Top 100 charts

One hundred charts from the data, one finding each.

  1. Finish timesFinishes pile up just before the hourThe minute before 3:00 holds 1.75× the finishes of the minute after it.
  2. Who runsWomen’s finishes slowed down far less oftenIn the same edition and finish minute, men’s finishes had a sustained slowdown more than twice as often as women’s: 45% against 21%.
  3. PacingFew finishes ran the second 20K quickerOnly 8.9% of finishes ran 20–40K quicker than 0–20K; of finishes under 3:00, 18.5% did.
  4. RacingSame finish second, minutes apart at 20KPairs of finishes recorded in the same second of the same edition had 20K splits a median 4 minutes apart.
  5. Over the yearsSustained slowdowns run in streaksFor records linked by name, after three finishes with a sustained slowdown, the fourth had one 69% of the time; after none, 16%.
  6. Courses and weatherThe finish rush lands just before round timesBerlin’s busiest finish minute fell just before 4:00 in 20 of 21 editions, Valencia’s just before 3:00 in 4 of 5.
  7. Who runsRound birthdays from 40 bulge in New YorkIn New York, ages 40, 50, 60 and 70 each hold 17% to 38% more finishes than the average of the ages either side.
  8. PacingMost sustained slowdowns began at 30K or later72% of sustained slowdowns began at 30K or 35K; the other 28% began at 20K or 25K.
  9. Courses and weatherA warmer return: same start, slower endBack at the same race on a much warmer morning, records linked by name ran the first 5K as quickly as before and 35–40K 5% slower.
  10. Finish timesSame 4:00, very different place in the fieldA 4:00 finish was ahead of 81% of Washington’s finishes but only 29% of Valencia’s.
  11. RacingLevel at 40K? Behind at 30K usually ends aheadIn the typical edition, when two finishes were level at 40K, the one behind at 30K finished ahead 77% of the time.
  12. Who runsOnly at ages 23–28 were most finishes women’sIn New York, Washington, Austin, Paris and Auckland, women’s finishes peaked at 55% at age 25 and were under half from 29 to 80.
  13. Over the yearsFinishes fell in 2021, then topped 2019New York recorded 47% of its 2019 finishes in 2021 and 111% in 2025; all six races shown have since topped 2019.
  14. RacingThe 3:59 crowd banked minutes, then spent themFinishes of 3:59 were a median 4 minutes ahead of 4:00 splits at 25K, and only 45 seconds ahead at 40K.
  15. PacingA slowdown rarely reversesOf finishes whose sustained slowdown began before 35K, only 3.2% ran a later 5K within 10% of their 5–20K pace.
  16. Finish timesNearly half of all finishes fit in one hour45% of all finishes landed in a single hour, from 3:28 to 4:28.
  17. Courses and weatherClimbing starts: first 5K rarely the quickestOn the starts that climb most, no more than 16% of finishes ran their quickest 5K first; on those that fall most, 39% in the typical race.
  18. Over the yearsMore of men’s finishes now come in under 3:00The share of men’s finishes under 3:00 rose in all eight big races, to a median 1.6× its 2013–19 level in 2022–25.
  19. Who runsMen’s finish times barely move until 45In New York, Washington, Austin, Paris and Auckland, men’s median finish was 9 minutes slower at 45 than 25, then 46 more by 65.
  20. PacingSame 20K split, very different finishesOf finishes through 20K in 1:50–1:55, those who ran 0–5K 8%+ quicker than 5–20K pace finished a median 22 minutes later than steady starts.
  21. RacingSlower finishes more often in step at every mat12.5% of 5:30–6:00 finishes were in step with another at every mat; under 3:00, 2.1%.
  22. Finish timesOnly 1 in 20 finishes came in under 3:00Under 3:00 held 5% of finishes; 3:00–4:00 held another 37%.
  23. Over the yearsNames seen 3+ times hold a sixth of finishes5.5% of records linked by name have three or more finishes but hold 17.0% of all finishes.
  24. Courses and weatherBoston’s field: packed in front, long behindIn the typical Boston edition, the 90th percentile finish trails the median 1.8× as far as the 10th leads it; elsewhere, 1.3×.
  25. Who runsMen’s 60–64: over a fifth beat the 25–34 medianIn New York, Washington, Austin, Paris and Auckland, 22% of men’s finishes at 60–64 came in under the median men’s finish at 25–34.
