Running Calorie Calculator
Calories burned on a run, from your weight, your distance and your pace. It uses published MET values rather than the flat 100 per mile rule, which is only right in the middle.
How the math works
Calories = METs x weight in kg x hours. One MET is defined as one kilocalorie per kilogram per hour, which is roughly what a body uses sitting still. The MET value comes from the Compendium of Physical Activities, interpolated between the published paces: about 8.3 METs at a 12 minute mile, 11.5 at 8 minutes, 16 at 6 minutes. Net burn subtracts one MET for the same duration, since that part would have happened anyway.
Common questions
- Is it really 100 calories per mile?
- For a 150 pound runner at a moderate pace, close enough. At 200 pounds it is nearer 130, and at 120 pounds nearer 80. Weight matters far more than pace, because you are moving that weight the same distance either way.
- Does running faster burn more calories?
- Per minute, yes, considerably. Per mile, only a little, because you finish sooner. If the goal is total burn, distance beats speed.
- Should I use gross or net calories?
- Net, if you are counting a deficit. Your TDEE already includes the calories you burn just existing, so counting the whole run on top double counts the resting part - about 100 calories an hour.
- Why is my watch giving a different number?
- Most wrist devices estimate from heart rate and are known to run high, sometimes by 20 to 40 percent. A MET-based figure is not perfect either, but it does not drift with how tight the strap is.
- Does running uphill burn more?
- Yes, substantially - a 5 percent grade can add roughly a third. This page assumes flat ground, so treat a hilly route as a faster pace than the clock says.