Start Slow, Finish Fast: Set Up a Negative Split With Garmin PacePro

Start slow, finish fast

Most runners start their race way too fast. The adrenaline, the crowd, fresh legs: the first kilometres feel easy, so you bank time. Then the second half arrives, and you pay for every second of it.

The fix is a negative split: you run the second half of the race faster than the first. It's how a lot of the fastest marathons in history were run. When Kelvin Kiptum set the marathon world record of 2:00:35 in Chicago in 2023, he reached halfway in 60:48 and ran the second half in 59:47.

Your Garmin can pace a negative split for you with PacePro.

Step 1: create a PacePro strategy

In the Garmin Connect app, go to Training & Planning → PacePro Pacing Strategies and create a new one.

Step 2: pick your race and your goal time

Choose your race course, or simply a race distance such as 10K, and enter your goal time. A course is the better option if you have it: PacePro then also adjusts your pace for the hills. Here's how to create a course.

Step 3: pick a negative split

This is the trick. Move the pacing strategy towards negative split, and watch the pace per kilometre change: the early kilometres get slower, the later ones faster, and the total still adds up to your goal time.

Step 4: send it to your watch

Save the strategy and send it to your watch. Before your race, start a Run, open the activity menu, go to Training → PacePro Plans, pick your plan and select Use Plan. During the race, the PacePro screen shows the target pace for the kilometre you're in, and how far ahead or behind your goal time you are overall.

Yes, the first kilometres will feel too easy

That's the point. Holding back early is what leaves something in the tank for the second half, when everyone around you starts slowing down and you don't. Trust the plan, not the adrenaline.

Want the full picture, including pacing for hills and what every number on the screen means? Here's the complete PacePro guide.