For an intermediate swimmer, the average time to swim 3k is 54:30 for men and 01:01:07 for women. Beginner swimmers take 01:26:33 for men and 01:36:21 for women.
A good 3k time is 54:30 for men and 01:01:07 for women. This is the average 3k time across all ages. Compare your 3k time by age and ability below.
For an intermediate swimmer, the average time to swim 3k is 54:30 for men and 01:01:07 for women. Beginner swimmers take 01:26:33 for men and 01:36:21 for women.
| Swimming Level | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| Beginner | 01:26:33 | 01:36:21 |
| Novice | 01:08:49 | 01:17:02 |
| Intermediate | 54:30 | 01:01:07 |
| Advanced | 43:27 | 48:37 |
| Elite | 35:11 | 39:10 |
Time: Finish time for the full distance (seconds below a minute, otherwise mm:ss or hh:mm:ss).
| Swimming Level | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| Beginner | 02:53.1 | 03:12.7 |
| Novice | 02:17.6 | 02:34.1 |
| Intermediate | 01:49.0 | 02:02.2 |
| Advanced | 01:26.9 | 01:37.2 |
| Elite | 01:10.4 | 01:18.3 |
100m: Average pace per 100 metres, shown in minutes and seconds (mm:ss.s).
| Swimming Level | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| Beginner | 02:38.3 | 02:56.2 |
| Novice | 02:05.9 | 02:20.9 |
| Intermediate | 01:39.7 | 01:51.8 |
| Advanced | 01:19.5 | 01:28.9 |
| Elite | 01:04.3 | 01:11.6 |
100yd: Average pace per 100 yards, shown in minutes and seconds (mm:ss.s).
A good 3k time is 54:30 for men. This is the average time across all ages.
| Age | Beginner | Novice | Intermediate | Advanced | Elite |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 01:47:25 | 01:25:25 | 01:07:38 | 53:55 | 43:40 |
| 15 | 01:29:57 | 01:11:31 | 56:38 | 45:09 | 36:34 |
| 20 | 01:26:42 | 01:08:56 | 54:36 | 43:31 | 35:15 |
| 25 | 01:27:35 | 01:09:38 | 55:09 | 43:58 | 35:36 |
| 30 | 01:28:30 | 01:10:22 | 55:44 | 44:25 | 35:59 |
| 35 | 01:29:26 | 01:11:07 | 56:19 | 44:54 | 36:22 |
| 40 | 01:30:25 | 01:11:54 | 56:57 | 45:23 | 36:46 |
| 45 | 01:32:36 | 01:13:37 | 58:19 | 46:29 | 37:39 |
| 50 | 01:34:57 | 01:15:30 | 59:48 | 47:40 | 38:36 |
| 55 | 01:37:27 | 01:17:29 | 01:01:22 | 48:55 | 39:37 |
| 60 | 01:40:04 | 01:19:34 | 01:03:01 | 50:14 | 40:41 |
| 65 | 01:43:06 | 01:21:59 | 01:04:56 | 51:45 | 41:55 |
| 70 | 01:47:47 | 01:25:42 | 01:07:52 | 54:06 | 43:49 |
| 75 | 01:54:40 | 01:31:10 | 01:12:12 | 57:33 | 46:37 |
| 80 | 02:04:34 | 01:39:03 | 01:18:27 | 01:02:32 | 50:39 |
| 85 | 02:18:57 | 01:50:29 | 01:27:30 | 01:09:45 | 56:29 |
| 90 | 02:40:33 | 02:07:39 | 01:41:06 | 01:20:35 | 01:05:16 |
Time: Finish time for the full distance (seconds below a minute, otherwise mm:ss or hh:mm:ss).
