Swim Pace Calculator
Solve for pace, time, or distance — with per-100 and pool splits.
How swim pace works
Swimmers think in time per 100 — 100 metres or 100 yards — rather than minutes per mile. A pace, a time, and a distance are locked together by one relationship: pace = time ÷ distance. Give the calculator any two of them and it solves for the third. Choose what you want to find with the Solve for selector, then fill in the other two boxes.
Metres, yards, and the 100
A yard is 0.9144 of a metre, so a 100-yard pace is always a little quicker on the clock than the same effort over 100 metres — there is simply less water to cover. The result line shows both /100 m and /100 yd so you can compare a yard-pool set against a metric one without doing the conversion in your head.
Reading your splits
Pick your pool and the splits table shows the cumulative time you should hit at the end of each length if you hold an even pace. It also counts the total lengths, so a 1,500 m swim reads as 60 lengths of a 25 m pool or 30 lengths of a 50 m pool. Choose 100 m intervals instead to see a cleaner cumulative split every hundred metres.
Why even pacing matters in the water
Swimming punishes a fast start more than running does: go out too hard and rising drag plus oxygen debt slow every length that follows. Building your set around an even per-100 target is the simplest way to hold form and finish strong.
Questions
How do I use it?
Enter any two of the three fields — pace, time, or distance — and the calculator solves for the missing one. Set whether your pace is per 100 m, 100 yd, or per 50, and switch the distance unit between metres, yards, kilometres, and miles at any time.
What pace do I need for a sub-30 1500 m?
A sub-30:00 for 1500 m is 2:00 per 100 m. Set Solve for "pace", enter 1500 m and a 30:00 time, and the tool shows 2:00 /100 m plus the cumulative time you should hit at every length of your pool.
How do metres and yards compare?
A yard is 0.9144 of a metre, so the same effort reads a little faster per 100 yd than per 100 m. The result line always shows both /100 m and /100 yd, so you can line up a yard-pool set against a metric one without converting by hand.
Can it show pool splits?
Yes. Choose your pool — 25 m, 50 m, 25 yd, 50 yd, or 33⅓ m — and the splits table lists the cumulative time at the end of each length for an even pace, along with the total number of lengths. Pick 100 m intervals for a cleaner split every hundred metres.