Mile Pace Converter
Instantly convert between min/mile, min/km, mph, and kph. Enter any pace or speed and see all four units at once.
Min / Mile
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Min / Km
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MPH
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KPH
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Now Put That Pace to Work Outdoors
You just converted a treadmill number into a real pace. Motera turns your next outdoor run into a game: capture city blocks as you go, defend territory from other runners, and watch the map fill in as your distance adds up.
Every split switches automatically between miles and kilometers in the app, so whatever unit you just calculated carries straight into your training log.
MoteraPace vs. Speed, in Two Sentences
Pace is time per unit of distance, like 8:00 per mile. Speed is distance per unit of time, like 7.5 mph. They are mathematical inverses of each other, and the reason this page exists is that your watch, your treadmill, and your race results page can each default to a different one of the four common units without warning you.
In one sentence: Type a pace or speed into any of the four fields above and the converter returns the other three instantly, using the internationally standardized mile-to-kilometer ratio of 1.609344, so a treadmill mph, a GPS min/km split, and a race pace in min/mile all agree with each other.
Complete Pace Conversion Table
This table covers every common running pace from 5:00 per mile through 15:00 per mile. All four units are shown side by side so you can quickly look up any conversion without doing math. For race-specific splits at each of these paces, see the full pace chart.
Treadmill Speed to Mile Pace Reference
Treadmills display speed in miles per hour, but runners think in pace. This table translates every treadmill speed setting into min/mile and min/km so you can match your outdoor pace on the treadmill.
~7.5 to 16+ METs
Running effort roughly doubles moving from a 5.0 mph easy jog to a 10.0 mph hard pace, according to the metabolic equivalent (MET) values in the Compendium of Physical Activities. If a converted pace suddenly feels far harder than the number on the display suggests, that jump in effort is real, not a treadmill error.
View the CompendiumWhy Your Watch and Your Treadmill Disagree
GPS watches and treadmill displays often show different paces for what feels like the same effort. The video below walks through why that mismatch happens and how it affects any pace you convert between a treadmill and an outdoor run.
Common Treadmill Pace Mistakes
A converted pace is only as good as the numbers feeding it. These are the mistakes that most often make a treadmill workout feel wrong even when the math checks out.
Trusting the display to the decimal. Home and gym treadmills are not always calibrated correctly. A belt set to 7.0 mph can, in practice, be running measurably faster or slower than the number shown.
Ignoring the missing wind resistance. A flat treadmill removes the air resistance you push through outdoors, so the same displayed pace is genuinely easier indoors at faster speeds. This is the reason a small incline is often recommended.
Doing the math mid-run. Converting min/mile to mph in your head while your heart rate is up is where most treadmill pacing errors come from. Set the number before you start moving.
Never rechecking after maintenance. Belt tension and lubrication drift over months of use, which can quietly shift the true speed at a given setting even if the display never changes.
Comparing a treadmill split directly to a race result. A treadmill pace and an outdoor race pace at the same displayed number are not run under the same conditions, so treat a treadmill time trial as an estimate, not a race-day guarantee.
Averaging GPS pace over a short, choppy distance. Real-time GPS pace bounces around from signal noise and stride variability far more than treadmill belt speed does. Average over a longer stretch before comparing it to a treadmill number.
98% to 103%
A treadmill mechanics study found that actual belt speed can fluctuate between roughly 98 and 103 percent of the target setting during a stride, and separate real-world calibration checks have found a treadmill set to 7.0 mph can actually be closer to 6.6 or 7.3 mph. That is a range worth remembering before assuming a converted pace is exact to the second.
When to Use Which Pace Unit
Min/Mile (Minutes per Mile)
The standard pace unit in the United States. If you run in the US, follow American coaches, or use apps defaulting to imperial units, this is your primary unit. Most US road races mark courses in miles, so your pace plan and splits will be in min/mile.
Best for: US road races, American training plans, US-based running apps
Min/Km (Minutes per Kilometer)
The standard pace unit in most of the world outside the US. Parkrun, European races, Australian events, and most international training plans use kilometers. If your GPS watch is set to metric, you will see min/km by default.
