Find your average running speed.
Distance is divided by time in hours to get km/h.
Speed: Distance ÷ time (hours)
The running speed calculator finds your average speed in kilometres per hour from a distance and a time in hours. It is the same distance ÷ time relationship used for vehicles, applied to running, jogging, walking or cycling.
Speed in km/h is the number treadmills, fitness studies and many sports apps use, and it is easier to compare with other activities than pace. A runner who knows their outdoor average is 9.4 km/h can set the treadmill accordingly, and a coach can compare athletes across different distances. Because the calculator takes time in hours, it suits longer efforts where hours are the natural unit, such as half marathons, long runs and cycling rides.
1. Note the distance in kilometres.
2. Convert the total time to hours: hours + minutes ÷ 60 + seconds ÷ 3600.
3. Speed = Distance ÷ Time in hours, giving km/h.
4. To get metres per second, divide the km/h figure by 3.6.
5. To get pace in minutes per km, divide 60 by the speed.
6. For a treadmill, set the speed and allow for a small incline if you want effort similar to outdoors.
The calculator expects time in decimal hours, so every minute is one sixtieth of an hour. Two hours fifteen minutes is 2.25 hours, and 45 minutes is 0.75 hours. Seconds are one thirty-six hundredth of an hour. Typing 2.15 for 2 hours 15 minutes is the most common error, and it inflates the speed. Once time is in hours, speed is a simple division, and the answer is in km/h.
Speed and pace describe one run in two ways. Speed is km per hour, pace is minutes per km, and each is 60 divided by the other. A speed of 9.38 km/h equals a pace of about 6.4 minutes per km, or 6:24. Speed is more intuitive for comparing with cycling or driving, and it adds linearly when you combine segments of equal time. Pace is better for planning races by distance.
Running at the same speed on a treadmill usually feels slightly easier than outdoors, because there is no air resistance and the belt helps turnover. Many runners set a 1% incline to compensate roughly. Treadmill calibration also varies between machines, so the displayed speed may differ from your true speed. Use the calculator on an accurately measured outdoor route to get a reference figure, then compare the effort on the treadmill.
Harish finished the Delhi half marathon, 21.1 km, in 2 hours 15 minutes and wants his average speed so he can set his treadmill for training.
Answer: Speed 9.38 km/h
Entering 2 hours 15 minutes as 2.15 hours instead of 2.25.
Entering minutes in the hours box, which gives a speed 60 times too small.
Comparing treadmill speeds from different machines without allowing for calibration.
Treating average speed as the speed you can sustain for every kilometre, when fatigue and hills vary it.
Setting treadmill speed from outdoor race results.
Comparing fitness across runs of different distances.
Converting race results into km/h for training logs and apps.
Estimating cycling or walking speeds for commutes.
How is speed different from pace?
Speed is distance divided by time (km/h). Pace is time divided by distance (min/km). They measure the same thing, just from opposite directions, and you can convert one into the other.