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

Contents

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
5:00	2:59	5:40	3:16	6:02	3:37	6:25	4:01	6:50	4:29	7:16	5:00	7:43	5:34	8:12	6:11	8:43	6:51	9:15	7:33	9:48	8:17	10:23	9:04	10:60	9:53	11:38	10:44	12:17	11:36	12:58	12:31	13:40
6:00	3:35	6:07	3:56	6:32	4:21	6:60	4:50	7:29	5:23	8:00	6:00	8:33	6:41	9:08	7:25	9:46	8:13	10:25	9:03	11:07	9:57	11:50	10:53	12:36	11:52	13:23	12:52	14:13	13:56	15:05	15:01	15:58
7:00	4:11	6:31	4:35	6:60	5:04	7:31	5:38	8:05	6:17	8:41	7:00	9:20	7:48	10:02	8:39	10:46	9:35	11:33	10:34	12:23	11:36	13:16	12:42	14:12	13:50	15:10	15:01	16:11	16:15	17:15	17:31	18:22
8:00	4:47	6:52	5:14	7:24	5:47	7:60	6:26	8:38	7:11	9:20	8:00	10:05	8:54	10:53	9:53	11:45	10:57	12:40	12:04	13:39	13:16	14:42	14:31	15:49	15:49	16:59	17:10	18:13	18:34	19:31	20:01	20:53
9:00	5:23	7:11	5:54	7:47	6:31	8:26	7:15	9:09	8:04	9:56	9:00	10:47	10:01	11:43	11:08	12:42	12:19	13:47	13:35	14:56	14:55	16:10	16:19	17:28	17:47	18:52	19:19	20:21	20:53	21:55	22:31	23:34
10:00	5:59	7:28	6:33	8:08	7:14	8:51	8:03	9:39	8:58	10:31	10:00	11:29	11:08	12:31	12:22	13:39	13:41	14:53	15:06	16:13	16:35	17:39	18:08	19:11	19:46	20:50	21:27	22:36	23:13	24:29	25:01	26:28
11:00	6:34	7:44	7:12	8:27	7:58	9:14	8:51	10:07	9:52	11:05	11:00	12:09	12:15	13:19	13:36	14:36	15:03	16:00	16:36	17:32	18:14	19:12	19:57	20:59	21:44	22:56	23:36	25:01	25:32	27:16	27:31	29:42
12:00	7:10	7:59	7:51	8:45	8:41	9:36	9:39	10:33	10:46	11:37	12:00	12:48	13:22	14:06	14:50	15:33	16:25	17:08	18:07	18:53	19:54	20:48	21:46	22:54	23:43	25:11	25:45	27:40	27:51	30:23	30:01	33:21
13:00	7:46	8:13	8:31	9:02	9:25	9:57	10:28	10:59	11:40	12:08	13:00	13:26	14:28	14:53	16:04	16:30	17:48	18:18	19:37	20:18	21:33	22:30	23:35	24:57	25:42	27:38	27:54	30:37	30:10	33:56	32:31	37:41
14:00	8:22	8:26	9:10	9:18	10:08	10:17	11:16	11:24	12:33	12:39	14:00	14:04	15:35	15:40	17:19	17:29	19:10	19:30	21:08	21:46	23:13	24:19	25:24	27:10	27:40	30:23	30:02	34:00	32:30	38:13	35:02	N/A
15:00	8:58	8:38	9:49	9:33	10:51	10:36	12:04	11:48	13:27	13:09	15:00	14:42	16:42	16:28	18:33	18:28	20:32	20:45	22:38	23:20	24:52	26:17	27:12	29:39	29:39	33:31	32:11	38:07	34:49	N/A	37:32	N/A
16:00	9:34	8:50	10:28	9:48	11:35	10:54	12:52	12:11	14:21	13:39	16:00	15:20	17:49	17:16	19:47	19:30	21:54	22:04	24:09	25:01	26:32	28:27	29:01	32:28	31:37	37:19	34:20	N/A	37:08	N/A	N/A	N/A
17:00	10:10	9:00	11:08	10:02	12:18	11:12	13:41	12:34	15:15	14:08	17:00	15:58	18:56	18:05	21:01	20:34	23:16	23:27	25:39	26:51	28:11	30:53	30:50	35:49	33:36	N/A	36:29	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
18:00	10:46	9:11	11:47	10:15	13:02	11:29	14:29	12:56	16:09	14:37	18:00	16:36	20:02	18:55	22:15	21:40	24:38	24:56	27:10	28:52	29:50	33:43	32:39	N/A	35:35	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
19:00	11:21	9:20	12:26	10:27	13:45	11:46	15:17	13:17	17:02	15:06	19:00	17:14	21:09	19:47	23:30	22:50	26:00	26:33	28:41	31:10	31:30	37:13	34:28	N/A	37:33	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
20:00	11:57	9:30	13:06	10:39	14:29	12:02	16:06	13:39	17:56	15:34	20:00	17:53	22:16	20:40	24:44	24:05	27:22	28:20	30:11	33:52	33:09	N/A	36:16	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
21:00	12:33	9:39	13:45	10:51	15:12	12:17	16:54	13:60	18:50	16:03	21:00	18:32	23:23	21:36	25:58	25:25	28:44	30:21	31:42	37:18	34:49	N/A	38:05	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
22:00	13:09	9:47	14:24	11:02	15:55	12:32	17:42	14:20	19:44	16:31	22:00	19:13	24:30	22:34	27:12	26:53	30:07	32:43	33:12	N/A	36:28	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
23:00	13:45	9:55	15:03	11:13	16:39	12:47	18:30	14:41	20:38	17:00	23:00	19:54	25:36	23:36	28:26	28:30	31:29	35:39	34:43	N/A	38:08	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
24:00	14:21	10:03	15:43	11:24	17:22	13:01	19:19	15:01	21:32	17:29	24:00	20:37	26:43	24:42	29:40	30:20	32:51	N/A	36:13	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
25:00	14:57	10:10	16:22	11:34	18:06	13:16	20:07	15:21	22:25	17:58	25:00	21:21	27:50	25:53	30:55	32:31	34:13	N/A	37:44	N/A	N/A	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 150 Pounds.

