Average 400m time by age, 12 to 18
Median 400m times at the 2025 AAU Junior Olympics, boys then girls: 1:00.30 and 1:02.85 at age 12, 55.68 and 1:00.81 at 13, 53.79 and 1:00.95 at 14, 50.61 and 58.85 at 15–16, and 49.35 and 57.71 at 17–18.
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Average 400m time at age 12
For boys, 12 is the last age before the big early-teen drop in times. The median 12-year-old boy ran 1:00.30, only 2.50 s faster than the median 11-year-old, while the median 13-year-old was another 4.62 s quicker. The girls' median improved 2.65 s from 11 to 12.
| Boys | Girls | |
|---|---|---|
| Runners timed | 70 | 80 |
| Median (average) | 1:00.30 | 1:02.85 |
| Fastest 10% | 56.60 | 59.17 |
| Fastest 20% | 58.29 | 1:00.43 |
| Slowest 10% from | 1:04.90 | 1:07.53 |
| Final winner | 54.45 | 56.71 |
| AAU national record | 52.34 (2024) | 55.11 (2000) |
Average 400m time at age 13
At 13 the boys' and girls' times start to separate. The boys' median dropped by 4.62 s from age 12, the largest single-year change in the boys' data; the girls' median moved 2.04 s. The 13-year-old boys were spread out: the fastest 10% ran 53.44 or better, while the slowest 10% ran 1:01.04 or slower.
| Boys | Girls | |
|---|---|---|
| Runners timed | 69 | 82 |
| Median (average) | 55.68 | 1:00.81 |
| Fastest 10% | 53.44 | 58.08 |
| Fastest 20% | 54.35 | 59.66 |
| Slowest 10% from | 1:01.04 | 1:04.65 |
| Final winner | 51.28 | 54.81 |
| AAU national record | 49.11 (2023) | 53.94 (2019) |
Average 400m time at age 14
Fourteen is the last single-year AAU division and roughly the age high school starts. The median 14-year-old boy (53.79) was 1.37 s slower than Oregon's smallest-school (1A) state-meet standard of 52.42; the median girl (1:00.95) was 1.87 s faster than the girls' 1A standard of 1:02.82.
| Boys | Girls | |
|---|---|---|
| Runners timed | 80 | 76 |
| Median (average) | 53.79 | 1:00.95 |
| Fastest 10% | 51.43 | 57.20 |
| Fastest 20% | 52.18 | 58.33 |
| Slowest 10% from | 56.77 | 1:05.34 |
| Final winner | 48.21 | 53.95 |
| AAU national record | 47.59 (2022) | 53.05 (2009) |
Average 400m time at ages 15 and 16
AAU races 15- and 16-year-olds together (athletes born in 2009 and 2010 at the 2025 meet), so these numbers cover both ages and a 15-year-old is up against runners a year older. For high school context, Oregon's 2026 state-meet standards run from 49.47 to 52.42 for boys and 57.23 to 1:02.82 for girls.
| Boys | Girls | |
|---|---|---|
| Runners timed | 79 | 82 |
| Median (average) | 50.61 | 58.85 |
| Fastest 10% | 48.77 | 56.21 |
| Fastest 20% | 49.10 | 56.69 |
| Slowest 10% from | 53.34 | 1:03.05 |
| Final winner | 46.62 | 53.66 |
| AAU national record | 45.12 (2023) | 52.45 (2018) |
Average 400m time at ages 17 and 18
The oldest AAU division covers 17- and 18-year-olds. The median boy (49.35) was 0.12 s faster than Oregon's biggest-school (6A) state standard of 49.47; the median girl (57.71) was 0.48 s slower than the 6A girls' standard of 57.23.
| Boys | Girls | |
|---|---|---|
| Runners timed | 82 | 76 |
| Median (average) | 49.35 | 57.71 |
| Fastest 10% | 47.64 | 55.08 |
| Fastest 20% | 48.13 | 55.71 |
| Slowest 10% from | 51.32 | 1:01.44 |
| Final winner | 46.44 | 52.58 |
| AAU national record | 45.40 (2017) | 52.33 (2025) |
How these numbers were made
We took the official HY-TEK results of the 2025 AAU Junior Olympic Games (Humble, Texas) and kept every athlete with a first-round 400m time, between 69 and 82 per age group and sex, excluding non-starters and disqualifications. The median is the middle time; the "fastest 10%" and "fastest 20%" rows are decile cutoffs. AAU sets divisions by birth year, so "age 13" means born in 2012 for the 2025 meet. All times are fully automatic. Because athletes earn their place at this meet, these are national-level youth numbers, and the average child would be slower.
For the 400m by level, including NCAA and world-class marks, see what's a good 400m time. For shorter sprints by age, see the 100m and 200m.
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