  26. RacingIn the quickest 1%’s time, most were shy of 30KIn the typical edition, only 41% of finishes reached 30K within the time the quickest 1% took to finish (about 2:44).
  27. PacingThe slowest 5K usually came at 35–40KAbout 6 in 10 finishes ran their slowest 5K at 35–40K, and about 8 in 10 their quickest before 15K.
  28. Over the yearsIn New York 2021, more had a New York past36% of New York 2021 finishes belonged to records linked by name with a New York finish in the prior five years; the typical edition, 24%.
  29. Who runsHundreds broke 4:00 at 70+405 of 7,552 finishes at 70 or older came in under 4:00, and 2,275 under 5:00.
  30. Finish timesIn the biggest fields, most times are sharedIn fields of 35,000+ finishes, 93% of finishes shared their exact recorded second with another; in fields under 5,000, 32%.
  31. Courses and weatherMore warming after the start, more slowdownsAt similar start temperatures, editions warming most averaged 5 points above their race’s usual sustained slowdown share, the least 5 below.
  32. Over the yearsThe quickest and slowest fifths mostly repeatIn records linked by name, 71% of quickest-fifth finishes were followed by another in the quickest fifth; in the slowest, 66%.
  33. Finish times4:00 divides men’s finishes in half50.0% of men’s finishes came in under 4:00; of all finishes, 41.9%.
  34. PacingEven pace is rare, and rarer in slower finishes33.5% of finishes under 3:00 kept every 5K within 3% of their average pace; 7.9% of all finishes did, 0.1% at 6:00+.
  35. Courses and weatherOf seven races, London’s finishes spread widestIn the typical edition, the middle half of finishes spanned 91 minutes in London, against only 53 in Amsterdam.
  36. RacingMost quick pairs in step at 20K split by 25KOf pairs of finishes in step through 20K on splits for a 2:45–3:15 finish, 69.6% were apart by 25K; 0.8% stayed in step to the finish.
  37. Who runsSub-3:00 finishes are not only for the youngIn New York, Washington, Austin, Paris and Auckland, 32% of men’s finishes under 3:00 came at a recorded age of 40 or older.
  38. Over the yearsRare streaks, not randomOf records linked by name with five or more finishes, 3.2% got quicker every time over the first five: 3.8× a random order.
  39. PacingLater slowdowns up frontIn the front fifth at 20K, 49% of sustained slowdowns began only at 35K; in the back fifth, 26% did.
  40. RacingGaps of 5–10 minutes at 20K still flippedIn the typical edition, 15% of pairs of finishes 5–⁠10 minutes apart at 20K ended in the reverse order; under 1 minute apart, 47%.
  41. Who runsWomen’s median, matched by men decades olderThe men’s median at 50–54 was ahead of the women’s at 30–34 in all 38 editions compared; at 55–59, in 26.
  42. Finish timesSub-3:30 doubles: the second more often slowerWith two finishes averaging under 3:30, records linked by name ran the second quicker 44% of the time within three weeks; a year on, 65%.
  43. Courses and weatherIn Boston the slowest 5K was most often 30–35KIn Boston 47% of finishes ran their slowest 5K from 30K to 35K, against 20% across all races.
  44. RacingOn 4:00 splits at 20K, most finished over 4:00Of finishes on 4:00 splits at 20K, only 14% finished under 4:00; of those 4½ minutes ahead, half did.
  45. Over the yearsEven pacing became more common after 2019In seven of eight big races, a bigger share of finishes kept an even pace in 2022–25 than in 2013–19; in Amsterdam, 17% against 8%.
  46. Who runs1 in 4 women’s finishes beat the men’s medianIn the typical edition, 26% of women’s finishes beat that edition’s median men’s finish; it was 20% to 35% in 172 of 183 editions.
  47. PacingThe 25–30K split ordered the field bestIn the typical edition, the 25–30K split alone put 72% of finishes within 5 places per 100 of where they finished; 35–40K alone, 43%.
  48. Over the yearsNext time, no jump between 2:59 and 3:00For records linked by name, the next finish was under 3:00 after 46% of 2:59 finishes and 41% of 3:00 ones: no jump at the mark.
  49. Courses and weatherOf six races, New York slowed most by 25KIn the typical edition at the same early pace, New York finishes ran 20–25K 6.9% slower than their 5–20K pace, against 3.8% in Boston.
  50. Who runsOlder finishes start slower, gain after 25KAt the same finish minute, finishes at 60–69 were 2 min 18 s behind those at 18–29 at 20K and 18 seconds ahead at 40K.
