Calories burned running and walking

Knowing how many calories you burn during exercise can be useful both for weight loss and overall health. If you're trying to lose weight, then burning more calories may help, and if you're on a calorie controlled diet, then understanding your calorie burn becomes critical for managing your calorie intake. Understanding how fast your burning calories also has an implication for overall health, as it's a useful measure of exercise intensity. If you're running, you burn the same number of calories per mile regardless of speed. That means the rate your burning calories is directly proportional to your pace. Walking is rather different, and the faster you walk, the more calories it takes to cover each mile. The calories burnt in both running and walking are also directly proportional to your body weight, so the heavier you are the more calories you burn. In addition, you obviously burn more calories it going uphill than on the level, and for modest slopes you burn less calories and going downhill. This page will allow you to estimate your calorie burn for different paces and slopes. By default, this page shows the values for a 150 pound person, but you can use the form below to customize it.

Body Weight (optional)

KgPounds

1 The Difference Between Running and Walking

Running and walking are two different forms of movement. In running you either have one foot on the ground or both feet in the air; both feet are never on the ground at the same time. In contrast, when walking you either have one or both feet on the ground and never have both feet in the air. Sometimes people think that basic physics means that it should take the same energy to move a human over a given distance regardless of running or walking. However, both running and walking are quite inefficient, so most of the energy expended does not go to forward movement. This is most easily seen when you compare a runner with a cyclist; for the same effort, the cyclist will move far faster. This means that the energy cost of running and walking is mostly around how much energy is wasted in each form of movement.

2 Do You Burn More Calories Running or Walking?

Generally, the answer is that running burns more calories per mile than walking, but as is so often the case, the real answer is "it depends".

• If you're running at a moderate pace, you burn more calories per mile and per hour than walking at a moderate pace.
• If you're race walking, then you can burn more calories per mile than running. (Race walking here is faster than about 14:00 min/mile.)
• The relative Calories per hour for race walking and running will depend on the exact paces.

3 Should You Run or Walk in an Ultramarathon?

The table below gives some insight into when you should run and when you should walk in an ultra. This table shows how the slope would change your pace if you keep the same effort (Calories per hour). The first column is the running pace on the flat, then each column shows the pace you would travel if you run or walk on various slopes. The table is based on the available research, and there are obviously some practical limitations that make some values unreasonable for most people. As noted above, it's more efficient to walk than to run on level ground, up to the natural transition pace of about 14:00 min/mile. What's surprising is that it is also more efficient to run than walk on uphill sections, even as the equivalent pace drops. So, if you're able to run at a 10:00 min/mile on the flat, you could go up a 10% grade with the same effort at 16:35 min/mile when running or 17:39 min/mile when walking. This seems rather bizarre when both paces are below the natural transition pace (see below), but when I tested this out I found to my surprise it appears to be true. That doesn't mean you should run up the hills, as walking may be a useful break and using different muscles may help with fatigue. In addition, unless you've practiced race walking technique it's unlikely you'll be able to efficiently hit the faster downhill walking paces, where you may be able to hit the downhill running pace. For example, if you're running a 10:00 min/mile pace on the level, you may be able to handle running the 5:59 min/mile pace down a 10% decline, but few people will be able to walk at a 7:28 min/mile pace down the same slope. So it may not make much difference if you take walking breaks uphill or on the level, but you don't want to take them on the downhill sections. (In the table below, I've used a blue font where the walking pace is faster than the equivalent running pace.)

