PT Test Run Pace Chart: 1.5, 2 and 3-Mile Splits per Mile and per Lap

Most people lose run points the same way: they start too fast, hit a wall around the halfway mark, and give back more time in the second half than they gained in the first. An even pace is almost always the fastest way to cover a fixed distance. These charts turn a goal time into the split you should see on your watch or on each lap of a track.

Lap splits assume a standard 400-meter track, measured in lane 1. Four laps are a little short of a mile (1,600 meters versus 1,609), so a lap split here is the exact share of your goal time for 400 meters of the distance.

Common targets

A few reference times from the current official tables, so you can see what each split means in points.

Target	Total time	Per mile	Per 400 m lap
Army 2-mile, 60 pts, male 17-21	19:57	9:59	2:29
Army 2-mile, 100 pts, male 17-21	13:22	6:41	1:40
Army 2-mile, 60 pts, female 17-21	22:55	11:28	2:51
Air Force 2-mile, minimum, male under 25	19:45	9:53	2:27
Air Force 2-mile, max, male under 25	13:25	6:43	1:40
Air Force 2-mile, minimum, female under 25	25:23	12:42	3:09
Navy 1.5-mile, pass, male 20-24	13:30	9:00	2:14
Navy 1.5-mile, pass, female 20-24	15:30	10:20	2:34
Marine 3-mile, 100 pts, male 21-25	18:00	6:00	1:29
Marine 3-mile, 100 pts, female 21-25	21:00	7:00	1:44

1.5-mile (Navy PRT)

Goal time	Per mile	Per 400 m lap
9:00	6:00	1:29
9:30	6:20	1:34
10:00	6:40	1:39
10:30	7:00	1:44
11:00	7:20	1:49
11:30	7:40	1:54
12:00	8:00	1:59
12:30	8:20	2:04
13:00	8:40	2:09
13:30	9:00	2:14
14:00	9:20	2:19
14:30	9:40	2:24
15:00	10:00	2:29
15:30	10:20	2:34
16:00	10:40	2:39

2-mile (Army AFT and Air Force PFRA)

Goal time	Per mile	Per 400 m lap
12:00	6:00	1:29
12:30	6:15	1:33
13:00	6:30	1:37
13:30	6:45	1:41
14:00	7:00	1:44
14:30	7:15	1:48
15:00	7:30	1:52
15:30	7:45	1:56
16:00	8:00	1:59
16:30	8:15	2:03
17:00	8:30	2:07
17:30	8:45	2:10
18:00	9:00	2:14
18:30	9:15	2:18
19:00	9:30	2:22
19:30	9:45	2:25
20:00	10:00	2:29
20:30	10:15	2:33
21:00	10:30	2:37
21:30	10:45	2:40
22:00	11:00	2:44

3-mile (Marine PFT)

Goal time	Per mile	Per 400 m lap
18:00	6:00	1:29
18:30	6:10	1:32
19:00	6:20	1:34
19:30	6:30	1:37
20:00	6:40	1:39
20:30	6:50	1:42
21:00	7:00	1:44
21:30	7:10	1:47
22:00	7:20	1:49
22:30	7:30	1:52
23:00	7:40	1:54
23:30	7:50	1:57
24:00	8:00	1:59
24:30	8:10	2:02
25:00	8:20	2:04
25:30	8:30	2:07
26:00	8:40	2:09
26:30	8:50	2:12
27:00	9:00	2:14
27:30	9:10	2:17
28:00	9:20	2:19
28:30	9:30	2:22
29:00	9:40	2:24
29:30	9:50	2:27
30:00	10:00	2:29
30:30	10:10	2:32
31:00	10:20	2:34

How to use the chart in training

Learn the pace on a track. Run 400-meter repeats at exactly your lap split with 60 to 90 seconds of rest. Most people find goal pace feels easy in the first few repeats, which is the point: it shows how fast "too fast" feels at the start of a test.

Build to a goal-pace run. Once a week, run one continuous stretch at goal pace, starting at about a third of the test distance and adding a quarter mile each week. When you can hold goal pace for three-quarters of the distance in training, the full distance on test day is realistic.

Keep most running easy. The other runs in your week should be at a pace where you could hold a conversation. Easy mileage builds the aerobic base that makes goal pace feel manageable, and it keeps you healthy enough to keep training.

Know your course. Test courses aren't always tracks. If yours is an out-and-back or a loop, find the halfway point and know the split you should see there: half of your goal time.

Test-day pacing

Check your first split early. On a track, check after one lap; on a road course, at the first quarter mile if it's marked.
If you're more than a few seconds ahead after the first lap, ease off. Banking time early usually costs more later.
Hold the pace through the middle, where it feels hardest.
Start your finishing push in the last quarter mile, not earlier.

To see what your current time scores, use the Army, Navy, Air Force or Marine calculator.

Questions

What pace do I need for a 15-minute 2-mile?

7:30 per mile, or about 1:52 per 400-meter lap.

Is it better to start fast and hold on?

Usually not. An even pace is the fastest way to cover a fixed distance for most runners, and a fast start tends to cost more time in the second half than it saves in the first.

PT test run pace chart