SnapCalorieBurn — free MET-based calorie calculators
Running one mile burns 80–140 calories. Weight-based table plus the truth about calories per mile vs per minute.
Running one mile burns approximately 80–140 calories, with body weight being the primary factor — pace matters less than most people think for per-mile calorie burn.
The one-mile run is a classic fitness benchmark used in school testing, military assessments, and personal goal setting. At a moderate 6 mph pace, one mile takes about 10 minutes. An interesting biomechanical fact: the calorie cost per mile of running is relatively constant regardless of speed. Running faster burns more calories per minute but fewer minutes per mile, resulting in roughly the same total per-mile energy expenditure.
Running one mile burns roughly the same total calories as walking one mile — approximately 80–120 calories for most people. The key difference is time: running covers the mile in 8–12 minutes versus 15–20 minutes for walking. Per minute, running burns 2–3 times more than walking.
If you track your runs by distance, knowing your per-mile calorie burn makes estimation simple. A 3-mile run = approximately 240–420 calories. A 5-mile run = 400–700 calories. This linear scaling makes distance-based tracking straightforward for weight management.
Direct answer: 1 mile (1.6 km) of running burns an estimated 84–147 calories, depending on body weight (180 lb / 82 kg: ~116 kcal). Intensity assumed: Moderate (6 mph, 10 min/mile) (MET 9.3). This is an estimate, not a measurement.
| Body weight | Calories burned |
|---|---|
| 130 lb (59 kg) | ~84 cal |
| 155 lb (70 kg) | ~99 cal |
| 180 lb (82 kg) | ~116 cal |
| 205 lb (93 kg) | ~132 cal |
| 230 lb (104 kg) | ~147 cal |
Example: At MET 9.3, a 180 lb (82 kg) person doing approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) of running burns approximately 116 calories: 9.3 × 82 × 0.15 h ≈ 116 kcal.
There is no single universal calorie figure for this activity. At 180 lb (82 kg) and the same 9 minutes:
| Style / effort | MET | Estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Jogging (5 mph, 12 min/mile) | 8.5 | ~105 cal |
| Fast (7 mph, 8.5 min/mile) | 11 | ~135 cal |
| Very fast (8 mph, 7.5 min/mile) | 12 | ~148 cal |
| Race pace (10 mph, 6 min/mile) | 14.8 | ~182 cal |
An estimated 84–147 calories, depending on body weight. A 180 lb (82 kg) person burns about 116 kcal, calculated as MET 9.3 × 82 kg × 0.15 hours.
About 12.9 kcal per minute for a 180 lb (82 kg) person, or 1.4 kcal per kilogram of body weight across the whole session.
Because the MET formula scales directly with body mass: a 130 lb person burns about 84 kcal here versus 147 kcal for a 230 lb person — a 75% spread for the identical session.
Not by much. For a fixed distance the energy cost is dominated by moving your body mass, so a 180 lb person lands near 116 kcal either way. A faster pace raises the calories per minute but shortens the session.
From the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities, the reference database of measured MET intensities for physical activities. Every figure on this page uses that value in the formula Calories = MET × body weight (kg) × duration (hours).
They are estimates from population averages, not measurements. Individual results commonly land within about ±15% of the figure shown; actual intensity and pace, body composition and fitness, terrain and technique all shift the real number. The values are gross calories, so they include the energy you would have burned at rest.
Open the running calorie calculator to enter your own weight, intensity and duration.