| Age | Beginner | Novice | Intermediate | Advanced | Elite |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 03:34.8 | 02:50.8 | 02:15.3 | 01:47.8 | 01:27.3 |
| 15 | 02:59.9 | 02:23.0 | 01:53.3 | 01:30.3 | 01:13.1 |
| 20 | 02:53.4 | 02:17.9 | 01:49.2 | 01:27.0 | 01:10.5 |
| 25 | 02:55.2 | 02:19.3 | 01:50.3 | 01:27.9 | 01:11.2 |
| 30 | 02:57.0 | 02:20.7 | 01:51.5 | 01:28.8 | 01:12.0 |
| 35 | 02:58.9 | 02:22.2 | 01:52.6 | 01:29.8 | 01:12.7 |
| 40 | 03:00.8 | 02:23.8 | 01:53.9 | 01:30.8 | 01:13.5 |
| 45 | 03:05.2 | 02:27.2 | 01:56.6 | 01:33.0 | 01:15.3 |
| 50 | 03:09.9 | 02:31.0 | 01:59.6 | 01:35.3 | 01:17.2 |
| 55 | 03:14.9 | 02:35.0 | 02:02.7 | 01:37.8 | 01:19.2 |
| 60 | 03:20.1 | 02:39.1 | 02:06.0 | 01:40.5 | 01:21.4 |
| 65 | 03:26.2 | 02:44.0 | 02:09.9 | 01:43.5 | 01:23.8 |
| 70 | 03:35.6 | 02:51.4 | 02:15.7 | 01:48.2 | 01:27.6 |
| 75 | 03:49.3 | 03:02.3 | 02:24.4 | 01:55.1 | 01:33.2 |
| 80 | 04:09.1 | 03:18.1 | 02:36.9 | 02:05.1 | 01:41.3 |
| 85 | 04:37.9 | 03:41.0 | 02:55.0 | 02:19.5 | 01:53.0 |
| 90 | 05:21.1 | 04:15.3 | 03:22.2 | 02:41.2 | 02:10.5 |
100m: Average pace per 100 metres, shown in minutes and seconds (mm:ss.s).
| Age | Beginner | Novice | Intermediate | Advanced | Elite |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 03:16.4 | 02:36.2 | 02:03.7 | 01:38.6 | 01:19.9 |
| 15 | 02:44.5 | 02:10.8 | 01:43.6 | 01:22.6 | 01:06.9 |
| 20 | 02:38.6 | 02:06.1 | 01:39.8 | 01:19.6 | 01:04.5 |
| 25 | 02:40.2 | 02:07.4 | 01:40.9 | 01:20.4 | 01:05.1 |
| 30 | 02:41.8 | 02:08.7 | 01:41.9 | 01:21.2 | 01:05.8 |
| 35 | 02:43.6 | 02:10.1 | 01:43.0 | 01:22.1 | 01:06.5 |
| 40 | 02:45.4 | 02:11.5 | 01:44.1 | 01:23.0 | 01:07.2 |
| 45 | 02:49.3 | 02:14.6 | 01:46.6 | 01:25.0 | 01:08.8 |
| 50 | 02:53.7 | 02:18.1 | 01:49.4 | 01:27.2 | 01:10.6 |
| 55 | 02:58.2 | 02:21.7 | 01:52.2 | 01:29.5 | 01:12.4 |
| 60 | 03:03.0 | 02:25.5 | 01:55.2 | 01:31.9 | 01:14.4 |
| 65 | 03:08.6 | 02:29.9 | 01:58.7 | 01:34.7 | 01:16.7 |
| 70 | 03:17.1 | 02:36.7 | 02:04.1 | 01:38.9 | 01:20.1 |
| 75 | 03:29.7 | 02:46.7 | 02:12.1 | 01:45.3 | 01:25.2 |
| 80 | 03:47.8 | 03:01.2 | 02:23.5 | 01:54.4 | 01:32.6 |
| 85 | 04:14.1 | 03:22.1 | 02:40.0 | 02:07.6 | 01:43.3 |
| 90 | 04:53.6 | 03:53.5 | 03:04.9 | 02:27.4 | 01:59.4 |
100yd: Average pace per 100 yards, shown in minutes and seconds (mm:ss.s).
