Swim Pace Calculator
Convert a swim time into pace per 100 metres or yards, and project times for triathlon distances.
About the Swim Pace Calculator
Enter the distance you swam, in metres or yards, and your time. The calculator gives your pace per 100 m and per 100 yd, your speed, and what that pace means for 400 m and each triathlon swim distance.
Swimmers measure pace per 100 m (or 100 yd in many US pools). A yard is exactly 0.9144 m, so 100 yd is about 9% shorter than 100 m; convert before comparing pool times.
The formula
Pace per 100 = time ÷ distance × 100
Worked example
1,500 m in 30:00
- Pace: 30:00 ÷ 1,500 × 100 = 2:00 per 100 m (1:50 per 100 yd)
- Same pace for an Ironman swim (3,800 m): 1:16:00
- In a yard pool, 500 yd in 10:00 is 2:00 per 100 yd but 2:11 per 100 m
Things to keep in mind
- Open-water swims are usually slower than pool times because there are no walls to push off and you need to sight.
- Projections assume you can hold the same pace for longer distances, which gets harder as distance grows.
Questions people ask
How do I compare a yard pool and a metre pool?
Multiply a yards time by about 1.094 to estimate the metres time for the same distance (more precise conversions also allow for turns).
What's a good 100 m pace?
Recreational swimmers often swim 2:00–2:30 per 100 m; competitive age-groupers under 1:30.
What is CSS pace?
Critical swim speed: your sustainable threshold pace, often worked out from a 400 m and a 200 m time trial. Use it to set training intervals.