	Equiv Pace on Slope
	-10%		-8%		-6%		-4%		-2%		0%		2%		4%		6%		8%		10%		12%		14%		16%		18%		20%
Flat Running Pace	Run	Walk	Run	Walk	Run	Walk	Run	Walk	Run	Walk	Run	Walk	Run	Walk	Run	Walk	Run	Walk	Run	Walk	Run	Walk	Run	Walk	Run	Walk	Run	Walk	Run	Walk	Run	Walk
3:00	1:48	3:28	1:58	3:41	2:10	3:55	2:25	4:10	2:41	4:26	3:00	4:42	3:20	4:60	3:43	5:18	4:06	5:37	4:32	5:57	4:58	6:18	5:26	6:40	5:56	7:02	6:26	7:26	6:58	7:50	7:30	8:15
3:30	2:06	3:42	2:17	3:57	2:32	4:13	2:49	4:30	3:08	4:48	3:30	5:08	3:54	5:28	4:20	5:50	4:47	6:13	5:17	6:36	5:48	7:02	6:21	7:28	6:55	7:55	7:31	8:23	8:07	8:53	8:45	9:24
4:00	2:23	3:55	2:37	4:11	2:54	4:30	3:13	4:49	3:35	5:10	4:00	5:32	4:27	5:56	4:57	6:21	5:28	6:47	6:02	7:15	6:38	7:45	7:15	8:16	7:54	8:48	8:35	9:22	9:17	9:57	10:00	10:34
4:30	2:41	4:06	2:57	4:25	3:15	4:45	3:37	5:06	4:02	5:30	4:30	5:55	5:01	6:22	5:34	6:50	6:10	7:21	6:48	7:53	7:28	8:28	8:10	9:04	8:54	9:42	9:39	10:22	10:27	11:03	11:16	11:47
5:00	2:59	4:16	3:16	4:37	3:37	4:59	4:01	5:23	4:29	5:49	5:00	6:17	5:34	6:47	6:11	7:20	6:51	7:54	7:33	8:31	8:17	9:11	9:04	9:52	9:53	10:36	10:44	11:23	11:36	12:12	12:31	13:03
5:30	3:17	4:26	3:36	4:48	3:59	5:12	4:26	5:39	4:56	6:07	5:30	6:38	6:07	7:12	6:48	7:48	7:32	8:28	8:18	9:10	9:07	9:54	9:59	10:42	10:52	11:33	11:48	12:27	12:46	13:23	13:46	14:23
6:00	3:35	4:35	3:56	4:59	4:21	5:25	4:50	5:53	5:23	6:25	6:00	6:59	6:41	7:36	7:25	8:17	8:13	9:01	9:03	9:48	9:57	10:39	10:53	11:33	11:52	12:31	12:52	13:33	13:56	14:39	15:01	15:48
6:30	3:53	4:43	4:15	5:09	4:42	5:37	5:14	6:08	5:50	6:42	6:30	7:19	7:14	8:00	8:02	8:45	8:54	9:34	9:49	10:27	10:47	11:24	11:47	12:26	12:51	13:32	13:57	14:43	15:05	15:59	16:16	17:21
7:00	4:11	4:51	4:35	5:18	5:04	5:48	5:38	6:21	6:17	6:58	7:00	7:39	7:48	8:24	8:39	9:14	9:35	10:08	10:34	11:07	11:36	12:11	12:42	13:21	13:50	14:37	15:01	15:58	16:15	17:26	17:31	19:01
7:30	4:29	4:58	4:55	5:27	5:26	5:59	6:02	6:35	6:44	7:15	7:30	7:59	8:21	8:48	9:16	9:42	10:16	10:42	11:19	11:48	12:26	12:60	13:36	14:19	14:49	15:45	16:06	17:19	17:24	19:01	18:46	20:53
8:00	4:47	5:05	5:14	5:36	5:47	6:09	6:26	6:48	7:11	7:30	8:00	8:18	8:54	9:11	9:53	10:11	10:57	11:17	12:04	12:30	13:16	13:51	14:31	15:20	15:49	16:58	17:10	18:47	18:34	20:47	20:01	23:03
