What's a good 400m time? Averages by level
The median 17–18-year-old at the 2025 AAU Junior Olympics ran 49.35 (boys) and 57.71 (girls). Oregon's big-school state-meet standard is 49.47 and 57.23, and the World Championships standard is 44.85 for men and 50.75 for women.
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What is a good 400m time?
| Level | Men / boys | Women / girls |
|---|---|---|
| World record | 43.03 | 47.60 |
| World Championships entry standard (2025) | 44.85 | 50.75 |
| NCAA D1 final, winner (2025) | 44.84 | 49.26 |
| NCAA D1 final, last place (2025) | 46.17 | 51.84 |
| U.S. high school record | 44.10 | 50.69 |
| Oregon state-meet standard, 6A (2026) | 49.47 | 57.23 |
| Oregon state-meet standard, 1A (2026) | 52.42 | 1:02.82 |
| AAU Junior Olympics median, ages 17–18 (2025) | 49.35 | 57.71 |
- In high school, Oregon's 2026 standards run from 49.47 to 52.42 for boys and from 57.23 to 1:02.82 for girls, depending on school size.
- In college, making the 2025 NCAA Division I final took 46.17 (men) or 51.84 (women).
- At the elite level, the World Championships entry standard is 44.85 for men and 50.75 for women.
| Class | Boys | Girls |
|---|---|---|
| 6A | 49.47 | 57.23 |
| 5A | 50.05 | 58.99 |
| 4A | 51.18 | 1:00.16 |
| 3A | 51.50 | 1:00.70 |
| 2A | 52.44 | 1:01.16 |
| 1A | 52.42 | 1:02.82 |
Average 400m time by age
These are summary figures from the 2025 AAU Junior Olympic Games. For each age from 12 to 18 with deciles and what to aim for, see average 400m time by age.
| Age | Median | Top 20% | Winner | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 & under | 1:12.27 | 1:08.54 | 1:03.36 | 1:02.29 |
| 9 | 1:08.50 | 1:05.31 | 1:00.71 | 59.25 |
| 10 | 1:05.36 | 1:02.17 | 57.37 | 55.74 |
| 11 | 1:02.80 | 1:00.33 | 56.95 | 54.53 |
| 12 | 1:00.30 | 58.29 | 54.45 | 52.34 |
| 13 | 55.68 | 54.35 | 51.28 | 49.11 |
| 14 | 53.79 | 52.18 | 48.21 | 47.59 |
| 15–16 | 50.61 | 49.10 | 46.62 | 45.12 |
| 17–18 | 49.35 | 48.13 | 46.44 | 45.40 |
| Age | Median | Top 20% | Winner | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 & under | 1:15.46 | 1:11.32 | 1:05.58 | 1:04.37 |
| 9 | 1:12.17 | 1:08.73 | 1:02.93 | 1:01.60 |
| 10 | 1:08.85 | 1:05.85 | 1:00.54 | 59.37 |
| 11 | 1:05.50 | 1:01.58 | 57.39 | 57.07 |
| 12 | 1:02.85 | 1:00.43 | 56.71 | 55.11 |
| 13 | 1:00.81 | 59.66 | 54.81 | 53.94 |
| 14 | 1:00.95 | 58.33 | 53.95 | 53.05 |
| 15–16 | 58.85 | 56.69 | 53.66 | 52.45 |
| 17–18 | 57.71 | 55.71 | 52.58 | 52.33 |
Why 400m times vary so much
A 400m field spreads out more than a 100m field. Among 17–18-year-old boys at the 2025 AAU Junior Olympics, the gap between the top-20% cutoff and the 90th-percentile time was 3.19 s (6.5% of the median time) in the 400m, against 0.55 s (5.0%) in the 100m. Two things drive it: top speed sets the ceiling, and speed endurance plus pacing decide how much of it you keep in the final 100m. If you go out too hard, you can lose more in the home straight than a better-paced rival gains anywhere else.
All reference times are fully automatic. Hand-timed 400m results read faster and are not accepted for World Athletics entry standards. You can also rate your 200m.
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The Sprint University app balances top-speed and speed-endurance work around your current 400m and adjusts each session to how recovered you are. The coaching comes from Lawrence L.O. Johnson, a 6× NCAA All-American and Team USA sprinter.
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- AAU Junior Olympic Games 2025 (Humble, TX), full HY-TEK results, all age divisions (MileSplit raw results)
- Oregon School Activities Association, 2026 Track & Field State Championships Qualifying Standards (boys and girls)
- 2025 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships, final results (Wikipedia)
- World Athletics, World Championships Tokyo 25: Qualification System and Entry Standards
- List of world records in athletics (Wikipedia, ratified World Athletics records)
- List of United States high school national records in track and field (Wikipedia)