  51. Finish timesRace fields spread out over the yearsAll 11 races compared spread out; Berlin’s middle 80% of finishes widened by 37 minutes.
  52. PacingThe later the finish, the bigger the fadeIn 35–40K, 5:00–5:30 finishes ran a median 22% slower than their 5–20K pace; 2:30–3:00 finishes, 5%.
  53. Over the yearsQuicker second 20Ks came round again more oftenAfter a quicker 20–40K than 0–20K, records linked by name did it again 3.3× as often.
  54. RacingThe 2:59 bulge shows up long before the lineAt 20K, 36% more finishes were on 2:59 splits than on 3:00 splits, well before the bigger bulge at the line.
  55. Courses and weatherHalf of editions pace most like their own race52% of editions paced most like another edition of the same race; a random pick would give 5%.
  56. Finish timesThe slowest 1% trail by almost 2 hoursIn the typical edition, the quickest 1% beat the median by 82 minutes; the slowest 1% trailed it by 117 minutes.
  57. Over the yearsUnder 3:30 in Berlin, women’s share tripledWomen’s finishes were 5.8% of Berlin’s finishes under 3:30 in 2005 and 17.4% in 2026.
  58. PacingA third of finishes slowed every 5K after 20K37% of 4:00–4:30 finishes ran each 5K from 20–25K to 35–40K slower than the one before; 32% of all did, 18% at 6:00+.
  59. Who runsYounger men’s finishes slowed down more oftenAmong men’s 4:00–4:30 finishes, the sustained slowdown share fell from 53% under 30 to 26% at 70–79.
  60. RacingThe middle of the field settles lateAt 20K, only 36% of mid-field finishes were already near their final place; by 35K, 83% were.
  61. Finish timesKicks spike just before 3:00, 3:30 and 4:0071% of 2:59 finishes ran 40K to the finish quicker than 35–40K, against 65% of 3:00 finishes.
  62. Courses and weatherOn cooler mornings, more even pacingIn 14 of 17 races compared, warmer mornings had a smaller share of even-paced finishes than cooler ones; in the other 3, about the same.
  63. Over the yearsNew York’s under-30 and 60+ shares both roseFrom 2006 to 2025, New York’s share of finishes with a recorded age under 30 rose from 15% to 24%, and at 60+ from 4% to 7%.
  64. Who runsFrom quick to slow, the gender gap halvesIn the typical edition, women’s finishes were 14.9% slower than men’s at the 5th percentile but 7.3% at the 90th.
  65. PacingTwo ways to run 3:59Finishes of 3:59 with a sustained slowdown ran their first 15K about 10% quicker than their own average pace; the rest stayed within 5%.
  66. RacingFurther back, more slowing still gained placesFrom the back tenth at 20K, finishes with 20–⁠40K up to 18.0% slower than 0–⁠20K still gained places in the median; front tenth, 6.5%.
  67. Courses and weatherBoston’s finishes kicked least of eight racesIn the typical Boston edition, 59% of finishes sped up after 40K; in Chicago, 82%.
  68. Over the yearsThe quicker the finish, the more repeatableAfter a finish under 3:00, 32% of next finishes by the same record linked by name came within 2% of it; after 5:00–6:00, 15%.
  69. Finish timesTen minutes are worth far more places at 4:00In the typical edition of 30,000+ finishes, the ten minutes around 4:00 held 3,128 of every 40,000; around 2:30, just 86.
  70. Who runsStep for step, and close in agePairs of finishes in step at every mat were within two years in recorded age 3.2× as often as pairs level only at the finish.
  71. PacingA finishing kick, but not back to early pace76% of finishes ran 40K to the finish at a quicker pace than 35–40K; only 18% got back under their 5–20K pace.
  72. RacingAfter 20K, women’s finishes gained on men’sIn the typical edition, women’s finishes were ahead in 31% of woman–man pairs at 20K and 34% at the finish; up in all 194 editions.
  73. Courses and weatherSlowdowns tracked warmth far more than windWarmer mornings than usual had 5 points more sustained slowdown share; windier ones were within a point of usual.
  74. Over the yearsIn step once, often in step againWhen two records linked by name ran in step at every mat, they were in step again in 32% of the later editions both finished.
  75. Who runsMen’s quickest finishes skew youngerIn New York, Washington and Paris, the quickest 1% of men’s finishes had a median recorded age of 33; all men’s finishes, 41.