8:30	5:05	5:12	5:34	5:44	6:09	6:20	6:50	7:00	7:37	7:46	8:30	8:37	9:28	9:35	10:31	10:40	11:38	11:53	12:50	13:14	14:05	14:44	15:25	16:25	16:48	18:18	18:14	20:25	19:44	22:49	21:16	N/A
9:00	5:23	5:18	5:54	5:51	6:31	6:29	7:15	7:12	8:04	8:01	9:00	8:56	10:01	9:59	11:08	11:09	12:19	12:29	13:35	13:60	14:55	15:41	16:19	17:36	17:47	19:47	19:19	22:17	20:53	N/A	22:31	N/A
9:30	5:41	5:24	6:13	5:59	6:53	6:39	7:39	7:24	8:31	8:16	9:30	9:15	10:35	10:23	11:45	11:40	13:00	13:07	14:20	14:48	15:45	16:42	17:14	18:54	18:47	21:27	20:23	N/A	22:03	N/A	23:46	N/A
10:00	5:59	5:30	6:33	6:06	7:14	6:48	8:03	7:36	8:58	8:31	10:00	9:34	11:08	10:47	12:22	12:11	13:41	13:47	15:06	15:39	16:35	17:48	18:08	20:21	19:46	23:26	21:27	N/A	23:13	N/A	N/A	N/A
10:30	6:17	5:35	6:52	6:13	7:36	6:57	8:27	7:47	9:25	8:45	10:30	9:53	11:41	11:11	12:59	12:42	14:22	14:29	15:51	16:34	17:24	19:01	19:03	22:01	20:45	N/A	22:32	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
11:00	6:34	5:40	7:12	6:20	7:58	7:05	8:51	7:58	9:52	8:60	11:00	10:12	12:15	11:36	13:36	13:15	15:03	15:13	16:36	17:33	18:14	20:23	19:57	N/A	21:44	N/A	23:36	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
11:30	6:52	5:45	7:32	6:26	8:19	7:13	9:15	8:09	10:19	9:14	11:30	10:31	12:48	12:02	14:13	13:50	15:44	15:60	17:21	18:38	19:04	21:59	20:51	N/A	22:44	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
12:00	7:10	5:50	7:51	6:32	8:41	7:22	9:39	8:20	10:46	9:28	12:00	10:50	13:22	12:28	14:50	14:26	16:25	16:50	18:07	19:51	19:54	23:58	21:46	N/A	23:43	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
12:30	7:28	5:55	8:11	6:38	9:03	7:30	10:03	8:30	11:13	9:43	12:30	11:09	13:55	12:55	15:27	15:03	17:06	17:45	18:52	21:15	20:43	N/A	22:40	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
13:00	7:46	5:59	8:31	6:44	9:25	7:37	10:28	8:41	11:40	9:57	13:00	11:29	14:28	13:22	16:04	15:44	17:48	18:45	19:37	22:58	21:33	N/A	23:35	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
13:30	8:04	6:03	8:50	6:50	9:46	7:45	10:52	8:51	12:06	10:11	13:30	11:49	15:02	13:51	16:42	16:27	18:29	19:54	20:23	N/A	22:23	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