A good 3k time is 01:01:07 for women. This is the average time across all ages.
| Age | Beginner | Novice | Intermediate | Advanced | Elite |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 01:47:24 | 01:25:53 | 01:08:08 | 54:12 | 43:40 |
| 15 | 01:38:41 | 01:18:54 | 01:02:36 | 49:48 | 40:07 |
| 20 | 01:36:21 | 01:17:02 | 01:01:07 | 48:37 | 39:10 |
| 25 | 01:37:09 | 01:17:41 | 01:01:38 | 49:02 | 39:30 |
| 30 | 01:38:15 | 01:18:33 | 01:02:19 | 49:35 | 39:56 |
| 35 | 01:39:22 | 01:19:27 | 01:03:02 | 50:09 | 40:24 |
| 40 | 01:40:32 | 01:20:23 | 01:03:47 | 50:44 | 40:52 |
| 45 | 01:41:46 | 01:21:22 | 01:04:33 | 51:21 | 41:22 |
| 50 | 01:43:19 | 01:22:37 | 01:05:33 | 52:08 | 42:00 |
| 55 | 01:46:01 | 01:24:46 | 01:07:15 | 53:30 | 43:06 |
| 60 | 01:50:03 | 01:28:00 | 01:09:49 | 55:32 | 44:44 |
| 65 | 01:56:10 | 01:32:53 | 01:13:41 | 58:37 | 47:14 |
| 70 | 02:05:17 | 01:40:11 | 01:19:29 | 01:03:13 | 50:56 |
| 75 | 02:17:32 | 01:49:58 | 01:27:15 | 01:09:24 | 55:55 |
| 80 | 02:33:31 | 02:02:45 | 01:37:23 | 01:17:28 | 01:02:24 |
| 85 | 02:55:05 | 02:19:59 | 01:51:04 | 01:28:21 | 01:11:11 |
| 90 | 03:25:34 | 02:44:22 | 02:10:24 | 01:43:44 | 01:23:34 |
Time: Finish time for the full distance (seconds below a minute, otherwise mm:ss or hh:mm:ss).
| Age | Beginner | Novice | Intermediate | Advanced | Elite |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 03:34.8 | 02:51.8 | 02:16.3 | 01:48.4 | 01:27.3 |
| 15 | 03:17.4 | 02:37.8 | 02:05.2 | 01:39.6 | 01:20.2 |
| 20 | 03:12.7 | 02:34.1 | 02:02.2 | 01:37.2 | 01:18.3 |
| 25 | 03:14.3 | 02:35.4 | 02:03.3 | 01:38.1 | 01:19.0 |
| 30 | 03:16.5 | 02:37.1 | 02:04.6 | 01:39.2 | 01:19.9 |
| 35 | 03:18.7 | 02:38.9 | 02:06.1 | 01:40.3 | 01:20.8 |
| 40 | 03:21.1 | 02:40.8 | 02:07.6 | 01:41.5 | 01:21.7 |
| 45 | 03:23.5 | 02:42.7 | 02:09.1 | 01:42.7 | 01:22.7 |
| 50 | 03:26.6 | 02:45.2 | 02:11.1 | 01:44.3 | 01:24.0 |
| 55 | 03:32.0 | 02:49.5 | 02:14.5 | 01:47.0 | 01:26.2 |
| 60 | 03:40.1 | 02:56.0 | 02:19.6 | 01:51.1 | 01:29.5 |
| 65 | 03:52.3 | 03:05.8 | 02:27.4 | 01:57.2 | 01:34.5 |
| 70 | 04:10.6 | 03:20.4 | 02:39.0 | 02:06.4 | 01:41.9 |
| 75 | 04:35.1 | 03:39.9 | 02:54.5 | 02:18.8 | 01:51.8 |
| 80 | 05:07.0 | 04:05.5 | 03:14.8 | 02:34.9 | 02:04.8 |
| 85 | 05:50.2 | 04:40.0 | 03:42.1 | 02:56.7 | 02:22.4 |
| 90 | 06:51.1 | 05:28.7 | 04:20.8 | 03:27.5 | 02:47.1 |
100m: Average pace per 100 metres, shown in minutes and seconds (mm:ss.s).
