Pace vs Speed: What is the Difference?
In the running and endurance community, performance is typically measured in pace rather than speed. Speed describes how much distance you cover in one hour (e.g. 12 km/h), whereas pace tells you exactly how many minutes and seconds it takes to travel a single kilometer or mile (e.g. 5:00 min/km).
When training on treadmills or setting pacing strategies for 5K, 10K, Half Marathon, or Marathon events, converting quickly between pace and treadmill speed settings is vital.
Mathematical Conversion Formulas
Converting between pace and speed is straightforward using these standard mathematical formulas:
Convert Pace (min/km) to Speed (km/h)
$$\text{Speed (km/h)} = \frac{60}{\text{Pace in decimal minutes}}$$ Example: If your pace is 5 minutes 30 seconds (5.5 minutes): $$\text{Speed} = \frac{60}{5.5} = 10.91 \text{ km/h}$$
Convert Speed (km/h) to Pace (min/km)
$$\text{Pace in minutes} = \frac{60}{\text{Speed (km/h)}}$$ Example: At a treadmill speed of 12 km/h: $$\text{Pace} = \frac{60}{12} = 5.00 \text{ min/km (5:00 min/km)}$$
Race Distance Benchmarks & Finish Times
- 5K (5.00 km): At 6:00 min/km = 30:00 | At 5:00 min/km = 25:00 | At 4:00 min/km = 20:00
- 10K (10.00 km): At 6:00 min/km = 1:00:00 | At 5:00 min/km = 50:00 | At 4:00 min/km = 40:00
- Half Marathon (21.0975 km): At 6:00 min/km = 2:06:35 | At 5:00 min/km = 1:45:29 | At 4:15 min/km = 1:29:40
- Full Marathon (42.195 km): At 6:00 min/km = 4:13:10 | At 5:41 min/km (Sub-4 hr) = 3:59:51 | At 4:15 min/km (Sub-3 hr) = 2:59:20
Practical Treadmill Calibration Tips
Outdoor running experiences aerodynamic air resistance, whereas treadmill running has zero wind resistance. To accurately mimic road running effort, many exercise physiologists recommend setting your treadmill incline to 1.0% when training at speeds above 10 km/h.