Swim times can be very challenging for swimmers. Are we swimming quickly enough? One of the most typical swim times that we stress over is how long does it takes to swim a mile.
When you begin your swimming journey, you will reach the one-mile swim milestone. This is an incredible accomplishment, and knowing how long it takes to swim a mile on average can be extremely motivating (or simply intriguing).
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How Long Does It Take To Swim A Mile?
In competitive swimming, a mile is comparable to 1650 meters. Here is the answer for “how long does it take to swim a mile” question. While swimming a mile in fifteen to sixteen minutes may seem easy for elite swimmers, amateurs will take anywhere from 25 to 45 minutes to cover the same distance in the water.
A swimmer’s age, level of fitness, stamina, the type of water he is swimming in, his athletic prowess, the temperature of the water, and all these factors contribute to the time it takes him to swim a mile
1 Mile Swimming Times for Males
A good one-mile time for a man is 31:21. This is the average one-mile time across all ages for males.
Average 1 mile swim time by age and ability for males:
| Age | Beginner | Novice | Intermediate | Advanced | Elite |
| 10 | 59:37 | 47:32 | 37:28 | 29:33 | 23:33 |
| 15 | 51:36 | 41:08 | 32:26 | 25:34 | 20:23 |
| 20 | 49:51 | 39:44 | 31:20 | 24:43 | 19:42 |
| 25 | 49:51 | 39:44 | 31:20 | 24:43 | 19:42 |
| 30 | 49:54 | 39:46 | 31:22 | 24:44 | 19:43 |
| 35 | 50:43 | 40:25 | 31:52 | 25:08 | 20:02 |
| 40 | 52:28 | 41:49 | 32:59 | 26:00 | 20:44 |
| 45 | 54:26 | 43:24 | 34:13 | 26:59 | 21:30 |
| 50 | 56:34 | 45:06 | 35:33 | 28:02 | 22:21 |
| 55 | 58:53 | 46:56 | 37:00 | 29:11 | 23:16 |
| 60 | 01:01:23 | 48:55 | 38:35 | 30:25 | 24:15 |
| 65 | 01:04:06 | 51:06 | 40:17 | 31:46 | 25:19 |
| 70 | 01:07:19 | 53:40 | 42:19 | 33:22 | 26:36 |
| 75 | 01:12:20 | 57:39 | 45:28 | 35:51 | 28:34 |
| 80 | 01:20:03 | 01:03:49 | 50:19 | 39:40 | 31:37 |
| 85 | 01:32:09 | 01:13:28 | 57:55 | 45:40 | 36:24 |
| 90 | 01:52:17 | 01:29:30 | 01:10:35 | 55:39 | 44:22 |
1 Mile Swimming Times for Females
A good one-mile time for a lady is 33:49. This is the average one-mile time across all ages for females.
Average 1 mile swim time by age and ability for females:
| Age | Beginner | Novice | Intermediate | Advanced | Elite |
| 10 | 59:52 | 48:54 | 39:34 | 32:01 | 26:09 |
| 15 | 53:44 | 43:54 | 35:31 | 28:44 | 23:29 |
| 20 | 51:09 | 41:47 | 33:49 | 27:21 | 22:21 |
| 25 | 51:09 | 41:47 | 33:49 | 27:21 | 22:21 |
| 30 | 51:09 | 41:47 | 33:49 | 27:21 | 22:21 |
| 35 | 51:29 | 42:04 | 34:02 | 27:32 | 22:30 |
| 40 | 52:33 | 42:56 | 34:44 | 28:06 | 22:58 |
| 45 | 54:26 | 44:28 | 35:59 | 29:07 | 23:47 |
| 50 | 57:14 | 46:46 | 37:50 | 30:37 | 25:00 |
| 55 | 01:00:32 | 49:27 | 40:01 | 32:22 | 26:27 |
| 60 | 01:04:13 | 52:28 | 42:27 | 34:20 | 28:03 |
| 65 | 01:08:23 | 55:52 | 45:12 | 36:34 | 29:53 |
| 70 | 01:13:08 | 59:44 | 48:20 | 39:07 | 31:57 |
| 75 | 01:18:35 | 01:04:12 | 51:57 | 42:02 | 34:20 |
| 80 | 01:25:04 | 01:09:30 | 56:14 | 45:30 | 37:10 |
| 85 | 01:35:47 | 01:18:15 | 01:03:19 | 51:14 | 41:51 |
| 90 | 01:55:27 | 01:34:19 | 01:16:18 | 01:01:44 | 50:26 |
What Do the Swimming Abilities Indicate?
- Beginners swim faster than 5% of other swimmers. A novice swimmer has been swimming for at least one month.
- Compared to 20% of swimmers, novices swim faster. A novice swimmer has been swimming regularly for at least six months.
- Intermediate – Faster than 50% of swimmers. An intermediate swimmer has been swimming regularly for at least two years.
- Advanced swimmers are faster than 80% of other swimmers. An advanced swimmer has swum for more than five years.
- Elite swimmers are faster than 95% of other swimmers. An excellent swimmer has spent over five years training to become a competitive swimmer.
Note: The number of laps required to swim one mile is determined by the length of the pool. Remember that a lap usually entails going there and back in the water.
See Also…
How Does A Vertical Pool Work?(Opens in a new browser tab)
How to Waterproof your Wound for Swimming?(Opens in a new browser tab)
