How Many Calories Do You Burn While Running?

People frequently embrace running as a means to reach or maintain a healthy weight—and for good reason. According to a report from the American Council on Exercise, running burns more calories than weight training, swimming, cycling, or even downhill skiing.

However, it can be easy to overestimate the number of calories burned on a typical run. There are many details about the workout that affect the number—including your body weight, the surface you run on, the incline, and several other factors. It's important to consider these things to determine the total caloric expenditure of a run.

Determining Calories Burned Running

There are different ways to determine the number of calories you burn when you run. Many runners use the 100 calories/mile rule. While this is the quickest and simplest way to estimate your caloric expenditure, it is not likely to be the most accurate as it does not take important variables into account.

Calorie Calculator

To get a better estimate of how many calories you burn while running you can use a physical activity calculator. You'll need to know your current weight, your running pace, and the duration of your run. These numbers help to personalize the estimate for a more accurate number.

Tech Tools

There are also different tech tools that can help estimate the number of calories burned running.

Apps

Some smartphone apps let you track your calories. Running apps like Runkeeper and Strava provide calorie data for your workouts. MapMyRun and apps by shoe brands like Nike Run Club, PUMATRAC, and  adidas Running App by Runtastic are also popular.

However, the numbers provided are only estimates. To get the numbers, you also need to make sure the app is in use for the duration of your workout—which means carrying your phone with you on your runs.

Trackers

Fitness trackers made by brands such as Fitbit, Polar, or Garmin also have features that let you monitor calories. You'll also find devices by brands like Withings, Apex, and others. If you own an Apple watch, you can also track your calories burned on a run using that device.

The settings on most of these devices can be toggled to let you watch your caloric expenditure increase as you run.

Treadmills

Treadmill calorie calculators generally provide a calorie number at the end of (or during) your workout. The numbers are only estimates and are not likely to be accurate unless you enter your weight and other relevant data before you begin your workout. Treadmills also tend to overestimate the number of calories burned during a run.

Some treadmills have technology that can help get a better estimate of your heart rate. This may provide a better estimate of caloric expenditure if the device uses heart rate to determine caloric expenditure. For instance, you may find some treadmills with sensors on handrails that you can hold. Some have devices that attach to your finger and others can display your heart rate from a chest strap.

Factors That Affect Caloric Expenditure

The amount of calories you burn during a run depends on numerous factors.

Body Weight

If your body weight is higher, you burn more calories. A 140-pound person running at a 10-minute mile (roughly six miles per hour) will burn 318 calories in 30 minutes. Running at the same pace for the same amount of time, a 180-pound person will burn roughly 408 calories.

Gender

This is a tricky factor to account for. Many researchers have studied the effects of gender on caloric expenditure with different findings and opinions. It's generally assumed that men burn more calories than women when participating in similar activities.

However, it's not clear whether specific sex differences or body composition cause the disparity (as men generally carry more muscle mass than women). A 2018 study found that when both men and women participated in a workout that involved walking with a backpack, women burned fewer calories than men.

Speed

A 160-pound person running at a 12-minute pace (five miles per hour) for 30 minutes would burn about 290 calories. If that person ran at a 10-minute-per-mile pace (six miles per hour), they would burn 363 calories in the same span of time.

While speed is a helpful factor for comparing calories burned for one person, it can be misleading to use speed when comparing calories burned between runners. For example, a highly trained runner will burn fewer calories running an 8-minute mile than a person who has never run before.

Incline

Adding hills to your run will likely increase the number of calories you burn. The reason is that you (generally) increase your effort when running uphill. That said, figuring out how many calories you're really burning on an incline can be tricky.

If you use a treadmill that calculates energy expenditure, the calorie count provided will take incline into account. Note the difference in running at a zero percent grade and at a steep incline (10% to 12% incline). You can use this as a guide for the percent increase in calories that might happen when you run outside.

There are a few online calculators that can calculate the number of calories burned running uphill. They might give you a better number, but you still need to take them with a grain of salt. The calculators require you to input the exact grade of the hill where you train—a number most runners aren't likely to know. 

Lastly, keep in mind that when you run uphill outside you may burn more calories on the way up the hill because you are working harder, but you'll burn fewer calories on the way down because you don't have to work as hard.

Running Surface

Whether you run on a road, on a treadmill, on a trail, or in the sand, your running surface also needs to be factored into your caloric expenditure. In general, running on a treadmill burns the fewest calories, because there is no wind resistance or road obstacle on a treadmill.

Running in the sand or on a muddy or rocky trail requires slightly more energy. In general, you have to use more of your muscles (and more energy) to maintain your balance and stay upright while running on uneven surfaces.

Weather Conditions

Running in very windy conditions is likely to increase your intensity, meaning you'll burn more calories if you maintain your speed. There is also some discussion in the running community about whether or not exercising in extreme cold or extreme heat burns more calories.

The bottom line? Most experts agree that exercising in moderate temperatures is most effective if burning more calories is your goal. Extreme heat or cold temps might exert some effect on your caloric expenditure, but not enough to make a big difference in your overall total.

Calories Burned Running vs. Other Workouts

In general, running is one of the most efficient ways to burn calories. For example, if you are a 140-pound person and you run a 5K (3.1 miles) at a 10-minute/mile pace , you will burn approximately 328 calories in 31 minutes.

Here's how your run compares to other workouts lasting about 31 minutes:

• Cycling at a moderate pace: 276 calories
• HIIT workout including intense calisthenics: 254 calories
• Low-impact aerobics: 172 calories
• Stair climber: 310 calories
• Swimming (freestyle, moderate pace): 276 calories
• Tennis: 241 calories
• Walking at a brisk pace: 131 calories

A Word From Verywell

While running is an effective strategy to burn calories, remember that your calorie numbers may change as you become fitter and your body becomes more efficient.

If weight loss is your goal, you may reach a weight loss plateau. This is when you would need to take your running to the next level by adding speedwork, doing hill workouts, or running long distances to increase your calorie burn.

Adding variety to your workouts will not only help you to reach your calorie targets but will also reduce boredom and burnout so that running becomes your long-term strategy for reaching and maintaining a healthy weight and a fit, strong body.