Treadmill pace converter
Treadmills show speed; training plans use pace. Enter mph or km/h to get minutes per mile, minutes per km, and what that speed means for a 5K.
The conversion
Pace per mile = 60 ÷ mph (in minutes). At 6.0 mph, 60 ÷ 6 = 10 minutes per mile. Pace per km = 60 ÷ km/h, and 1 mph = 1.609344 km/h, so 6.0 mph is 9.66 km/h or 6:13 per km.
Treadmill conversion chart
| Speed (mph) | km/h | Pace /mile | Pace /km | 5K time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.0 | 6.4 | 15:00 | 9:19 | 46:36 |
| 5.0 | 8.0 | 12:00 | 7:27 | 37:17 |
| 5.5 | 8.9 | 10:55 | 6:47 | 33:54 |
| 6.0 | 9.7 | 10:00 | 6:13 | 31:04 |
| 6.5 | 10.5 | 9:14 | 5:44 | 28:41 |
| 7.0 | 11.3 | 8:34 | 5:20 | 26:38 |
| 7.5 | 12.1 | 8:00 | 4:58 | 24:51 |
| 8.0 | 12.9 | 7:30 | 4:40 | 23:18 |
| 8.5 | 13.7 | 7:04 | 4:23 | 21:56 |
| 9.0 | 14.5 | 6:40 | 4:09 | 20:43 |
| 10.0 | 16.1 | 6:00 | 3:44 | 18:38 |
Is treadmill pace the same as outdoor pace?
Not quite. With no air resistance and a moving belt, running on a flat treadmill is slightly easier than running outside at the same speed. A small study by Jones and Doust (Journal of Sports Sciences, 1996) found that a 1% incline best matched the energy cost of outdoor running at the speeds they tested. Many runners set 1% for that reason. Treadmill calibration also varies, so trust effort as much as the display.
FAQ
What treadmill speed is a 30-minute 5K?
About 6.2 mph (10 km/h), which is 9:39 per mile.
What speed is a 25-minute 5K?
About 7.5 mph (12 km/h), which is 8:03 per mile or 5:00 per km.
Should I use incline?
A 1% incline is a common way to approximate outdoor effort. For hill training, use more, but adjust the speed down.
Related
- Running pace calculator – pace from time, or time from pace
- Race time predictor – mile to marathon, Riegel formula
- Split calculator – even and negative splits per km or mile
- Training pace calculator – easy, tempo, interval and repetition paces from your 5K
- Km to mile pace converter – min/km ↔ min/mile
- All pace charts – printable tables