In a discussion with some folks on Twitter, we were talking about personal goals for running 5km. I found these times that might be useful – the approximate military fitness requirements of various services.
| Service | Distance | Time | 5km Equivalent |
| Australian Navy & Air Force | 920 metres | 5 min 40 sec | 30 min 47 sec |
| Australian Army | 1,120 metres | 6 min 30 sec | 29 min |
| British Army | 2,000 metres | 11 min 15 sec | 28 min 8 sec |
| Irish Army (male) | 2,400 metres | 11 min 40 sec | 24 min 20 second |
They’re not strictly comparable (the Australian military doesn’t just judge on overall time, but rather, is based on a series of 20 meter shuttle runs back and forth) but might be useful targets for people looking to improve their fitness.
Of course, in addition to the running requirements listed below, they also have different requirements for strength and other fitness measurements.