Best for: Parkrun, European races, international training plans, metric countries
MPH (Miles per Hour)
Primarily used on treadmills in the US. Treadmills display speed rather than pace, which requires a mental conversion for most runners. Knowing the mph equivalent of your target pace makes treadmill workouts much easier to set up.
Best for: Treadmill running in the US, speed-based workouts, cycling comparisons
KPH (Kilometers per Hour)
Used on treadmills outside the US and in cycling. If you use a metric treadmill, KPH is the display unit. It is also useful when comparing running speed to cycling speed, since cyclists universally use KPH.
Best for: Metric treadmills, cross-training with cycling, international gyms
How Treadmill Incline Changes Your Effective Pace
A flat treadmill removes the wind resistance you push through outdoors and gives the belt a very slight assist, which is why a converted pace that feels manageable on the display can still feel too easy on a 0 percent incline. The most cited fix is a small incline, not a change to the pace math itself.
A 1 percent treadmill grade most accurately reflects the energetic cost of outdoor running, tested across speeds of roughly 6.5 to 11 mph.
For inclines above 1 percent, the outdoor-equivalent speed scales roughly linearly with the grade. The commonly used approximation is:
Outdoor-Equivalent Speed
Equivalent Speed = Treadmill Speed x (1 + 0.03 x Grade%)
Example: 8.0 mph at a 5% incline = 8.0 x 1.15 = 9.2 mph outdoor-equivalent effort, which converts to roughly a 6:31/mile pace using the same conversion this page runs.
This is the same idea behind grade-adjusted pace (GAP) calculations used on hilly outdoor routes. If you regularly train on hills, our elevation-adjusted pace calculator applies the same logic to real route elevation data instead of a fixed treadmill incline.
Common Race Paces in All Units
Knowing what pace different race goals require helps you set your treadmill, plan your training, and convert between systems when following international plans. Here are the most popular race targets with paces in every unit. For pace breakdowns specific to one race distance, see the 5K times chart, 10K pace chart, or marathon pace chart.
Sub-20 5K
A competitive club runner pace. Requires consistent interval training and a solid aerobic base.
Sub-25 5K
A strong recreational runner pace. Achievable for most dedicated runners within 6 to 12 months of training.
Sub-50 10K
Same pace as a sub-25 5K but sustained for twice the distance. Requires strong endurance and pacing discipline.
Sub-2:00 Half Marathon
A popular goal for intermediate runners. Very achievable with a 12 to 16 week training plan and consistent long runs.
Sub-4:00 Marathon
The same pace as a sub-2 hour half, but for 26.2 miles. Fueling, hydration, and pacing strategy become critical at this distance.
Sub-3:30 Marathon
A Boston Qualifier for many age groups. Requires dedicated training, tempo runs, and marathon-specific long runs.
Pace Conversion Formulas
If you want to do the math yourself, here are the exact formulas this converter uses. All conversions are based on the fact that 1 mile equals 1.609344 kilometers.
1.609344 km
The exact length of one mile, fixed by the 1959 international yard-and-pound agreement and published in NIST Special Publication 811. This converter rounds to 1.60934 for display, which introduces no meaningful difference at running paces.
View NIST SP 811Min/Mile to Min/Km
Min/Km = Min/Mile / 1.60934
Example: 8:00/mile / 1.60934 = 4:58/km
Min/Km to Min/Mile
Min/Mile = Min/Km x 1.60934
Example: 5:00/km x 1.60934 = 8:03/mile
Min/Mile to MPH
MPH = 60 / Min/Mile
Example: 60 / 8.0 min = 7.5 mph
MPH to Min/Mile
Min/Mile = 60 / MPH
Example: 60 / 7.5 mph = 8:00/mile
Min/Km to KPH
KPH = 60 / Min/Km
Example: 60 / 5.0 min = 12.0 kph
MPH to KPH
KPH = MPH x 1.60934
Example: 7.5 mph x 1.60934 = 12.07 kph
How Pace Conversion Works
Running pace conversion relies on one key number: 1.60934, which is the number of kilometers in one mile. To convert min/mile to min/km, you divide by 1.60934. To convert min/km to min/mile, you multiply by 1.60934. The converter on this page handles this automatically.
