Racing
Race split planner
Enter a target time and get the split at every lap, on an outdoor 400 m track or an indoor 200 m track. Run it at even pace, or with a faster first or second half.
How it is calculated
The planner spreads the target time over the race. At even pace every metre takes the same time.
With a fade, the second half takes longer than the first by the percentage you choose. The pace changes steadily from start to finish, so you slow down (or speed up) a little on every lap rather than all at once.
Where the splits are
Splits are taken on the finish line, where the clock is. The 1500 m is three laps and 300 m, so the first split is at 300 m. The mile is 1609.34 m, four laps and 9.34 m, so it starts 9.34 m behind the line and the first split is at 409 m. The 3000 m and 5000 m start on the far side of the track, so the first split is at 200 m. The 400 m and 800 m also show every 100 m or 200 m. On a 200 m indoor track, the 1500 m first crosses the line at 100 m.
Races are not run at even pace
In 26 men’s 800 m world records from 1912 to 1997, the first lap averaged 52.0 s and the second 54.4 s. Only 2 of them had a faster second lap (Tucker, Lambert and Noakes, 2006). That is the +4.6% in the 800 m example.
Since 2011, Olympic and world championship 800 m medallists have run the first lap about 2.2 s faster than the second (Sandford and others, 2018).
In the 400 m the first 200 m is almost always the faster half. Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone won the 2025 world title in 47.78 and passed 200 m in 22.95, so her second 200 m took 24.83: 8.2% longer. That is the +8.2% in the 400 m example.
From 1500 m up, records are closer to even pace. In 5000 m and 10,000 m world records, the first and last kilometres were the fastest and the middle ones slower (Tucker, Lambert and Noakes, 2006).
Worked example
A 2:00.00 800 m at even pace passes 200 m in 30.00, 400 m in 1:00.00 and 600 m in 1:30.00. With +4.6%, the first lap takes 58.65 and the second 1:01.35. The splits become 28.99 at 200 m, 58.65 at 400 m and 1:28.99 at 600 m.
Limits
The steady fade is a model, and real races are less smooth. A 400 m starts from blocks, so the first 100 m is slower than the table shows: McLaughlin-Levrone ran 11.71 for her first 100 m and 11.24 for the second. The middle laps of a 5000 m depend on the pack. Indoors, the tight bends make the same time harder, and the planner does not adjust for that.
Sources: Tucker R, Lambert MI, Noakes TD (2006), An analysis of pacing strategies during men’s world-record performances in track athletics, International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance 1(3): 233–245. Sandford GN and others (2018), Tactical behaviors in men’s 800-m Olympic and world-championship medalists: a changing of the guard, International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance 13(2): 246–249. World Athletics, Tokyo 2025 women’s 400 m final, results and splits.
Questions
What are even splits?
Even splits mean every lap takes the same time. For a 2:00 800 m that is 60 seconds per lap, or 30 seconds per 200 m.
Is the 800 m run at even pace?
The fastest 800 m races usually are not. In 24 of 26 men’s world records from 1912 to 1997, the first lap was faster than the second. Since 2011, Olympic and world medallists have run the first lap about 2 seconds faster.
Where is the first split in a 1500 m?
At 300 m. The 1500 m is three laps and 300 m, so the runners first cross the finish line after 300 m. After that there is a split every 400 m: 700 m, 1100 m and 1500 m.
Where are the splits in the mile?
At 409 m, 809 m, 1209 m and the finish. The mile is 1609.34 m, four laps and 9.34 m, so the start is 9.34 m behind the finish line.
Race it, then log it.
StrideBuddy is a training diary for track athletes. Log a race and its time counts for your personal bests. StrideBuddy also uses AI to predict your race times from your training.