Running 5K doesn’t mean the same thing for everyone, so it’s difficult to say what a good run time is. For some people a good run time is that they finished the 5K at all, whereas other more experienced runners may be itching to beat their previous personal best.
However, to get an idea of an average ‘good time’, an easy way is to look at the race’s previous results, which are most likely listed on the race’s website. You can see the times of the age group winners and you may notice the range of finishing times are probably similar from year to year.
Finishing times for a 5K span a very wide range because there’s usually a mix of experienced, fast runners and beginner runners and walkers. The winning male may run the 5K course somewhere between 12-15 minutes and the winning female may run it in the 16-19 minute range. Some walkers may take over an hour to finish. Most people feel good about finishing in the 20-25 minute range.
For your first 5K run, try not to get too hung up on your finishing time or comparing yourself to others. Focus on how you feel during the run, especially that feeling of excitement when you finish. Once you gain some more racing experience, you can focus more on your performance, and compete against yourself trying to beat your personal best!
