How to choose your first race

Updated August 26, 2026 · By the Runked team

Training weeks and running base by distance

This table is Runked's own, built by lining up its four training-plan guides against the matching program in Hal Higdon's plan library; neither source publishes a table shaped like this on its own.

Why the training-week ranges differ

The gap between an 8-week 5K program and an 18-week marathon program comes down to what each distance demands before race day. Hal Higdon's Novice 5K program states plainly that it “assumes that you have no major health problems, are in reasonably good shape, and have done at least some jogging or walking,” with a longest single workout of 3 miles across its 8 weeks. His Novice 10K program uses almost identical wording and is also 8 weeks, with a longest workout of 5.5 miles; Higdon notes that a runner who finds the first week's 2.5-mile Tuesday run too difficult should pause before starting; separately, he advises switching to an easier, shorter schedule to build an endurance base if there are more than eight weeks before the 10K.

The half marathon and marathon programs set a higher floor. Higdon's Novice 1 half marathon program, at 12 weeks, states the schedule assumes a runner can already run 3 miles, three to four times a week, and suggests a shorter first race for anyone who cannot yet handle that. His Novice 1 marathon program, at 18 weeks, sets no comparable mileage prerequisite; its own text is scoped to first-time marathoners, without stating a specific running-base requirement. Runked's own marathon training plan guide frames the same program as building on an existing base of a few months of consistent running before the 18 or so weeks begin.

Parkrun and other timed 5Ks as a free first race

Wikipedia's parkrun entry states that parkrun events are free to enter and usually take place weekly, at the same time, place and course. Getting an official time requires registering once on the parkrun website for a personal barcode; that barcode, once issued, works at any parkrun worldwide, and someone who forgets it or skips registering can still run the course, just without a recorded time, according to the same entry.

That combination of free entry, no per-event signup and a real 5K distance makes a local parkrun a low-stakes way to test a training block's result before committing to a bib-and-fee race. It also removes two of the four factors in the table above at once: there is no training-week countdown to a single date, since the event repeats weekly, and no registration-timing decision to make.

Registration timing and course time limits

Bib races are different from a weekly timed 5K on both fronts. RunSignup, a race-registration platform, recommends organizers step registration through an early-bird price, a mid-cycle increase, a late-registration price and a race-day price, stating that a price increase exists to “motivate action (register before the price goes up!)” RunSignup's own data shows this is not universal: “the average 5K actually has fewer than 1 price increase,” meaning a smaller local race may carry a single flat price the whole time. The practical takeaway from that source is timing-independent: register once the distance and date are set, since price, where it moves at all, only moves upward.

Course time limits are a separate, distance-shaping factor. NYCRUNS's own article on the topic lists a 20:00-per-mile cutoff pace for its 5K (1:02:00) and 10K (2:05:00) events, 16:00 per mile for its half marathon (3:30:00), and 15:00 per mile for its marathon (6:35:00). The article states that a runner who cannot hold the minimum pace “may be directed off the course to clear the streets for re-opening,” while a runner who does hold it gets full course amenities, in the article's words, “hydration stations, medical coverage, and other course amenities administered by event staff.” Those specific numbers describe NYCRUNS events; other organizers publish their own limits, so checking the individual race's own course-limit page before picking a distance close to a personal easy pace is worth the few minutes it takes.

How to choose, practically

Start from the training-weeks column in the table above and count backward from a real calendar date. A 5K that fits inside 6 to 8 available weeks and a marathon that would need 18 with only 10 on the calendar are not the same decision, even if the marathon sounds more impressive to sign up for. Where the running-base column shows a Higdon prerequisite, such as the half marathon's 3-mile, three-to-four-times-a-week base, treat it as a floor to reach before the official program's week one begins.

This same logic scales to every week that follows a first race, too: compare this month's training to your own last month, not to somebody else's; in Runked the rank starts everyone at Bronze and only moves on your own runs. See how the running rank works.

Common mistakes

• Picking a distance for its reputation instead of the weeks actually on the calendar. The table above lines up each distance's typical training weeks against Runked's own guides and Higdon's named programs; a date eight weeks out fits a 5K far better than a half marathon, whatever else is planned for those weeks.
• Registering at the last minute and assuming price won't move. RunSignup's own tiered-pricing description shows price only moves upward as a race gets closer, even though its data also shows many small races only use one price tier total.
• Ignoring a race's stated course time limit when picking a first distance. NYCRUNS's own cutoffs, 20:00 per mile for its 5K and 10K, 16:00 for its half marathon, 15:00 for its marathon, show how much tighter the pace requirement gets as the distance grows; a first-time pace well above a race's posted limit is a reason to pick a shorter distance or a different, more lenient event.

What to do next

Once a distance is picked, the matching plan guide has the week-by-week detail: 5K training plan, 10K training plan, half marathon training plan, or marathon training plan. Starting from little or no running at all first, before any of those programs, is covered in the couch to 5K guide. For pacing the race itself once training is done, see how to pace your first race.

Frequently asked questions