SnapCalorieBurn — free MET-based calorie calculators
A 10K run burns 520–920 calories based on body weight. Full calorie table, training advice, and comparison with other activities.
Running 10 kilometers burns approximately 520–920 calories, making it an excellent single-session calorie burner for experienced runners.
The 10K (6.2 miles) is a popular step up from the 5K, doubling the distance and calorie burn. Most recreational runners complete a 10K in 50–70 minutes. At this distance, your body relies heavily on aerobic metabolism, efficiently burning a mix of fat and carbohydrates. Training for a 10K typically involves 3–4 runs per week over 8–12 weeks.
A 10K run burns roughly double a 5K, as you'd expect. It also burns about as many calories as a 2-hour brisk walk, a 75-minute vigorous cycling session, or a 65-minute moderate swim.
If weight management is your priority, a weekly 10K run creates a single-session deficit of 600–900 calories. Two 10K runs per week — roughly 90–120 minutes of total running — provides exceptional cardiovascular fitness and a substantial weekly calorie burn of 1,200–1,800 calories from exercise.
Direct answer: 10 km (6.2 mi) of running burns an estimated 523–921 calories, depending on body weight (180 lb / 82 kg: ~726 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) | ~523 cal |
| 155 lb (70 kg) | ~620 cal |
| 180 lb (82 kg) | ~726 cal |
| 205 lb (93 kg) | ~824 cal |
| 230 lb (104 kg) | ~921 cal |
Example: At MET 9.3, a 180 lb (82 kg) person doing approximately 10 km (6.2 mi) of running burns approximately 726 calories: 9.3 × 82 × 0.95 h ≈ 726 kcal.
There is no single universal calorie figure for this activity. At 180 lb (82 kg) and the same 57 minutes:
| Style / effort | MET | Estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Jogging (5 mph, 12 min/mile) | 8.5 | ~662 cal |
| Fast (7 mph, 8.5 min/mile) | 11 | ~857 cal |
| Very fast (8 mph, 7.5 min/mile) | 12 | ~935 cal |
| Race pace (10 mph, 6 min/mile) | 14.8 | ~1153 cal |
An estimated 523–921 calories, depending on body weight. A 180 lb (82 kg) person burns about 726 kcal, calculated as MET 9.3 × 82 kg × 0.95 hours.
About 12.7 kcal per minute for a 180 lb (82 kg) person, or 8.9 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 523 kcal here versus 921 kcal for a 230 lb person — a 76% 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 726 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.