  76. Finish timesThe crowd thins in the last seconds before 3:00The last ten seconds before 3:00 held 17% fewer finishes than the first ten seconds of 2:59.
  77. PacingThe more 15–20K slowed, the more slowdownsWhen 15–20K was 6%+ slower than 5–10K, 55% of finishes had a sustained slowdown, against 20% when within 2%.
  78. Who runsIn New York, women’s share rose at every ageFrom 2006 to 2025, women’s share of New York finishes at 53 or older doubled, from 19% to 37%.
  79. RacingAfter 20K, twice as many always gained as lostIn the typical edition, 30% of finishes gained places at every mat after 20K; 14% lost places at every mat.
  80. Over the yearsSustained slowdowns swing from year to yearCopenhagen’s sustained slowdown share ran from 16% to 54% across editions, highest in 2016 and lowest in 2026.
  81. Courses and weatherRace mornings vary more by year than by raceIn each of 10 races, start temperatures across editions spread wider than the gap between the races’ typical mornings.
  82. Finish timesA year apart, most finishes moved 5+ minutesFor records linked by name about a year apart, only 23% of finishes came within 5 minutes of the one before.
  83. RacingThe fewest place changes come just before 20KFinishes changed places least during 15–20K, then 1.5× as much during 30–35K, more in 194 of 199 editions.
  84. Over the yearsWomen’s share rose almost everywhereWomen’s share of finishes rose in 12 of 14 races whose editions span 10+ years; in Copenhagen, from 23% in 2014 to 30% in 2026.
  85. Courses and weatherClimb is a loose guide to late slowingAt the same early pace, hilly Boston’s sustained slowdown share sat 20 points below flat Gold Coast’s: climb tracked slowing only loosely.
  86. PacingQuickest vs slowest finish: most lost after 20KFor records linked by name, 68% of the gap opened after 20K, the last 53% of the distance.
  87. Finish timesTen-minute marks like 3:10 bunch finishes tooFinishes dropped 1.22× as sharply across marks like 3:10 as across nearby minutes; from 4:10 to 5:50, 1.04×.
  88. Who runsSame finish, more women’s finishes even-pacedAt the same finish time, 7.5% of women’s finishes were even-paced against 3.9% of men’s; over all finishes, 7.0% against 8.2%.
  89. Courses and weatherNew York stands out for a 25–30K speed-upIn the typical New York edition, 41% of finishes ran 25–30K at least 2% quicker than 20–25K, against 5% in the typical race.
  90. Over the yearsYears on, names first seen older lost moreEight years on, records linked by name first seen at 50–59 were 26 minutes behind their first finish; at 18–29, 3 minutes ahead.
  91. PacingAfter 20K, nearly every finish slowed somewhereThe typical finish’s slowest 5K after 20K was 16% slower than its 5–20K pace.
  92. Who runsWomen’s share rises with the finish clockIn the typical edition, women’s finishes were 7% of those under 3:00 and over half of every band from 5:15 to 6:15.
  93. RacingThe field spreads out more late in the raceIn the typical edition, the middle 80% of finishes spanned 105 minutes at 40K, 17 minutes more than the first-5K rate would give.
  94. Finish timesAt 3:00, men’s finishes bunch more than women’sMen’s finishes in the minute before 3:00 outnumbered the minute after 1.79×; women’s, 1.32×.
  95. Over the yearsFive linked finishes, the same slowdown shareIn records linked by name with five or more finishes, 32.8% of first linked finishes had a sustained slowdown; at the fifth, 32.4%.
  96. Who runsUnder 4:00, women’s share was highest in BostonIn each race’s latest edition, women’s finishes were 39.7% of Boston’s finishes under 4:00 and 10.4% of Madrid’s.
  97. RacingWarmest mornings: often more late reorderingIn 10 of 17 races compared, more of the order changed after 20K on the warmest morning than the coolest; in 7, about the same.
  98. PacingMost 5:00+ finishes ran the second 5K slowerOnly 23% of 6:00+ finishes ran the second 5K quicker than the first; among 3:00–3:30 finishes, 62%.
  99. Courses and weatherQuicker second 20Ks: most common in ValenciaOn average, 16% of finishes in a Valencia edition ran 20–40K quicker than 0–20K: 3.5× the share in New York.
  100. Over the yearsSixteen New Yorks under one name126 records linked by name finished 16 New York editions, and 1,621 at least 10.