Calories burned running: tables by pace and body weight
Find your pace, find your weight, read across. Every figure comes from 2024 Compendium MET values.
How many calories does running burn?
A 30-minute run at paces from 13 to 8.5 minutes per mile burns about 195 to 550 kcal for adults between 60 and 100 kg (132 and 220 lb). At a steady 10 min/mile (about 6:13 per km), it is 279 kcal at 60 kg, 372 kcal at 80 kg and 465 kcal at 100 kg.
These figures come from the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities, which gives each running speed a MET value. Calories burned = MET × body weight in kg × hours. At 10 min/mile (9.3 MET) and 80 kg, 30 minutes is 9.3 × 80 × 0.5 = 372 kcal.
Calories burned running by pace and body weight
Km/h and minutes per km are converted from mph (1 mph = 1.609 km/h). Energy is gross for 30 minutes, with kJ in parentheses.
| Activity (Compendium), 30 minutes | MET | 60 kg (132 lb) | 80 kg (176 lb) | 100 kg (220 lb) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Running, 4 to 4.2 mph (13 min/mile); 6.4 to 6.8 km/h | 6.5 | 195 kcal (816 kJ) | 260 kcal (1,088 kJ) | 325 kcal (1,360 kJ) |
| Running 4.3 to 4.8 mph; 6.9 to 7.7 km/h, 8:40 to 7:46 per km | 7.8 | 234 kcal (979 kJ) | 312 kcal (1,305 kJ) | 390 kcal (1,632 kJ) |
| Running, 5.0 to 5.2 mph (12 min/mile); 8.0 to 8.4 km/h, 7:27 to 7:10 per km | 8.5 | 255 kcal (1,067 kJ) | 340 kcal (1,423 kJ) | 425 kcal (1,778 kJ) |
| Running, 5.5 -5.8 mph; 8.8 to 9.3 km/h, 6:47 to 6:26 per km | 9.0 | 270 kcal (1,130 kJ) | 360 kcal (1,506 kJ) | 450 kcal (1,883 kJ) |
| Running, 6-6.3 mph (10 min/mile); 9.7 to 10.1 km/h, 6:13 to 5:55 per km | 9.3 | 279 kcal (1,167 kJ) | 372 kcal (1,556 kJ) | 465 kcal (1,946 kJ) |
| Running, 6.7 mph (9 min/mile); 10.8 km/h, 5:34 per km | 10.5 | 315 kcal (1,318 kJ) | 420 kcal (1,757 kJ) | 525 kcal (2,197 kJ) |
| Running, 7 mph (8.5 min/mile); 11.3 km/h, 5:20 per km | 11.0 | 330 kcal (1,381 kJ) | 440 kcal (1,841 kJ) | 550 kcal (2,301 kJ) |
The Compendium tags the 4 to 4.2 mph row as 13 min/mile, but 4 to 4.2 mph works out to about 14:17 to 15:00 per mile (8:53 to 9:19 per km). A true 13 min/mile is about 4.6 mph, which falls in the next row at 7.8 MET.
Faster paces keep climbing. At 80 kg, 30 minutes at 8 min/mile (7.5 mph, 12.1 km/h, 11.8 MET) burns 472 kcal (1,975 kJ), and 6 min/mile (10 mph, 16.1 km/h, 14.8 MET) burns 592 kcal (2,477 kJ). For a 60-minute run, double any figure in the table.
A per-km rule of thumb, worked out from the table
Running faster burns more per minute, but you also cover more ground. Per kilometer, the cost changes little. At 80 kg (176 lb):
- 12 min/mile: 30 minutes covers 2.5 miles (4.02 km). 340 kcal ÷ 4.02 km = 85 kcal per km.
- 10 min/mile: 30 minutes covers 3 miles (4.83 km). 372 ÷ 4.83 = 77 kcal per km.
- 8.5 min/mile: at 7 mph, 30 minutes covers 3.5 miles (5.63 km). 440 ÷ 5.63 = 78 kcal per km.
Divide by body weight: 85 ÷ 80 = 1.06, 77 ÷ 80 = 0.96 and 78 ÷ 80 = 0.98 kcal per kg per km. Rounded, that is about 1 kcal per kg of body weight per km, or about 1.6 kcal per kg per mile, gross. A 70 kg (154 lb) runner covering 5 km burns roughly 70 × 5 = 350 kcal at most paces in the table.
Walking costs less per km, but not half as much: see walking vs running calories.
Worked example: a 10 km run at 90 kg
A 90 kg (198 lb) runner finishes 10 km in 60 minutes.
- Find the pace. 10 km in one hour is 10 km/h, and 10 ÷ 1.609 = 6.2 mph. That is the 6 to 6.3 mph row (9.3 MET).
- Work out gross energy. 9.3 × 90 kg × 1 hour = 837 kcal (3,502 kJ).
- Work out net energy. (9.3 − 1) × 90 × 1 = 747 kcal (3,125 kJ). The 90 kcal gap is the resting burn for that hour.
