56:18

This table includes the average paces for beginners. Source: 1,500m Swim Times.

Men’s Ironman Swim Paces

The swimming portion of the Ironman is 3.8 kilometers or 3,800 meters.

Age	Pace / 100m	Time
15 - 19	0:03:17	2:05:02
20 - 24	0:03:11	2:00:48
25 - 29	0:03:11	2:00:48
30 - 34	0:03:11	2:00:49
35 - 39	0:03:14	2:02:45
40 - 44	0:03:21	2:07:13
45 - 49	0:03:29	2:12:05
50 - 54	0:03:37	2:17:20
55 - 59	0:03:46	2:23:02

This table includes the average paces for beginners. Source: 3,800m Swim Times.

Women’s Ironman Swim Paces

The swimming length of an Ironman is 3.8 kilometers or 3,800 meters.

Age	Pace / 100m	Time
15 - 19	0:03:26	2:10:30
20 - 24	0:03:16	2:04:14
25 - 29	0:03:16	2:04:14
30 - 34	0:03:16	2:04:14
35 - 39	0:03:17	2:05:03
40 - 44	0:03:22	2:07:38
45 - 49	0:03:29	2:12:12
50 - 54	0:03:40	2:19:01
55 - 59	0:03:52	2:27:00

This table includes the average paces for beginners. Source: 3,800m Swim Times.

Conclusion

Knowing the average pace you need to achieve is key to hitting your next swimming milestone. Remember to use the simple formula Pace = Time / Distance, then multiply the result by 100 to get the pace per 100 meters or yards. Most importantly, be sure the pace you’ve set is realistic for your goal and current ability.