Slope	Running per hour (pace in min/mile)									Walk per hour (pace in min/mile)
	14:00	13:00	12:00	11:00	10:00	9:00	8:00	7:00	6:00	30:00	25:00	20:00	19:00	18:00	17:00	16:00	15:00	14:00	13:00	12:00	11:00	10:00
0.0%	403	434	470	513	564	627	705	806	940	170	192	246	262	280	304	334	368	407	462	525	611	720
0.5%	416	448	485	529	582	647	728	831	970	178	204	258	275	293	318	349	384	424	480	545	633	744
1.0%	429	462	500	545	600	667	750	857	1,000	186	214	270	287	307	332	364	400	441	498	565	655	768
1.5%	437	471	510	556	612	680	765	874	1,020	196	223	282	300	320	346	379	416	459	517	585	676	792
2.0%	450	485	525	573	630	700	788	900	1,050	204	233	294	313	337	360	394	432	476	535	605	698	816
2.5%	463	498	540	589	648	720	810	926	1,080	212	242	306	325	350	378	409	448	493	554	625	720	840
3.0%	476	512	555	605	666	740	833	951	1,110	220	254	318	338	363	392	424	464	510	572	645	742	858
3.5%	489	526	570	622	684	760	855	977	1,140	230	264	330	351	377	406	439	480	527	591	665	764	882
4.0%	501	540	585	638	702	780	878	1,003	1,170	238	274	345	366	390	420	454	496	544	609	685	785	906
4.5%	514	554	600	655	720	800	900	1,029	1,200	246	283	357	379	403	434	469	512	566	628	705	807	930
5.0%	527	568	615	671	738	820	923	1,054	1,230	254	293	369	392	417	448	484	528	583	646	725	829	954
5.5%	540	582	630	687	756	840	945	1,080	1,260	264	305	381	404	430	462	499	544	600	665	745	851	978
6.0%	553	595	645	704	774	860	968	1,106	1,290	272	314	393	417	443	476	514	560	617	683	765	873	1,002
6.5%	566	609	660	720	792	880	990	1,131	1,320	280	324	405	429	457	491	529	576	634	702	785	895	1,026
7.0%	583	628	680	742	816	907	1,020	1,166	1,360	288	334	417	442	473	505	544	592	651	720	805	916	1,050
7.5%	596	642	695	758	834	927	1,043	1,191	1,390	298	343	429	455	487	519	563	608	669	738	825	938	1,074
8.0%	609	655	710	775	852	947	1,065	1,217	1,420	306	355	444	467	500	533	578	624	686	757	845	960	1,098
8.5%	626	674	730	796	876	973	1,095	1,251	1,460	314	365	456	483	513	547	593	640	703	775	865	982	1,122
9.0%	639	688	745	813	894	993	1,118	1,277	1,490	324	374	468	496	527	565	608	656	720	794	885	1,004	1,146
9.5%	656	706	765	835	918	1,020	1,148	1,311	1,530	332	384	480	508	540	579	623	676	737	812	905	1,025	1,170
10.0%	669	720	780	851	936	1,040	1,170	1,337	1,560	340	394	492	521	553	593	638	692	754	831	925	1,047	1,194
10.5%	686	738	800	873	960	1,067	1,200	1,371	1,600	348	406	504	534	567	607	653	708	771	849	945	1,069	1,218
11.0%	703	757	820	895	984	1,093	1,230	1,406	1,640	358	415	516	546	580	621	668	724	789	868	965	1,091	1,242
11.5%	716	771	835	911	1,002	1,113	1,253	1,431	1,670	366	425	528	559	593	635	683	740	806	886	985	1,113	1,266

