Enter your weight, distance or duration, and running pace to find out how many calories you burn running. The Running Calorie Calculator uses MET-based science to calculate your total calorie burn, estimated fat burned, and energy in kilojoules — with optional inputs for elevation gain and treadmill vs outdoor running.
Calories Burned
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Fat Burned
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Energy (kJ)
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Total Run Time
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MET Value Used
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The calculator uses the MET (Metabolic Equivalent of Task) method. It multiplies your weight in kilograms by the MET value for your running speed and by the duration in hours: Calories = MET × weight (kg) × time (hours). MET values increase with speed — a slow jog has a MET of around 6, while fast running can reach a MET of 12 or higher.
On average, running burns between 400 and 800 calories per hour depending on your body weight and speed. A 70 kg person running at 10 km/h for 30 minutes burns approximately 350–400 kcal. Heavier runners and faster paces result in significantly higher calorie burns.
Enter your weight, the distance you ran, and your average speed. The calculator will derive the time taken and apply the MET formula to give you the total calories burned for that run. For example, a 70 kg person running 5 km at 10 km/h burns roughly 350 kcal.
Yes, slightly. Outdoor running involves air resistance and terrain variation, which increases energy expenditure by roughly 5–10% compared to treadmill running at the same speed. This calculator applies a small treadmill correction factor when you select treadmill mode.
Running uphill significantly increases energy demands. Each metre of elevation gain requires additional energy to raise your body mass against gravity. The extra calorie cost of climbing is calculated as: elevation gain (m) × weight (kg) × 1.31 ÷ 1000 × 5 kcal. A 70 kg runner gaining 200 m of elevation burns roughly an extra 91 kcal.
One gram of body fat contains approximately 7.7 kcal of usable energy. Dividing total calories burned by 7.7 gives an estimate of fat burned in grams. In reality, your body burns a mix of fat and carbohydrates during exercise, so this figure represents a theoretical maximum fat burn.
Research suggests that runners over 60 years old tend to burn slightly more calories per kilometre for a given speed compared to younger adults, due to changes in running economy and muscle efficiency. However, the difference is relatively modest and this calculator adjusts slightly for age.
MET values for running range from about 6.0 (slow jogging at 6 km/h) up to 14.5 (sprinting at 18+ km/h). A comfortable 10 km/h run has a MET of approximately 10.0. The calculator automatically selects the appropriate MET based on the speed you enter.