What Is a Good 400m Time? Benchmarks by Age, Sex and Level
By Tobias · 2026-11-14
The 400m punishes poor pacing and rewards speed endurance. These benchmark ranges show typical, good and very good times from age 14 to adult.
The 400m is the longest sprint. Speed decides your ceiling, but speed endurance and pacing decide how much of it you keep in the last 100 metres.
How to read these tables: they are rough guides based on typical school and club results with electronic timing, not official statistics.
Boys and men
| Age / level | Typical (little training) | Good | Very good |
| 14–15 | 65–75 s | 56–58 s | under 53 s |
| 16–17 | 62–70 s | 52–54 s | under 49 s |
| Adult | 65–85 s | 50–55 s (club) | under 47.5 s (national level) |
Girls and women
| Age / level | Typical (little training) | Good | Very good |
| 14–15 | 75–85 s | 63–66 s | under 59 s |
| 16–17 | 72–82 s | 60–62 s | under 56 s |
| Adult | 80–100 s | 58–64 s (club) | under 54 s (national level) |
Elite reference points
- World class: under about 44.5 (men) and 50.5 (women)
- World records: 43.03 (Wayde van Niekerk) and 47.60 (Marita Koch)
Pacing matters more than in any other sprint
Most good 400m races are run with the first 200 m only 1–2 seconds faster than the second. Going out too fast is the most common reason club athletes run slower than their 200m suggests. Practise with 300m time trials at goal race pace.
Predict your 400m
Enter a 200m, 300m or 800m in the 400m time predictor, or see the full 200m to 400m conversion chart.
FAQ
What is a good 400m time for a 16 year old?
As a rough guide, a 16–17 year old boy running about 52–54 s is good and under about 49 s is very strong. For girls, about 60–62 s is good and under about 56 s is very strong.
Is a 60 second 400m good?
For an untrained adult man, under 60 seconds is a solid result that usually takes some training. For a woman or a younger teenager it is a good time. Club-level men typically run 50–55 s.
How do I estimate my 400m from my 200m?
For a typical club athlete the 400m is about twice the 200m plus 5–7 seconds. Trained 400m runners close that gap to 3–4 seconds. The 400m time predictor gives an estimate with a range.
What is the 400m world record?
The men's world record is 43.03 s by Wayde van Niekerk (2016) and the women's is 47.60 s by Marita Koch (1985).