4 The Effect of Incline

It's intuitively obvious that running or walking uphill is harder than level ground. It's also reasonably obvious that modest downhill slopes are easier than level ground, but as the slope increases so the difficulty becomes greater. Scientific research has supported and quantified this, showing that the energy cost of walking or running is to lowest at about 10% decline. There is some evidence that the slope of minimum energy is independent of pace. This slope of minimum energy requirement seems to corresponds with the slope that neither requires pushing back for forward movement nor energy dissipation for braking. The two graphs below show the relationship between slope and the cost of walking/running as measured by a number of studies.

The energy cost of running for various slopes.

The energy cost of walking for various slopes.

There are a number of factors that could change these assumptions:

• A study looked at the energy cost of uphill, level, and downhill running before and after a 65Km mountainous ultramarathon. After the race, the energy cost of uphill running was unchanged, but both level and downhill running were significantly harder by 8% (level) and 13% (downhill). These differences were greatest for the slowest runners and at least for the fastest runners.
• A similar study of a rather more extreme 303 Km mountain ultramarathon found that the energy cost of uphill running and walking was lower after the race. This result is a little surprising, and it's unclear why runners would do better fatigued than fresh. (The study did not look at level or downhill running.)
• I've found no research on the effect of training on the energy cost of running uphill or downhill. I would expect that downhill training would reduce the energy cost of downhill running.

5 The Transition Between Running and Walking

The energy required to run a given distance is the roughly the same regardless of pace. This is different to walking, where the energy required to walk a given distance generally goes up with pace. This means that at slow speeds, it costs less energy to walk than run, but as you go faster it becomes easier to run. When people are put on a treadmill and the speed gradually increased, they will naturally transition from walking to running. This transition occurs at roughly the same speed for most people and is called the Preferred Transition Speed (PTS). You can see this in the two graphs below. The graph on the left shows the energy expenditure over time, showing the energy required to walk goes up faster than for running. The graph on the right shows the cost per distance, with running staying constant and the cost of walking rising with pace. (It takes more energy to walk a distance very slowly, so the graph shows the low point which is the lowest energy cost to cover a distance.)

Energy cost over time.

Energy cost over distance.

6 Calories Per Hour

This table shows the number of Calories used per hour for a person weighing 70 Kg.

Slope	Running per hour (pace in min/Km)						Walk per hour (pace in min/Km)
	8:00	7:00	6:00	5:00	4:00	3:00	18:00	17:00	16:00	15:00	14:00	13:00	12:00	11:00	10:00	9:00	8:00	7:00
0.0%	450	514	600	720	900	1,200	177	184	195	204	219	240	265	295	336	400	480	600
0.5%	465	531	620	744	930	1,240	187	194	203	216	231	249	275	311	354	413	503	626
1.0%	480	549	640	768	960	1,280	197	205	214	228	240	263	290	322	372	433	518	643
1.5%	488	557	650	780	975	1,300	203	212	225	236	253	277	300	338	384	447	540	669
2.0%	503	574	670	804	1,005	1,340	213	222	233	248	266	286	315	349	402	467	555	686
2.5%	518	591	690	828	1,035	1,380	223	233	244	260	274	300	330	365	414	480	578	711
3.0%	533	609	710	852	1,065	1,420	233	240	255	268	287	309	340	382	432	500	593	729
3.5%	548	626	730	876	1,095	1,460	240	251	263	280	300	323	355	393	450	520	615	754
4.0%	555	634	740	888	1,110	1,480	250	261	274	292	309	337	370	409	462	533	638	771
4.5%	570	651	760	912	1,140	1,520	260	272	285	300	321	346	380	425	480	553	653	797
5.0%	585	669	780	936	1,170	1,560	267	279	293	312	334	360	395	436	492	567	675	823
5.5%	600	686	800	960	1,200	1,600	277	289	304	324	343	374	405	453	510	587	690	840
6.0%	615	703	820	984	1,230	1,640	287	300	315	332	356	383	420	464	522	607	713	866
6.5%	638	729	850	1,020	1,275	1,700	297	307	323	344	369	397	435	480	540	620	728	883
7.0%	653	746	870	1,044	1,305	1,740	303	318	334	356	377	411	445	496	558	640	750	909
7.5%	668	763	890	1,068	1,335	1,780	313	328	345	364	390	420	460	507	570	653	765	926
8.0%	683	780	910	1,092	1,365	1,820	323	335	353	376	403	434	475	524	588	673	788	951
8.5%	698	797	930	1,116	1,395	1,860	330	346	364	388	411	443	485	535	600	687	810	969
9.0%	713	814	950	1,140	1,425	1,900	340	356	375	396	424	457	500	551	618	707	825	994
9.5%	735	840	980	1,176	1,470	1,960	350	367	386	408	437	471	510	567	636	727	848	1,020
10.0%	750	857	1,000	1,200	1,500	2,000	360	374	394	420	446	480	525	578	648	740	863	1,037
10.5%	765	874	1,020	1,224	1,530	2,040	367	385	405	428	459	494	540	595	666	760	885	1,063
11.0%	780	891	1,040	1,248	1,560	2,080	377	395	416	440	471	508	550	605	678	773	900	1,080
11.5%	803	917	1,070	1,284	1,605	2,140	387	402	424	452	480	517	565	622	696	793	923	1,106

