How to convert running pace
Most of the world races in kilometres, while the United States and the UK still use miles for many events — and treadmills show speed rather than pace. Converting between them is simple once you remember one number: 1 mile = 1.609344 km.
min/km = min/mile ÷ 1.609344
km/h = 60 ÷ min/km
mph = 60 ÷ min/mile
Always convert m:ss pace to seconds (or decimal minutes) before multiplying. A 5:30 pace is 5.5 minutes, not 5.3. Forgetting this is the most common conversion error.
Worked examples
- 5:00 /km to per mile: 300 s × 1.609344 = 482.8 s = 8:03 /mile.
- 9:00 /mile to per km: 540 s ÷ 1.609344 = 335.5 s = 5:36 /km.
- 6:00 /km to km/h: 60 ÷ 6 = 10 km/h (6.21 mph).
- 7 mph to pace: 60 ÷ 7 = 8.571 min = 8:34 /mile (5:20 /km).
Quick mental maths. To estimate per-mile pace from per-km pace, multiply by 1.6: a 5:00/km pace is 8:00/mile plus a few seconds. For the reverse, divide by 1.6 or multiply by 0.62.
Pace conversion chart: min/km to min/mile
| Per km | Per mile | km/h | mph | Per 400 m |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3:00 | 4:50 | 20.00 | 12.43 | 1:12 |
| 3:15 | 5:14 | 18.46 | 11.47 | 1:18 |
| 3:30 | 5:38 | 17.14 | 10.65 | 1:24 |
| 3:45 | 6:02 | 16.00 | 9.94 | 1:30 |
| 4:00 | 6:26 | 15.00 | 9.32 | 1:36 |
| 4:15 | 6:50 | 14.12 | 8.77 | 1:42 |
| 4:30 | 7:15 | 13.33 | 8.28 | 1:48 |
| 4:45 | 7:39 | 12.63 | 7.85 | 1:54 |
| 5:00 | 8:03 | 12.00 | 7.46 | 2:00 |
| 5:15 | 8:27 | 11.43 | 7.10 | 2:06 |
| 5:30 | 8:51 | 10.91 | 6.78 | 2:12 |
| 5:45 | 9:15 | 10.43 | 6.48 | 2:18 |
| 6:00 | 9:39 | 10.00 | 6.21 | 2:24 |
| 6:15 | 10:04 | 9.60 | 5.97 | 2:30 |
| 6:30 | 10:28 | 9.23 | 5.74 | 2:36 |
| 6:45 | 10:52 | 8.89 | 5.52 | 2:42 |
| 7:00 | 11:16 | 8.57 | 5.33 | 2:48 |
| 7:15 | 11:40 | 8.28 | 5.14 | 2:54 |
| 7:30 | 12:04 | 8.00 | 4.97 | 3:00 |
| 7:45 | 12:28 | 7.74 | 4.81 | 3:06 |
| 8:00 | 12:52 | 7.50 | 4.66 | 3:12 |
| 8:15 | 13:17 | 7.27 | 4.52 | 3:18 |
| 8:30 | 13:41 | 7.06 | 4.39 | 3:24 |
| 8:45 | 14:05 | 6.86 | 4.26 | 3:30 |
| 9:00 | 14:29 | 6.67 | 4.14 | 3:36 |
Pace conversion chart: min/mile to min/km
| Per mile | Per km | mph | km/h |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5:00 | 3:06 | 12.00 | 19.31 |
| 5:30 | 3:25 | 10.91 | 17.56 |
| 6:00 | 3:44 | 10.00 | 16.09 |
| 6:30 | 4:02 | 9.23 | 14.86 |
| 7:00 | 4:21 | 8.57 | 13.79 |
| 7:30 | 4:40 | 8.00 | 12.87 |
| 8:00 | 4:58 | 7.50 | 12.07 |
| 8:30 | 5:17 | 7.06 | 11.36 |
| 9:00 | 5:36 | 6.67 | 10.73 |
| 9:30 | 5:54 | 6.32 | 10.16 |
| 10:00 | 6:13 | 6.00 | 9.66 |
| 10:30 | 6:31 | 5.71 | 9.20 |
| 11:00 | 6:50 | 5.45 | 8.78 |
| 11:30 | 7:09 | 5.22 | 8.40 |
| 12:00 | 7:27 | 5.00 | 8.05 |
| 12:30 | 7:46 | 4.80 | 7.72 |
| 13:00 | 8:05 | 4.62 | 7.43 |
| 13:30 | 8:23 | 4.44 | 7.15 |
| 14:00 | 8:42 | 4.29 | 6.90 |
| 14:30 | 9:01 | 4.14 | 6.66 |
| 15:00 | 9:19 | 4.00 | 6.44 |
Treadmill speed to pace chart
Treadmills in the US usually display mph and those elsewhere km/h. Use these tables to set the belt for a target pace. For outdoor-equivalent effort at different inclines, see the treadmill pace calculator.
| mph | /mile | /km |
|---|---|---|
| 5.0 | 12:00 | 7:27 |
| 5.5 | 10:55 | 6:47 |
| 6.0 | 10:00 | 6:13 |
| 6.5 | 9:14 | 5:44 |
| 7.0 | 8:34 | 5:20 |
| 7.5 | 8:00 | 4:58 |
| 8.0 | 7:30 | 4:40 |
| 8.5 | 7:04 | 4:23 |
| 9.0 | 6:40 | 4:09 |
| 9.5 | 6:19 | 3:55 |
| 10.0 | 6:00 | 3:44 |
| 10.5 | 5:43 | 3:33 |
| 11.0 | 5:27 | 3:23 |
| 11.5 | 5:13 | 3:15 |
| 12.0 | 5:00 | 3:06 |
| km/h | /km | /mile |
|---|---|---|
| 7.0 | 8:34 | 13:48 |
| 8.0 | 7:30 | 12:04 |
| 9.0 | 6:40 | 10:44 |
| 10.0 | 6:00 | 9:39 |
| 11.0 | 5:27 | 8:47 |
| 12.0 | 5:00 | 8:03 |
| 13.0 | 4:37 | 7:26 |
| 14.0 | 4:17 | 6:54 |
| 15.0 | 4:00 | 6:26 |
| 16.0 | 3:45 | 6:02 |
| 17.0 | 3:32 | 5:41 |
| 18.0 | 3:20 | 5:22 |
| 19.0 | 3:09 | 5:05 |
| 20.0 | 3:00 | 4:50 |
| 21.0 | 2:51 | 4:36 |
Track lap times (per 400 m)
On a standard track, one lap of lane 1 is 400 m, so lap time is simply your per-km pace × 0.4. A 5:00/km pace is a 2:00 lap; a 4:00/km pace is a 1:36 lap. Running in outer lanes adds distance — the track lane calculator adjusts lap targets for lanes 2–8.
Why pace and speed both matter
Pace is intuitive for runners because it maps directly onto course markers and splits. Speed is more useful when comparing across sports, programming treadmills, or reading research, which almost always reports metres per second or km/h. Some useful anchors:
Once you know your pace, plug it into the pace calculator to get finish times and splits for any distance, or explore our goal pace charts for specific race targets.
Last reviewed: September 2026 · Health disclaimer