Converting pace to speed (mph or kph) is a different operation. Since pace is time per distance and speed is distance per time, they are mathematical inverses. To get mph from min/mile, divide 60 by the pace in minutes. For example, an 8:00 per mile pace means 60 divided by 8 equals 7.5 mph.
This matters for treadmill runners especially. If your training plan says to run at 8:00 per mile pace, you need to set the treadmill to 7.5 mph. Without a reference table or converter, you would have to do the math in your head while trying to run, which is not ideal. The treadmill reference table above eliminates that problem.
For more comprehensive pace calculations including finish time predictions and distance estimates, check out our pace calculator. For treadmill-specific conversions with incline adjustments, use our treadmill pace converter.
Why does my GPS watch pace not match my treadmill display?
Two separate things are happening at once: your watch estimates pace from GPS signal and stride data, which fluctuates second to second, while a treadmill reports the speed it believes the belt is moving, which can drift from the true belt speed over time. Neither number is wrong on purpose, they are just measuring different things. Average your watch pace over the full run rather than trusting the instantaneous reading, and see the treadmill mistakes section above for the calibration side of the gap.
Should I use 1.60934 or 1.609344 for mile to km conversion?
Both are correct. 1.609344 is the exact figure; 1.60934 is a six-digit rounding used throughout this page and by most running calculators. At normal training paces the difference between the two shows up only past the hundredths of a second, so it never changes a practical pace or split.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I convert min/mile to min/km?
Divide your pace in minutes per mile by 1.60934. For example, a 10:00 per mile pace divided by 1.60934 equals approximately 6:13 per kilometer. The converter on this page does this calculation instantly as you type.
How do I convert min/km to min/mile?
Multiply your pace in minutes per kilometer by 1.60934. For example, a 5:00 per km pace multiplied by 1.60934 equals approximately 8:03 per mile. This is the reverse of the km to mile conversion.
What is the difference between pace and speed?
Pace measures time per unit of distance (like 8:00 per mile). Speed measures distance per unit of time (like 7.5 mph). They are inverses of each other. Runners typically use pace because it maps directly to split times and race planning. Treadmills and cyclists more commonly use speed.
Why do some countries use min/km and others use min/mile?
The United States, Myanmar, and Liberia use the imperial system, so American runners think in miles. Nearly every other country uses the metric system, making kilometers the default. If you follow training plans from international coaches or run races abroad, you will need to convert between the two regularly.
How do I convert treadmill speed (mph) to running pace?
Divide 60 by the treadmill speed in mph to get minutes per mile. For example, a treadmill set to 7.5 mph means you are running at 60 divided by 7.5, which equals 8:00 per mile. For km pace, divide 60 by the speed in kph.
Is 10 min/mile a good pace?
A 10:00 per mile pace (6:13 per km, or 6.0 mph) is a solid pace for recreational runners. It would finish a 5K in about 31 minutes, a 10K in about 62 minutes, a half marathon in about 2 hours 11 minutes, and a marathon in about 4 hours 22 minutes. It is a common pace for intermediate runners doing easy training runs.
What pace is a 4-hour marathon?
A 4-hour marathon requires a pace of approximately 9:09 per mile or 5:41 per kilometer. That equals a speed of about 6.55 mph or 10.55 kph. This is a popular goal for recreational marathon runners and is considered a strong achievement for most age groups.
How do I figure out my pace from a Garmin or Apple Watch?
Most GPS watches display your current pace in whatever unit you have set in the settings. If your watch shows min/km but you want min/mile (or the other way around), you can change it in the watch settings. Or use this converter to translate the number. Note that real-time GPS pace can fluctuate, so average pace over the full run is more reliable.