7 Calories Per Distance

This table shows the number of Calories used to cover a Kmfor a person weighing 70 Kg.

Slope	Running	Walk 18:00 min/Km	Walk 17:00 min/Km	Walk 16:00 min/Km	Walk 15:00 min/Km	Walk 14:00 min/Km	Walk 13:00 min/Km	Walk 12:00 min/Km	Walk 11:00 min/Km	Walk 10:00 min/Km	Walk 9:00 min/Km	Walk 8:00 min/Km	Walk 7:00 min/Km
0.0%	60	53	52	52	51	51	52	53	54	56	60	64	70
0.5%	62	56	55	54	54	54	54	55	57	59	62	67	73
1.0%	64	59	58	57	57	56	57	58	59	62	65	69	75
1.5%	65	61	60	60	59	59	60	60	62	64	67	72	78
2.0%	67	64	63	62	62	62	62	63	64	67	70	74	80
2.5%	69	67	66	65	65	64	65	66	67	69	72	77	83
3.0%	71	70	68	68	67	67	67	68	70	72	75	79	85
3.5%	73	72	71	70	70	70	70	71	72	75	78	82	88
4.0%	74	75	74	73	73	72	73	74	75	77	80	85	90
4.5%	76	78	77	76	75	75	75	76	78	80	83	87	93
5.0%	78	80	79	78	78	78	78	79	80	82	85	90	96
5.5%	80	83	82	81	81	80	81	81	83	85	88	92	98
6.0%	82	86	85	84	83	83	83	84	85	87	91	95	101
6.5%	85	89	87	86	86	86	86	87	88	90	93	97	103
7.0%	87	91	90	89	89	88	89	89	91	93	96	100	106
7.5%	89	94	93	92	91	91	91	92	93	95	98	102	108
8.0%	91	97	95	94	94	94	94	95	96	98	101	105	111
8.5%	93	99	98	97	97	96	96	97	98	100	103	108	113
9.0%	95	102	101	100	99	99	99	100	101	103	106	110	116
9.5%	98	105	104	103	102	102	102	102	104	106	109	113	119
10.0%	100	108	106	105	105	104	104	105	106	108	111	115	121
10.5%	102	110	109	108	107	107	107	108	109	111	114	118	124
11.0%	104	113	112	111	110	110	110	110	111	113	116	120	126
11.5%	107	116	114	113	113	112	112	113	114	116	119	123	129

8 Training Status Effects

The graph on the below shows that there are slight, non-significant differences between runners and active non-runners. This indicates that training does not change the transition speed, though it's worth noting that the actual transition speed is slower than would be expected from the energy costs. Also note that the actual cost of running is not quite constant with speed, but actually goes down as you go faster.

The energy cost for runners and non-runners, showing the Preferred Transition Speed (PTS) and the Energetically Optimal Transition Speed (ETOS).

9 Formula

for those who like to create their own tables, below are the underlying formulas that I'm using. The cost of running (Cr_i) and walking (Cw_i) on a slope is given by these equations:

Cri = 155.4i5 - 30.4i4 - 43.3i3 + 46.3i2 + 19.5i + 3.6
Cwi = 280.5i5 - 58.7i4- 76.8i3+ 51.9i22+ 19.6i + 2.5

Where i is the slope and the result I in Jules per Kg per Meter.