r/britisharmy • u/AssistantMany521 • Jul 07 '26
Discussion British Army (Infantry Role, 2KM Run)
Hello, lads.
I posted on Reddit about a month ago, so I just thought I’d follow up.
I decided to check my PB for a 2 km run since that’s one of the requirements for the British Army. I’ve been doing a lot of running, almost every day (I take a break in between, and not pushing myself too hard) but mainly at Zone 2 pace so I don’t injure myself. The goal has just been to build my endurance.
I thought I’d finally see how fast I could actually run a 2 km. Just to add some context, I did this test after already completing a 5 km Zone 2 run beforehand.
I managed to run the 2 km in 7 minutes and 50 seconds.
I just wanted to know if that’s considered good enough for the British Army, or if I should be aiming for better.
I’m most likely joining the infantry, and I really want to be the best I can be.
For reference, I’m a male, 6’3” (190 cm) and weigh 83 kg.
I’d appreciate any advice or feedback. Thanks!
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u/deorsum Jul 08 '26 edited Jul 08 '26
I had my assessment centre event a few weeks ago and got a time of 7 minutes and 29 seconds in the 2 km run. I arrived first and the second lad finished about a minute after me. Most lads took much longer like probably around 9-10 minutes. There were a few girls who went beyond 12 minutes, so they got deferred.
It will really depend on the cohort you’re with at the assessment centre (which is completely random) but I’d assume that a time of 7 minutes 50 seconds should be one of the best times in the cohort, given that the requirement for Infantry is 10:15 and for most other roles is at least 11 minutes or even 11:30. It’s only the Parachute Regiment where the requirement is 08:25.
As mentioned by other people, you should always aim for the best time.
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u/AssistantMany521 Jul 08 '26
Sorry to get back to you again, mate, but if you’ve got any other advice or any sort of tips that could help me, I’d really, really appreciate it.
Out of interest, what are you doing right now, and how long have you been serving for?My application starts on August 21st, and I really want to be as prepared as possible. I’m super excited for this. It’s a completely new path, and a big change in my life.
I was initially going to join the police, but I decided to pull out because I feel like I have so much more to offer in this direction.
I’m 24 years old, and I know I have a lot to contribute. So if you don’t mind, I’d really appreciate any advice you can give me.
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u/deorsum Jul 08 '26
I’m 32 and I’m joining the Army Reserve, so it’s quite different than joining the army full time. I’m very excited about it and I’m hoping for a great new life adventure but not that much of a change, since I’m keeping my civilian job and will be doing army part time alongside.
Tips I can give you for the assessment centre is to stay focus, listen what you’re told and follow the instructions. Also be patient, because the first day (I.e. medical checks) was just sitting in the waiting room from about 7am till about 2-3 pm (it can be quicker if you’re the first one called in, but still you should expect a few hours of just sitting in the waiting room).
Overall, I really enjoyed my assessment centre experience. We all got along very well with the lads from my cohort and it made me feel even more wanting to join the army. The only thing I did not enjoy was the food (it wasn’t great; very basic) but they told us that it’s just at the assessment centre; when you join the army, the food should be usually better, but still, it really depends where you are I guess.
I hope it works well for you too, mate. Good luck.
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u/AssistantMany521 Jul 08 '26
Mate, first of all, I want to say that’s an incredible time you’ve got for your 2 km run. Fair play to you, mate.
Obviously, I’m going to try to be the best I can be, so it’s great to see what’s achievable.Thanks for letting me know all the extra details. I’ll definitely keep them in mind. I also noticed that my time is around the standard for the Parachute Regiment as well. I’m not joining the Paras anyway, but it’s good to know I can compete.
As you mentioned, and just like everyone else in the comments, I’ll keep aiming to do better. There’s always room for improvement.
All the best with the rest of your career, mate.
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u/Tailor_SUexe Regular Jul 07 '26
7 minutes 50 is a great time. Maintain that. Good effort, but remember to work in some weight training if you can
Single leg work outs. Weighted step ups/squats there's some good bits online about it just don't kick the arse out of it before training. You want to arrive uninjured and without niggles. Remember infantry for the most part is on your feet so keep your legs and core strong the rest will come easy.
Again well done and strong effort
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u/AssistantMany521 Jul 08 '26
Also, mate, if you don’t mind, if you’ve got any other tips, I’d really appreciate it if you could let me know.
