PaceCalc

Running Calorie Calculator

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Gross calories by the ACSM running equation, level ground. Estimates; individual results vary.

Calories burned running a mile, by weight and pace

Gross calories per mile at 8:00, 10:00 and 12:00 per mile, and net calories, which are the same at any pace. Divide by 1.609344 for calories per kilometer.

Calories per mile running on level ground, 120 to 250 lb (ACSM running equation)
Weight kg 8:00 /mi 10:00 /mi 12:00 /mi Net, any pace
120 lb 54.4 95 97 99 88
140 lb 63.5 111 113 116 102
160 lb 72.6 127 129 132 117
180 lb 81.6 143 146 149 131
200 lb 90.7 159 162 165 146
220 lb 99.8 175 178 182 161
250 lb 113.4 198 202 206 182

Use this next

Treadmill calculator Calories, distance and pace from treadmill speed and incline. Pace calculator Pace, time or distance from the other two, with splits. Run walk pace calculator Average pace and finish time from run/walk intervals.

This running calorie calculator estimates the calories you burn on a run from your body weight, the distance and either your time or your pace. It shows the total for the run, the calories per mile, per kilometer and per hour, and the net calories burned by the running alone. It works for any run on level ground, outdoors or on a treadmill at 0% incline.

It uses the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) running equation, the same one the treadmill calculator uses: oxygen use = 0.2 × speed in meters per minute + 3.5 ml per kg of body weight per minute, at about 5 calories per litre of oxygen. A 154 lb (69.9 kg) runner who runs a 5K in 30:00, or 9:39 per mile, burns about 386 calories: 124 per mile, 77 per kilometer or 772 an hour, at 10.5 METs.

The main figure is gross calories, which include the energy you would burn at rest anyway: the 3.5 in the equation. Net calories leave that out, so they count only the running: 349 for the same 5K. The net part of the equation works out to exactly 1 calorie per kilogram of body weight per kilometer, or about 0.73 calories per pound per mile, at any running pace.

Pace changes calories per hour much more than calories per mile. For the same 154 lb runner, a mile at 8:00 is about 122 calories, at 10:00 about 125 and at 12:00 about 127. The slower mile takes longer, so it adds more resting energy, but the net cost of carrying your body a mile stays at about 112. An hour at 8:00 per mile covers 7.5 miles and burns about 916 calories; an hour at 12:00 per mile covers 5 miles and burns about 635.

The running equation comes from level treadmill running at speeds above about 5 mph (12:00 per mile), and holds from 3 mph for people who are actually jogging, so the calculator accepts paces from 2:24 to 20:00 per mile. It doesn't count hills, wind, rough ground or how economical your stride is. Treat the result as an estimate; individual results vary. For walking, or a treadmill with an incline, use the treadmill calculator; if your run has walk breaks, the run walk pace calculator gives your average pace.

Frequently asked questions

How many calories does running a mile burn?

About 0.73 calories per pound of body weight for the running itself, plus the resting energy for the time the mile takes. By the ACSM running equation, at 10:00 per mile a 140 lb runner burns about 113 calories per mile (102 net) and a 200 lb runner about 162 (146 net). The table above lists 120 to 250 lb at three paces.

Does running pace change the calories burned?

Per mile, only a little; per hour, a lot. In the ACSM equation the net cost of a running mile is the same at any pace, so a 154 lb runner burns about 122 calories per mile at 8:00 and 127 at 12:00, and the difference is resting energy. Per hour, faster running burns more because you cover more miles: about 916 calories in an hour at 8:00 per mile against 635 at 12:00.

Does running a mile burn more calories than walking a mile?

Yes, by the ACSM equations: the net cost of running is 0.2 ml of oxygen per kg for every meter, twice the 0.1 of walking. For a 154 lb person, a mile walked at 3 mph is about 81 calories gross and 56 net; a mile run at 10:00 is about 125 gross and 112 net. The walk takes twice as long, so it burns more resting energy, but less in total.

Do you burn more calories running outside than on a treadmill?

A little, at the same pace, because outdoors you also push through the air. Jones and Doust (1996) found that a 1% treadmill incline matched the energy cost of outdoor running at about 6.5 to 11 mph. This calculator uses the level equation, so for an outdoor run it may read slightly low: for a 70 kg runner, 30 minutes at 6 mph is about 375 calories here and about 390 in the treadmill calculator at a 1% incline.

How many calories does running a marathon burn?

For a 154 lb runner who finishes in 4:00:00 (9:09 per mile), about 3,241 calories gross and 2,947 net by the ACSM running equation. Net calories are about 1 per kg of body weight per kilometer at any pace, so a heavier runner burns proportionally more.