Training Pace Calculator

Enter a distance and finish time to get your pace per mile and per kilometer, plus your average speed. Pace = time ÷ distance.

Quick Facts

Formula
Pace = total time ÷ distance; speed = distance ÷ time
1 mile = 1.609344 km, so min/mile × 0.621371 = min/km.

Your Results

Calculated
Pace per mile
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min:sec per mile
Pace per kilometer
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min:sec per km
Speed
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miles per hour
Speed
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kilometers per hour

Ready

Enter a distance and finish time, then press Calculate.

About this pace calculator

Running pace is simply the time it takes to cover one unit of distance. This calculator takes a distance and a finish time and returns your pace per mile and per kilometer, along with your average speed in miles per hour and kilometers per hour. Enter the distance you ran (or plan to run), pick miles or kilometers, then enter the finish time as hours, minutes, and seconds.

The formula

Pace and speed are reciprocals of each other, both derived from two numbers — distance and time:

  • Pace = total time ÷ distance. Running 5 miles in 40:00 gives 40 ÷ 5 = 8:00 per mile.
  • Speed = distance ÷ total time. That same run is 5 mi ÷ (40/60 h) = 7.5 mph.
  • Speed from pace: mph = 60 ÷ pace-in-minutes-per-mile. A pace of 8:00 (8.0 min) is 60 ÷ 8 = 7.5 mph.

The unit conversion is exact by definition: 1 mile = 1.609344 kilometers. So a pace in minutes per mile is multiplied by 0.621371 to get minutes per kilometer, and a distance in kilometers is divided by 1.609344 to get miles.

Why runners use it

Pace is the common language of running. Race plans, training programs, and treadmill settings are all written in pace or speed. Converting between the two, and between miles and kilometers, lets you follow a plan written in one system while your watch or track is calibrated in another, and lets you compare efforts across different distances on an apples-to-apples basis.

Common reference paces

These benchmarks help you place a result in context. A 10:00/mile pace covers a mile in ten minutes (6.0 mph) — a comfortable jog for many. 8:00/mile is 7.5 mph. A sub-4-hour marathon (26.2188 miles) requires roughly a 9:09/mile pace. Elite marathoners run near 4:37/mile (about 13.0 mph) to finish just over two hours. On the track, a 400 m lap in 90 seconds is a 6:02/mile pace.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is running pace calculated?
Pace is total time divided by distance. Run 5 miles in 40 minutes and your pace is 40 ÷ 5 = 8:00 per mile. Keep the time and distance in matching form: convert the finish time fully to minutes (or seconds) before dividing, then express the answer as minutes and seconds.
What is the difference between pace and speed?
Pace is time per unit distance (minutes per mile or per km); speed is distance per unit time (mph or km/h). They are reciprocals — a lower pace number means a faster runner, while a higher speed number means a faster runner. Convert with speed (mph) = 60 ÷ pace (min/mile).
How do I convert min/mile to min/km?
Because 1 mile = 1.609344 km, a kilometer is shorter than a mile, so pace per km is a smaller time. Multiply your min/mile pace by 0.621371. An 8:00/mile pace becomes 8.0 × 0.621371 ≈ 4.97 minutes, or about 4:58 per km.
Does this account for hills, heat, or altitude?
No. It reports the average pace and speed for the distance and time you enter, which is exact arithmetic. Terrain and weather change how hard a given pace feels but not the math. As rough guidance, heat above 60°F can add roughly 20-30 seconds per mile for every 10°F, and altitude above about 5,000 ft slows most runners by a few percent.

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