What Is the Slowest Time You Can Run a Marathon? Official Limits and Real-World Finish Times

Most people think marathons are about speed. Fast times. Personal bests. Sub-3-hour goals. But what if you’re not fast? What if you walk half the course? Can you still finish? And more importantly-what is the slowest time you can run a marathon and still get a medal?

There’s a cutoff. And it’s not what you think.

Every official marathon has a time limit. It’s not just a suggestion. It’s a hard cutoff. Miss it, and you don’t get a finisher’s medal. You don’t get your name on the results. You’re not counted as a finisher, even if you cross the line after the clock stops.

The most common cutoff is 6 hours. That’s 13:45 minutes per mile, or 8:30 per kilometer. It’s slow. But it’s doable. You don’t need to be an athlete. You just need to keep moving.

Why 6 hours? Because of logistics. Roads need to reopen. Emergency services need to stand down. Volunteers can’t stay all day. City permits require it. It’s not about fitness-it’s about safety and city operations.

Some races are stricter. Boston Marathon? 6 hours. London? 6 hours and 30 minutes. New York? 7 hours. Tokyo? 7 hours. Chicago? 7 hours. The bigger the race, the more flexibility-because they’ve got the resources to handle it.

Smaller races? Sometimes 5 hours. Or even 4.5. If you’re running a local event in a small town, check the rules. Don’t assume it’s 6 hours. Always read the fine print.

What does 6 hours actually look like?

Let’s break it down. A marathon is 26.2 miles. Six hours means you’re averaging 13 minutes and 45 seconds per mile. That’s walking pace-slow, but steady.

Think of it like this: you walk for 10 minutes, jog for 2, walk for 10, jog for 2. Repeat. That’s the rhythm of most finishers who cross at the 6-hour mark. No sprinting. No racing. Just persistence.

At that pace, you’ll hit 10K in about 45 minutes. Half-marathon in 2 hours and 50 minutes. That means by the time you’re halfway, you’ve already spent nearly three hours on the road. That’s when most people start to feel it-not because they’re tired, but because they realize how long this is going to take.

Most runners who finish at 6 hours don’t train like elite athletes. They train by showing up. They walk the hills. They take extra water breaks. They stop at every port-a-potty. They don’t care about their splits. They care about finishing.

Who finishes at the slowest times?

It’s not just beginners. It’s not just older runners. It’s people with injuries. People with disabilities. People who lost a loved one and are running in their memory. People with chronic pain. People who are overweight. People who just want to say they did it.

In the 2024 London Marathon, 1,200 runners finished between 6:00 and 7:00 hours. One runner, a 72-year-old man with a knee replacement, finished in 7:14. He was allowed to finish because London’s cutoff is 6:30 for official results, but they let him cross the line anyway. He got a special medal. No one took it away.

At the Boston Marathon, a woman with multiple sclerosis finished in 7:03. She walked most of it. She didn’t qualify under the official time. But she finished. And the crowd stood for her. That’s the spirit of the marathon.

These aren’t outliers. They’re the quiet majority. Most marathon finishers aren’t fast. They’re just stubborn.

What happens if you miss the cutoff?

If you’re still on the course after the official cutoff, race officials will pull you off. They’ll give you a ride back to the finish area. You won’t get a medal. Your time won’t count. Your name won’t be on the results list.

But here’s the thing: that doesn’t mean you failed.

Some people finish after the cutoff and still feel proud. They got up at 4 a.m. They trained for months. They showed up. They ran 20 miles. They made it to mile 24. That’s more than most people ever do.

And some races-especially charity ones-let you keep going. They just don’t give you an official time. You still get a T-shirt. You still get cheers. You still get to say you finished.

One runner in Dublin told me he finished the Dublin Marathon in 7:22. The cutoff was 6:30. He was pulled off at mile 25. He cried. He didn’t get a medal. But he ran it. And he came back the next year. He finished in 6:12. That’s the power of showing up.

Can you walk a marathon? Yes. And here’s how.

Walking a marathon isn’t cheating. It’s strategy. And it works. Thousands do it every year.

Here’s the simplest plan: walk 10 minutes, jog 1 minute. Repeat. That’s 11-minute cycles. At 15-minute miles walking, you’ll finish in about 6:30. Add the jogging, and you’re under 6 hours.

Or: walk 15 minutes, rest 2. That’s the “rest-walk” method. It’s brutal on the knees, but gentle on the heart. Great for older runners or people with joint issues.

Use poles. Yes, hiking poles. They help with balance, reduce knee strain, and give you a push. Many walkers use them. The race directors don’t mind. In fact, some races sell them at the expo.

Hydration matters more than speed. Carry your own water. Eat every 45 minutes. Gels, bananas, pretzels-anything that keeps your blood sugar up. You’re not racing. You’re surviving.

What’s the absolute slowest time ever recorded?

The official slowest finish in a major marathon? That’s held by Shigeyuki Kojima of Japan. He ran the 2004 Athens Olympics marathon. He finished in 8:34:01. He stopped to tie his shoe. He stopped to take photos. He stopped to chat with spectators. He didn’t walk-he jogged. Barely.

He didn’t win. He didn’t qualify for anything. But he finished. And he got a standing ovation.

There are unofficial slower times. In smaller races, people have taken over 10 hours. One man in a small Irish race took 11 hours and 47 minutes. He was 81. He had a pacemaker. He stopped every mile to rest. He didn’t get a medal. But he got a certificate. And a hug from every volunteer.

There’s no official record for the slowest marathon time. Because the point isn’t the clock. It’s the finish line.

How to train for a slow finish

You don’t need to run 26 miles in training. You need to be on your feet for 6 hours.

Start with walks. 30 minutes, three times a week. Build to 90 minutes. Then two hours. Then three. Don’t worry about speed. Worry about duration.

On weekends, do a long walk. 10 miles. Then 15. Then 20. Walk it. No running. Just feet on pavement. Wear the shoes you’ll wear on race day. Test your socks. Test your hydration pack.

Practice eating while walking. Eat a banana every hour. Drink water every 20 minutes. Get used to moving while you eat.

Most people quit not because they’re tired. They quit because they’re bored. Bring a playlist. Bring a friend. Bring a podcast about something you love. Make it fun.

And don’t try to go faster than your body allows. If you’re walking 20-minute miles, that’s fine. That’s your pace. Stick with it.

Final thoughts: It’s not about how fast. It’s about how far.

The slowest marathon time you can run and still finish? Six hours. Maybe seven, if the race allows it.

But the real question isn’t about time. It’s about courage. It’s about showing up when your body says no. It’s about crossing a line you didn’t think you could reach.

You don’t need to be fast. You don’t need to be young. You don’t need to be fit. You just need to keep moving.

And if you do? You’ll finish. And you’ll be one of the few who truly understand what a marathon means.