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Original poster

How long does your 5/6 year old take to run 1km?

91 replies

BusWankers · 12/10/2025 21:17

DD is 5 (6 in December), and has been trying to run 1km. She's got good core strength and loves swimming and cycling and gymnastics, does ballet, scooting, playground, climbing trees all good stuff.... But we realised that whilst she runs around the playgrounds etc it's all in short bursts and she isn't really doing prolonged aerobic exercise.

Anyway she wants to be able to run all the way to her Nana's which is just over a km away. We've been out a few times practising and running with bits of walking.
Her fastest time so far is 8:52 - she's yet to manage to run all the way, but she's only started this last week and has chosen to 4 runs so far. I've been encouraging her to run a bit further,and prompting her to run again after a short walking break (10-20m or so). She can currently do it with 3 walking breaks.

What kind of time do your kids do it in?

I don't want to push he too fast but think 1km is probably something she should really already be able to do (and I think she will be the end of October easily)

OP posts:
CarpetKnees · 13/10/2025 00:03

Mine are older now but I can't imagine them ever needing or wanting to.

As you say, small children run about in play, they don't need to run continuously for 1km (or any other distance come to that).
If one of mine had said "I want to run to Nana's house" I'd have said "Come on then", started running, and expected them to stop in 50m or so and laughed together.
I can't begin to imagine timing the and saying it wasn't fast enough Hmm

HeddaGarbled · 13/10/2025 00:07

WTAF?

AutumnedCrow · 13/10/2025 00:09

Oh mine were winning medals by that age, but never mind eh?

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MaudlinGazebo · 13/10/2025 00:09

I don’t know about a 6 year old but my very tall and big 8 year old does 1.6km in 09.43.
I wouldn’t say he is very fit, he never stops dotting about but definitely edges into overweight.
You could try junior park run if she interested in running?

FlexiSadie · 13/10/2025 00:09

What?

CrossChecking · 13/10/2025 00:10

Just let your kid run when she wants to and walk when she wants to, keep it light and fun. Can a 5 year old have any concept of pacing herself anyway, most small children just all out sprint then stop type thing rather than pace for 1000metres which is pretty far in terms of running with such small legs.

Mewling · 13/10/2025 00:11

😂😂

AllFadestoBlack · 13/10/2025 00:12

I have no idea. She ran 1km recently for a school fun run but it wasn't timed and I emphasised that it was for fun and not a race.

Original poster
BusWankers · 13/10/2025 07:23

CarpetKnees · 13/10/2025 00:03

Mine are older now but I can't imagine them ever needing or wanting to.

As you say, small children run about in play, they don't need to run continuously for 1km (or any other distance come to that).
If one of mine had said "I want to run to Nana's house" I'd have said "Come on then", started running, and expected them to stop in 50m or so and laughed together.
I can't begin to imagine timing the and saying it wasn't fast enough Hmm

I'm not pushing here. I'm just curious about if it is expected or what others could do.

She loves it has fun and thinks it's a nice thing for us to do. She's suggested running every time. Not me.

OP posts:
Original poster
BusWankers · 13/10/2025 07:24

CarpetKnees · 13/10/2025 00:03

Mine are older now but I can't imagine them ever needing or wanting to.

As you say, small children run about in play, they don't need to run continuously for 1km (or any other distance come to that).
If one of mine had said "I want to run to Nana's house" I'd have said "Come on then", started running, and expected them to stop in 50m or so and laughed together.
I can't begin to imagine timing the and saying it wasn't fast enough Hmm

No one's saying it's not fast enough. I was just wondering.

OP posts:
Original poster
BusWankers · 13/10/2025 07:25

MaudlinGazebo · 13/10/2025 00:09

I don’t know about a 6 year old but my very tall and big 8 year old does 1.6km in 09.43.
I wouldn’t say he is very fit, he never stops dotting about but definitely edges into overweight.
You could try junior park run if she interested in running?

Edited

Her little friend does junior park run, so we could go. But the local run is really boring. You just run round and round a football pitch 😕

OP posts:
junebirthdaygirl · 13/10/2025 07:27

Sometimes we have done a km a day in school for a certain period just to encourage movement and some children can do it no bother and others find it difficult. But making a big issue of it and focusing on timing is way off especially as she is only 5. In school the little ones would set off flying and then run out of steam which is very normal. The older ones had a little bit more cop to pace themselves. Are you a runner? Focusing too much on this is as bad as focusing too much on food..just stop!! She sounds like an active child so let her do it if she wants but absolutely no focus on stopping or timing etc. If you are not a runner..you run to granny's and see how you feel!!

Original poster
BusWankers · 13/10/2025 07:30

junebirthdaygirl · 13/10/2025 07:27

Sometimes we have done a km a day in school for a certain period just to encourage movement and some children can do it no bother and others find it difficult. But making a big issue of it and focusing on timing is way off especially as she is only 5. In school the little ones would set off flying and then run out of steam which is very normal. The older ones had a little bit more cop to pace themselves. Are you a runner? Focusing too much on this is as bad as focusing too much on food..just stop!! She sounds like an active child so let her do it if she wants but absolutely no focus on stopping or timing etc. If you are not a runner..you run to granny's and see how you feel!!