- Check with the shortcut. 90 kg × 10 km × 1 = 900 kcal, which is 63 kcal (about 7.5%) above the table. Use the shortcut as a sanity check and the table for logging.
Treadmill and incline running
For a flat, motorized treadmill, use the road row for the same belt speed. At walking speeds the Compendium's treadmill and level-ground values agree or sit close together: brisk walking at 3.5 to 3.9 mph is 4.8 MET on both.
| Activity (Compendium), 30 minutes | MET | 60 kg (132 lb) | 80 kg (176 lb) | 100 kg (220 lb) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Running/jogging, curved treadmill, 4.0 to 4.9 mph (6.4 to 7.9 km/h) | 6.5 | 195 kcal (816 kJ) | 260 kcal (1,088 kJ) | 325 kcal (1,360 kJ) |
| Running curved treadmill, 5.0 to 5.9 mph (8.0 to 9.5 km/h) | 11.0 | 330 kcal (1,381 kJ) | 440 kcal (1,841 kJ) | 550 kcal (2,301 kJ) |
| Running curved treadmill, 7.0 to 7.9 mph (11.3 to 12.7 km/h) | 12.0 | 360 kcal (1,506 kJ) | 480 kcal (2,008 kJ) | 600 kcal (2,510 kJ) |
| Running uphill, 4.5mph, 5% incline; 7.2 km/h | 10.3 | 309 kcal (1,293 kJ) | 412 kcal (1,724 kJ) | 515 kcal (2,155 kJ) |
| Running uphill, 6.0 mph, 5% incline; 9.7 km/h | 13.3 | 399 kcal (1,669 kJ) | 532 kcal (2,226 kJ) | 665 kcal (2,782 kJ) |
| Running uphill, 7.0 mph, 5% incline; 11.3 km/h | 15.5 | 465 kcal (1,946 kJ) | 620 kcal (2,594 kJ) | 775 kcal (3,243 kJ) |
A 5% incline adds a lot. At 6 mph it lifts the rating from 9.3 to 13.3 MET, so 30 minutes at 80 kg goes from 372 to 532 kcal, 160 kcal more. Curved, non-motorized treadmills, where your stride drives the belt, are also rated higher than road running from 5 mph up: 11.0 MET at 5.0 to 5.9 mph, against 8.5 to 9.0 MET on the road. For stairs, see calories burned climbing stairs.
Common mistakes
- Logging the gross figure as extra. For the 90 kg runner, 90 of the 837 kcal is resting burn.
- Counting a run twice, once in the activity level behind your calorie target and again from your watch. In Cal.AI on iPhone, burned calories from Apple Health are added to your budget only if you choose, so pick one method. See should you eat back exercise calories.
- Logging a run-walk at a running rate. The Compendium rates a jog/walk combination (jogging component of less than 10 minutes) at 6.0 MET, below every running row in the table.
- Using your fastest split for the whole run. Take the average pace for the session, warm-up and cool-down included.
- Applying road values to a hill or a fast curved-treadmill session. Both are rated higher.
Frequently asked questions
How many calories does running a mile burn?
At 10 min/mile, one mile takes 10 minutes. The 2024 Compendium rates that pace at 9.3 MET, so a mile burns about 93 kcal at 60 kg, 124 kcal at 80 kg and 155 kcal at 100 kg (132, 176 and 220 lb), gross. Other paces change the total only a little, because the distance, not the speed, sets most of the cost.
Does running faster burn more calories?
Per minute, yes. At 80 kg, 30 minutes at 12 min/mile burns 340 kcal and 30 minutes at 8.5 min/mile burns 440 kcal. Per kilometer the cost barely changes, about 85 kcal against 78 kcal at the same weight. Running faster mostly gets the same distance done sooner, so over a fixed route the totals land close together.
How many calories does a 5K run burn?
Roughly 1 kcal per kg of body weight per km, gross, so a 5 km run burns about 300 kcal at 60 kg, 400 kcal at 80 kg and 500 kcal at 100 kg (132, 176 and 220 lb). The shortcut comes from dividing the Compendium table by distance and stays within about 10% of the table at paces from 12 to 8.5 min/mile.
Do heavier runners burn more calories?
Yes, in direct proportion to body weight. Thirty minutes at 10 min/mile burns 279 kcal at 60 kg and 465 kcal at 100 kg, which is 1.67 times as much for 1.67 times the weight. Keep the weight in your tracker up to date as it changes, or your running estimates will drift away from reality.
Sources
- Herrmann SD, Willis EA, Ainsworth BE, et al. 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities: A third update of the energy costs of human activities. J Sport Health Sci. 2024;13(1):6-12. PubMed
- Compendium of Physical Activities. 2024 Adult Compendium. Compendium
Related articles
- Calories burned walking: tables by speed, time and body weight
- What is a MET? How activity ratings turn into calories burned
- How fast should you lose weight? Safe, realistic rates by body weight
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- How to track your weight trend instead of your daily weight