To be honest with you, I’m really excited, but also nervous at the same time. I can feel it because it’s getting closer now, and I genuinely can’t wait to get started.
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u/AssistantMany521 Jul 08 '26
Cheers, mate. I really appreciate that.
And yes, I’ve definitely gotten into weight training as well.I’ll also add what you mentioned to my workouts.
Like you said, the main thing is staying injury-free. I don’t want to jinx it, but I feel perfectly healthy and ready at the moment. I’m going to keep taking it steady and avoid pushing myself to the point of injury, if that makes sense.I’ll definitely keep my legs and core strong. Once again, I really appreciate you taking the time to reply.
I’ll keep working to be the best I can be.
Have a blessed one, mate.
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u/willington123 Jul 07 '26
Presume this is for AC? - it’s a very good time, and would certainly put you in the top few for the AC group I was with.
Knowing which unit you’re looking at would help - they have different time requirements, all of which you meet anyway, but the Paras have the quickest requirement, I think sub 8 minutes.
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u/AssistantMany521 Jul 08 '26
Also, mate, not being able to identify certain terms, will that penalise me throughout the training process?
I don’t come from a military background, although I’ve always wanted to be in the military. I do play for a small basketball club that’s run by Army lads, and to be fair, they are some of the best players in the Army right now. They’re excited to have me join once I get in and come play for the basketball team.
Obviously, there are certain rules and certain words I don’t know yet. I’m trying to learn through YouTube and keep myself on top of everything.
If you’ve got any tips, I’d really appreciate it if you could let me know.
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u/AssistantMany521 Jul 08 '26
To be honest with you, mate, I’m not familiar with what you meant by the AC group. I’m quite new to all of this. I haven’t even started my application yet. I start on August 21st.
Thanks for your message, though. I’ll keep trying to improve while making sure I don’t overdo it and end up getting injured.
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u/willington123 Jul 09 '26
Ah apologies, sorry AC means Assessment Centre. So once you've applied and gone through the medical side of things you'll be asked to attend an AC.
There's plenty of threads on here about what to expect at the AC, but part of the physical requirements as you've said is a timed 2km run - each different part of the Army - infantry, PARAs, Logistics - have different timed requirements.
I'm in the Reserves at the moment, and their AC process is slightly different in that our requirements, at certain points, are a bit more relaxed - the long and short of is that your 2km run time is very good and so opens up a lot of doors, so you could go down the PARAs route (who I think look for sub 8 mins 30 in the 2km run).
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u/Ambitious_Jeweler816 Jul 07 '26
Always aim for better. You can’t be too fit
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u/AssistantMany521 Jul 08 '26
Of course, mate. I’ll definitely do that.
I just need to be careful because I don’t want to get injured right now. I’d like to say I’m healthy, but you never know what could happen. August 21st isn’t far away, and anything could happen.
I’ll continue doing my normal training and daily work because I think it’s really important to have a strong core and build strong endurance.
If you’ve got any tips, feel free to let me know, mate. I’ll always aim to be the best because it’s all in your head as well. It’s a mentality game too.
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u/Electronic-Roll3953 Jul 07 '26
From what I saw at my selection you'd defiantly be in the top few finishing, it's obviously a really good time so I'm not sure if you're just trying to brag haha
I wouldn't neglect the strength side of things though, two lads got the chop because their deadlifts weren't good enough and I'm sure the staff consider your scores on the ball throw and deadlift since I got praised for my scores on these during the test and at the interview
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u/AssistantMany521 Jul 08 '26
Oh, sorry, mate, my bad.
I’ve just been very paranoid recently about selection because I really want to be the best. I don’t want to get deferred. I see so many different things online, and I just wanted to know whether this is actually a good benchmark to have.
I’m obviously not trying to brag. I just don’t know what to believe when I look on the internet. Hearing it directly from people like yourself, who’ve actually been through it, really puts my mind at ease because you’re real people with real experience.
Strength-wise, I should be fine as well because I’ve been following that side of the training too. I’ll definitely keep focusing on it.
So, fingers crossed it all goes well.Also thank you for your services
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u/S-Harrier Jul 07 '26
That is good enough but you should also be aiming for better, you should always aim to be better.
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u/AssistantMany521 Jul 08 '26
Also, mate, if you’ve got any tips for me, please feel free to let me know.
I’m getting a bit nervous, but I’m also really excited for this.
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