We're not focusing on anything. She's been asking for the run each time. She sets the pace, stops to walk when she wants to. She isn't aware of the timing.

I was just wondering.

OP posts:
Luxio · 13/10/2025 07:34

I agree with a previous poster that the focus on timing her and getting her running again after she's chosen to walk is really odd and not a healthy thing to be encouraging.

My child is a very similar age to yours and I have absolutely no idea how fast he can run any distance because he is 5 and there's no sensible reason for me to time him running. Yours sounds like she does a lot of exercise each week which is great, she's clearly very active. I would stop focusing on this, it sounds incredibly unhealthy and obsessive.

FlamingoBiscuits · 13/10/2025 07:35

I would join your local junior parkrun.

Merrow · 13/10/2025 07:35

DS1 is 6 and does the 2k junior parkrun in 13 minutes, and he's below average for his age according to parkrun statistics (but that's obviously skewed by the people who do parkrun!)

He'd have no chance of just running 2k without the energy of parkrun I don't think, even if the course is boring I bet your DD would do well with it if she's keen to run.

MaudlinGazebo · 13/10/2025 07:36

Our park run is also quite a boring route but they make it really fun. Definitely give it a try.

Navigatinglife100 · 13/10/2025 07:38

Ive seen an instagram feed about parkruns and kids times. No pressure they say, without realising that running a feed with stats and the need to "feed a feed" and parental obsession causes pressure, or at least will make a child believe its necessary.

I dont particularly have an issue with it as I guess parents of sporty kids have always bedn like this but, im curious, when i went to running club the juniors were limited to a short distance - certainly much shorter than a parkrun distance. Is that no longer the case?

Realfastfoodie · 13/10/2025 07:38

Have you got a junior parkrun near you? Your DC might enjoy it.

It’s an unusual 6yo who has the discipline and training (not fitness) to run 1km straight without stopping and starting. They run in bursts until they learn to pace themselves and run continuously. Just like adults.

Original poster
BusWankers · 13/10/2025 07:45

Luxio · 13/10/2025 07:34

I agree with a previous poster that the focus on timing her and getting her running again after she's chosen to walk is really odd and not a healthy thing to be encouraging.

My child is a very similar age to yours and I have absolutely no idea how fast he can run any distance because he is 5 and there's no sensible reason for me to time him running. Yours sounds like she does a lot of exercise each week which is great, she's clearly very active. I would stop focusing on this, it sounds incredibly unhealthy and obsessive.

"getting her running again after she's chosen to walk is really odd"

What's odd about "do you want to run now or carry on walking?"

She sometimes chooses run, sometimes carries on walking....

She doesn't know how long it takes. I know because we leave at x time and get there y minutes later. I was just wondering.

OP posts:
Original poster
BusWankers · 13/10/2025 07:46

Navigatinglife100 · 13/10/2025 07:38

Ive seen an instagram feed about parkruns and kids times. No pressure they say, without realising that running a feed with stats and the need to "feed a feed" and parental obsession causes pressure, or at least will make a child believe its necessary.

I dont particularly have an issue with it as I guess parents of sporty kids have always bedn like this but, im curious, when i went to running club the juniors were limited to a short distance - certainly much shorter than a parkrun distance. Is that no longer the case?

It's nothing like that. I just know how long it's taking because I know what time we leave and arrive.

OP posts:
Luxio · 13/10/2025 07:52

BusWankers · 13/10/2025 07:45

"getting her running again after she's chosen to walk is really odd"

What's odd about "do you want to run now or carry on walking?"

She sometimes chooses run, sometimes carries on walking....

She doesn't know how long it takes. I know because we leave at x time and get there y minutes later. I was just wondering.

Show quote history

It's odd because you seem to be doing it because you want her to beat the time you know she achieved last time. If she wanted to run again she would make that choice without you prompting her.

Also you're clearly timing her more than a general it took us 8 minutes to get here as we left at 11.01 and now it's 11.09 if you know the exact amount of seconds?

watchingplanesicantafford · 13/10/2025 07:57

Poor kid, if she wants to run or walk let her. Working out her times and wondering what is usual is too much. She's 5.

Clearinguptheclutter · 13/10/2025 08:07

I’d def give junior parkrun a go.
outside of that I think it would be v unusual to get your 5 year old to run in this way (as opposed to running around a playground)

i say at as a keen runner who has been encouraging my own children to run for years. I know lots of kids who run but not one who would purposefully run 1k aged 5. Outside of junior parkrun anyway which is 2k.

it does sound like she’s doing pretty well. Mine would get round Junior parkrun at that age but we took various friends at different points and a lot of them couldn’t (or wouldn’t) do it at all.

Dippythedino · 13/10/2025 08:09

You are one of THOSE PARENTS aren't you?