Being able to run 10 kilometers in less than 1 hour requires a high level of physical fitness and performance, which is quite a challenging goal for most people.
From the perspective of my personal social circle, how many people in the crowd I know are able to complete 10 kilometers in 1 hour?
I have more than 1,000 WeChat friends, from all walks of life, different age levels, and their own lifestyles and fitness habits, and there are very few people who can run 10 kilometers in less than 1 hour.
Even for those who are keen on fitness and frequent runners, few can achieve this speed standard.
I've observed that while many people have developed a running habit, most of their goals are focused on staying healthy rather than chasing speed and distance.
Although there are some fast runners, it is still not easy for them to run 10 kilometers consistently.
A friend who has been running healthily for several years said that although he runs 5km 3-4 times a week, it is still difficult to run 10km in 1 hour every time.
As a rough estimate, there are about 80 or 90 people who participate in marathons among my friends who are involved in marathons, and if they all complete 10 kilometers in 1 hour, the proportion is about 8-9%.
But considering the relatively high percentage of runners I know, that number may be slightly higher than it actually is.
Nationwide status
In national estimates, if we look at China's huge population of 1.4 billion, the proportion of people who can complete a 10-kilometer run in less than one hour will undoubtedly be further reduced.
According to the "National Survey Report on the Status of Physical Exercise among Urban and Rural Residents" released by the China Sports Lottery National Fitness Foundation, the number of people who choose running as a way of exercise accounts for only 6% of the total population, which directly narrows down the potential group that can complete long-distance running in a short time.
This data also confirms my previous observation that because of the relatively high percentage of runners in my social circle, the proportion of runners will be even sparser when we expand our perspective to the national population.
Differences in social circles often lead to significant variations in the proportion data. For example, in an active community of runners, it may be found that more than 90% of members are able to complete a 10-kilometer run in one hour. However, once we turn our attention to the broader non-running community, the situation is very different.
Take, for example, a friend of mine who is a keen fitness enthusiast who does strength training at the gym and occasionally does short jogs on the treadmill as a warm-up or cool-down. However, when I went on an outdoor run with him, he found it a big challenge for him, even at a relatively easy pace. After 5km, his speed dropped significantly, and it took him more than an hour to complete the entire race.
This example shows that even people with a certain level of athletic knowledge may not be able to easily reach the goal of running 10 kilometers in 1 hour.
According to the statistics released by the Chinese Athletics Association in 2023, a total of 580 road running events were held nationwide, attracting more than 5.5 million participants. However, even if we assume that all 5.5 million participants will be able to complete 10 kilometers in one hour, this is only 0.42% compared to a population base of 1.4 billion.
In practice, however, the percentage is only lower. Considering a number of factors, it is reasonable to assume that the actual proportion may be half or less than that.
So don't be easily misled by people around you who seem to be able to complete the 10km run with ease. In fact, the proportion of people who can complete 10 kilometers in less than 1 hour is very small.
This phenomenon is known as "survivorship bias", where we tend to see only a part of success or prominence and ignore the broader general picture.
10 km difficulty
Theoretically, to run 10 kilometers in 1 hour, you need to maintain a pace of about 6 minutes per kilometer. This pace may not be difficult for some long-term runners who have been running for a long time and have been trained professionally, but it is obviously a challenging goal for beginners and amateurs.
To achieve this kind of speed and endurance, it takes not only perseverance, but also scientific training methods and enough time. Beginners need to start with low-intensity jogging and gradually increase the speed and distance of running.
For most people, it can take months or more from starting training to finally being able to run 10km in 1 hour.
Everyone's physical condition and training background will be different, and the time required to reach the target will also vary. But as long as you have a clear goal, take scientific training methods, and persevere, most people can achieve this running goal within a certain period of time.
In fact, physical exercise and physical training are not fully popularized in China. Although more and more people have begun to pay attention to a healthy lifestyle in recent years, objective factors such as busy work, life pressure, and lack of fitness places still have an adverse impact on most people's exercise habits.
Especially in urban life, the fast-paced and high-intensity work environment has greatly squeezed people's leisure time, leading them to choose more relaxed entertainment methods rather than high-intensity physical training.
Although many people have the intention to exercise, they lack scientific guidance, resulting in unsatisfactory exercise results and even injuries due to the wrong training methods.
On the whole, this phenomenon is not only the result of individual physical fitness differences, but also a direct reflection of the overall fitness awareness and habits of society.
It is hoped that through this article, more people will pay attention to fitness and running, and jointly promote mobile health and social harmony.
How much time do you spend 10 km? Let's talk in the comment area!