Army 2-Mile Run: AFT Standards, Scoring, and Pacing

The 2-Mile Run (2MR) is the fifth and final event on the Army Fitness Test (AFT), run on a track or an approved course. It's scored the same way as every other AFT event, on a 0-100 point scale, and it carries the same 60-point minimum: a strong score on the other four events does not offset a run below the floor.

How 2MR Scoring Works

Scoring tables are broken out by age band (ten bands, 17-21 through 62+) and by scoring column, M | C (males and every combat-specialty Soldier) or F (females in combat-enabling specialties). A faster time earns more points.

For the 17-21 age band, M | C column:

For the oldest band (62+), F column, by comparison, 17:18 scores 100 points and 25:00 is the 60-point floor: the required pace eases substantially across the ten age bands. For your exact age band, category, and an instant score, use the AFT Calculator.

Pacing the 2MR

The most common mistake on the 2MR isn't fitness, it's pacing: starting too fast off the adrenaline of a test day and fading badly in the second mile. A run split evenly, or even slightly negative (second mile faster than the first), consistently beats a run that starts fast and fades, for the same overall fitness level.

A practical way to find your target pace: take your goal finish time and divide by 2 for an even per-mile split, then divide that by 4 for a per-400m split you can actually check against on a track. Running that exact pace in practice, not just running "hard," is what makes it repeatable on test day.

The start of the 2-Mile Run during an Army Fitness Test, Landstuhl, Germany, Sept. 2026. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Elijah Campbell (DVIDS, public domain).

Training for the 2MR

Because the 2MR comes last in the AFT, after four other events have already taxed your legs and grip, training runs that follow a workout (not just runs done fresh) more accurately prepare you for actual test conditions than treating it as an isolated cardio session.

• Base aerobic work: consistent, moderate-pace running (zone 2, conversational effort) most days of the week builds the aerobic capacity that determines your floor performance.
• Interval work: once or twice a week, intervals at or faster than goal race pace (e.g., 400m repeats) build the top-end speed that determines how far under your floor you can push.
• Brick runs: running immediately after lifting, or after the other AFT events, trains the specific fatigue you'll actually face on test day.

Alternate Events

Soldiers with an approved permanent profile that prohibits running may be eligible for an alternate aerobic event: a walk, bike, swim, or row, covering a specified distance. These are scored Go/No-Go rather than on the 0-100 point scale used for the running events, and require a documented medical profile, not personal preference.

Where the 2MR Fits in the AFT

The 2MR is one of five AFT events; the others are the 3-Repetition Maximum Deadlift, Hand-Release Push-Up, Sprint-Drag-Carry, and Plank. See our AFT standards and score chart for the full event list, category minimums, and how the 60-point floor applies across all five.

A strong 2MR time doesn't carry over to body composition: AFT and WHtR are fully decoupled under Army Directive 2026-13, so check your WHtR Calculator result separately.

Sources

1. Army Fitness Test (army.mil)
2. AFT Scoring Scales, effective June 1, 2025 (Army Publishing)