| Age | Beginner | Novice | Intermediate | Advanced | Elite |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 03:16.4 | 02:37.1 | 02:04.6 | 01:39.1 | 01:19.9 |
| 15 | 03:00.5 | 02:24.3 | 01:54.5 | 01:31.1 | 01:13.4 |
| 20 | 02:56.2 | 02:20.9 | 01:51.8 | 01:28.9 | 01:11.6 |
| 25 | 02:57.7 | 02:22.1 | 01:52.7 | 01:29.7 | 01:12.2 |
| 30 | 02:59.7 | 02:23.7 | 01:54.0 | 01:30.7 | 01:13.0 |
| 35 | 03:01.7 | 02:25.3 | 01:55.3 | 01:31.7 | 01:13.9 |
| 40 | 03:03.9 | 02:27.0 | 01:56.6 | 01:32.8 | 01:14.7 |
| 45 | 03:06.1 | 02:28.8 | 01:58.0 | 01:33.9 | 01:15.7 |
| 50 | 03:09.0 | 02:31.1 | 01:59.9 | 01:35.3 | 01:16.8 |
| 55 | 03:13.9 | 02:35.0 | 02:03.0 | 01:37.8 | 01:18.8 |
| 60 | 03:21.3 | 02:40.9 | 02:07.7 | 01:41.6 | 01:21.8 |
| 65 | 03:32.5 | 02:49.9 | 02:14.8 | 01:47.2 | 01:26.4 |
| 70 | 03:49.1 | 03:03.2 | 02:25.3 | 01:55.6 | 01:33.1 |
| 75 | 04:11.5 | 03:21.1 | 02:39.6 | 02:06.9 | 01:42.2 |
| 80 | 04:40.7 | 03:44.5 | 02:58.1 | 02:21.7 | 01:54.1 |
| 85 | 05:20.2 | 04:16.0 | 03:23.1 | 02:41.6 | 02:10.2 |
| 90 | 06:16.0 | 05:00.6 | 03:58.5 | 03:09.7 | 02:32.8 |
100yd: Average pace per 100 yards, shown in minutes and seconds (mm:ss.s).
| Beginner | Faster than 5% of swimmers. |
|---|---|
| Novice | Faster than 20% of swimmers. |
| Intermediate | Faster than 50% of swimmers. |
| Advanced | Faster than 80% of swimmers. |
| Elite | Faster than 95% of swimmers. |
Strength Level introduced these exact Beginner-to-Elite percentile boundaries in 2015. See how the standards evolved.
Swimming Level analysed 931 qualifying results from 9,441 community results submitted by 5,625 Swimming Level users from 2022 to 2026 to produce our 3k swim time standards. We will continue to update them as more community data becomes available. See our standards timeline.
| Community results | 9,441 |
|---|---|
| Community users | 5,625 |
| Qualifying results | 931 |
| Male results | 653 |
| Female results | 278 |
| Data start | |
| Data cutoff | |
| Model generated |
Qualifying results are retained after checks for implausible data, duplicates, and unusual or automated submission patterns. Learn more about qualifying results.
The old average finish time for 3k was 01:01:35 across all ages and genders, 59:31 for men (now 9.2% faster) and 01:04:20 for women (now 5.3% faster).
| Level | Previous | Current | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beginner | 01:34:42 | 01:26:33 | -8.6% |
| Novice | 01:15:29 | 01:08:49 | -8.8% |
| Intermediate | 59:31 | 54:30 | -8.4% |
| Advanced | 46:56 | 43:27 | -7.4% |
| Elite | 37:25 | 35:11 | -5.9% |
| Level | Previous | Current | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beginner | 01:37:20 | 01:36:21 | -1.0% |
| Novice | 01:19:31 | 01:17:02 | -3.1% |
| Intermediate | 01:04:20 | 01:01:07 | -5.0% |
| Advanced | 52:03 | 48:37 | -6.6% |
| Elite | 42:31 | 39:10 | -7.9% |
We created these previous standards on and last updated them (see archive.org).
The Swimming Level Calculator can show your exact level of swimming performance at any age.