Running pace conversion between minutes per mile, per km and mph

Printed prices, verified

How the pace calc works

1. Miles to kilometres. A mile is 1.609 kilometres, so a per-mile pace divides by that constant to become a per-kilometre pace and multiplies back the other way. That single ratio is all running pace conversion between the two distance units ever is.
2. Pace to speed. Pace and speed are reciprocals: miles per hour is sixty divided by minutes per mile. That is what lets you set a treadmill in miles per hour to match a pace written per mile, and read a belt speed back as an outdoor pace.
3. Convert once, run the number. Pick the unit you train in, convert your race target to it once, and run the pace you already know rather than doing the sum under fatigue, which is exactly when a mental conversion goes wrong.

Why runners need it

Training plans, race entries, watches and treadmills rarely agree on units, so a runner is forever converting a pace in their head at the worst possible moment. Running pace conversion removes that: the same effort is shown in minutes per mile, minutes per kilometre and miles per hour at once, so whichever a plan or a machine uses, you read the pace you actually think in without stopping to work it out.

The treadmill case, and the treadmill speeds a runner actually sets

The most common conversion is to a treadmill, which shows miles per hour while a runner thinks in pace. Because speed and pace are reciprocals, a small table turns any belt speed into a per-mile pace and back, so a session written as an outdoor pace can be run honestly on the machine. Add the usual one-percent incline and the treadmill effort matches the road. The treadmill speeds most plans actually use sit in a narrow band, and each one is a pace: 6 mph is a 10:00 mile, 7 mph an 8:34, 8 mph a 7:30 and 9 mph a 6:40.

Where the apps come in

The conversion itself is free here and always will be. What a paid tracking app adds is storing and trending the converted sessions over a season, so a winter of treadmill runs still counts toward a race. The three apps priced on this site publish what that costs, so you can decide whether the convenience is worth the subscription or whether the free tool is enough.

Common questions

How do I convert minutes per mile to minutes per kilometre?

Divide the per-mile pace by 1.609, since a mile is 1.609 kilometres; the conversion table holds the result so you do not do it mid-run.

How do I convert pace to treadmill speed?

Miles per hour is sixty divided by minutes per mile, so the table turns any per-mile pace into a belt speed and back, which is how you set a treadmill to match an outdoor target.

Is the running pace conversion free?

Yes; every calculator and chart on this site is free. The only priced thing here is the tracking-app record, in its own place.

What is the 7 mph mile time, and the 8 mph mile time?

Sixty divided by the speed: 7 mph is an 8:34 mile and 8 mph is a 7:30 mile. Set the belt to either and the per-mile pace is fixed, which is how a session written as a pace gets run on a machine that only shows speed.

What is the 6 mph mile time, and the 9 mph mile time?

6 mph is a 10:00 mile and 9 mph is a 6:40 mile, from the same division of sixty by the speed. Those two bracket most treadmill running, so a target pace between them lands between those speeds.

What is the 8.5 mph mile time?

A 7:04 mile, because sixty divided by 8.5 is 7.06 minutes. Half-step speeds matter because a belt usually moves in tenths, so the pace you want often sits between two whole numbers.

How do I convert mph to minutes per mile?

Divide sixty by the speed: 6 mph is 10:00 per mile, 7.5 mph is 8:00 per mile and 10 mph is 6:00 per mile. The converter above does it for any speed, and the other way round.

Browse by what you track

• VO2 max pace calculator, on what each app publishes
• Treadmill pace calculator, on what each app publishes