7 Calories Per Distance

This table shows the number of Calories used to cover a milefor a person weighing 150 Pounds.

Slope	Running	Walk 30:00 min/mile	Walk 25:00 min/mile	Walk 20:00 min/mile	Walk 19:00 min/mile	Walk 18:00 min/mile	Walk 17:00 min/mile	Walk 16:00 min/mile	Walk 15:00 min/mile	Walk 14:00 min/mile	Walk 13:00 min/mile	Walk 12:00 min/mile	Walk 11:00 min/mile	Walk 10:00 min/mile
0.0%	94	85	80	82	83	84	86	89	92	95	100	105	112	120
0.5%	97	89	85	86	87	88	90	93	96	99	104	109	116	124
1.0%	100	93	89	90	91	92	94	97	100	103	108	113	120	128
1.5%	102	98	93	94	95	96	98	101	104	107	112	117	124	132
2.0%	105	102	97	98	99	101	102	105	108	111	116	121	128	136
2.5%	108	106	101	102	103	105	107	109	112	115	120	125	132	140
3.0%	111	110	106	106	107	109	111	113	116	119	124	129	136	143
3.5%	114	115	110	110	111	113	115	117	120	123	128	133	140	147
4.0%	117	119	114	115	116	117	119	121	124	127	132	137	144	151
4.5%	120	123	118	119	120	121	123	125	128	132	136	141	148	155
5.0%	123	127	122	123	124	125	127	129	132	136	140	145	152	159
5.5%	126	132	127	127	128	129	131	133	136	140	144	149	156	163
6.0%	129	136	131	131	132	133	135	137	140	144	148	153	160	167
6.5%	132	140	135	135	136	137	139	141	144	148	152	157	164	171
7.0%	136	144	139	139	140	142	143	145	148	152	156	161	168	175
7.5%	139	149	143	143	144	146	147	150	152	156	160	165	172	179
8.0%	142	153	148	148	148	150	151	154	156	160	164	169	176	183
8.5%	146	157	152	152	153	154	155	158	160	164	168	173	180	187
9.0%	149	162	156	156	157	158	160	162	164	168	172	177	184	191
9.5%	153	166	160	160	161	162	164	166	169	172	176	181	188	195
10.0%	156	170	164	164	165	166	168	170	173	176	180	185	192	199
10.5%	160	174	169	168	169	170	172	174	177	180	184	189	196	203
11.0%	164	179	173	172	173	174	176	178	181	184	188	193	200	207
11.5%	167	183	177	176	177	178	180	182	185	188	192	197	204	211

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.