How to read your treadmill speed as a pace
A treadmill shows speed; runners think in pace. The two are the same number upside down, so the conversion is one division:
Minutes per mile = 60 ÷ speed in mph
Minutes per kilometre = 60 ÷ speed in km/h
At 6 mph that is 60 ÷ 6 = 10:00 per mile. At 12 km/h it is 60 ÷ 12 = 5:00 per kilometre. To cross between the two units, remember that a mile is 1.609 kilometres: a 10:00 mile is 10 ÷ 1.609 = 6:13 per kilometre.
Treadmill pace chart: mph to minutes per mile
| Speed | km/h | Pace per mile | Pace per km |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 mph | 4.83 km/h | 20:00 /mile | 12:26 /km |
| 3.5 mph | 5.63 km/h | 17:09 /mile | 10:39 /km |
| 4 mph | 6.44 km/h | 15:00 /mile | 9:19 /km |
| 4.5 mph | 7.24 km/h | 13:20 /mile | 8:17 /km |
| 5 mph | 8.05 km/h | 12:00 /mile | 7:27 /km |
| 5.5 mph | 8.85 km/h | 10:55 /mile | 6:47 /km |
| 6 mph | 9.66 km/h | 10:00 /mile | 6:13 /km |
| 6.5 mph | 10.46 km/h | 9:14 /mile | 5:44 /km |
| 7 mph | 11.27 km/h | 8:34 /mile | 5:20 /km |
| 7.5 mph | 12.07 km/h | 8:00 /mile | 4:58 /km |
| 8 mph | 12.87 km/h | 7:30 /mile | 4:40 /km |
| 8.5 mph | 13.68 km/h | 7:04 /mile | 4:23 /km |
| 9 mph | 14.48 km/h | 6:40 /mile | 4:09 /km |
| 9.5 mph | 15.29 km/h | 6:19 /mile | 3:55 /km |
| 10 mph | 16.09 km/h | 6:00 /mile | 3:44 /km |
| 10.5 mph | 16.9 km/h | 5:43 /mile | 3:33 /km |
| 11 mph | 17.7 km/h | 5:27 /mile | 3:23 /km |
| 11.5 mph | 18.51 km/h | 5:13 /mile | 3:15 /km |
| 12 mph | 19.31 km/h | 5:00 /mile | 3:06 /km |
Treadmill pace chart: km/h to minutes per kilometre
| Speed | mph | Pace per km | Pace per mile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 km/h | 3.11 mph | 12:00 /km | 19:19 /mile |
| 5.5 km/h | 3.42 mph | 10:55 /km | 17:33 /mile |
| 6 km/h | 3.73 mph | 10:00 /km | 16:06 /mile |
| 6.5 km/h | 4.04 mph | 9:14 /km | 14:51 /mile |
| 7 km/h | 4.35 mph | 8:34 /km | 13:48 /mile |
| 7.5 km/h | 4.66 mph | 8:00 /km | 12:52 /mile |
| 8 km/h | 4.97 mph | 7:30 /km | 12:04 /mile |
| 8.5 km/h | 5.28 mph | 7:04 /km | 11:22 /mile |
| 9 km/h | 5.59 mph | 6:40 /km | 10:44 /mile |
| 9.5 km/h | 5.9 mph | 6:19 /km | 10:10 /mile |
| 10 km/h | 6.21 mph | 6:00 /km | 9:39 /mile |
| 10.5 km/h | 6.52 mph | 5:43 /km | 9:12 /mile |
| 11 km/h | 6.84 mph | 5:27 /km | 8:47 /mile |
| 11.5 km/h | 7.15 mph | 5:13 /km | 8:24 /mile |
| 12 km/h | 7.46 mph | 5:00 /km | 8:03 /mile |
| 12.5 km/h | 7.77 mph | 4:48 /km | 7:43 /mile |
| 13 km/h | 8.08 mph | 4:37 /km | 7:26 /mile |
| 13.5 km/h | 8.39 mph | 4:27 /km | 7:09 /mile |
| 14 km/h | 8.7 mph | 4:17 /km | 6:54 /mile |
| 14.5 km/h | 9.01 mph | 4:08 /km | 6:40 /mile |
| 15 km/h | 9.32 mph | 4:00 /km | 6:26 /mile |
| 15.5 km/h | 9.63 mph | 3:52 /km | 6:14 /mile |
| 16 km/h | 9.94 mph | 3:45 /km | 6:02 /mile |
| 16.5 km/h | 10.25 mph | 3:38 /km | 5:51 /mile |
| 17 km/h | 10.56 mph | 3:32 /km | 5:41 /mile |
| 17.5 km/h | 10.87 mph | 3:26 /km | 5:31 /mile |
| 18 km/h | 11.18 mph | 3:20 /km | 5:22 /mile |
| 18.5 km/h | 11.5 mph | 3:15 /km | 5:13 /mile |
| 19 km/h | 11.81 mph | 3:09 /km | 5:05 /mile |
| 19.5 km/h | 12.12 mph | 3:05 /km | 4:57 /mile |
| 20 km/h | 12.43 mph | 3:00 /km | 4:50 /mile |
What the 1% incline is actually for
Setting the treadmill to 1% is not superstition, and it is not about simulating hills. When you run outdoors you push a path through still air, and that costs energy. A belt under your feet does not. Jones and Doust (1996) measured the oxygen cost of running on a treadmill at several gradients and compared it with running outdoors at the same speeds. A 1% grade was the setting where the two matched.
One detail usually left out: their runners were moving at 2.92–4.96 m/s, which is about 9:10 to 5:25 per mile. Inside that band the 1% figure is measured. Slower or faster than that it is an extrapolation — at a walk, air resistance is small enough that 0% is closer to honest, and at sprint speeds the drag cost is higher than 1% covers. The calculator says which side of that line your speed falls on.
Above 1%, you are no longer matching road running; you are doing hill work. The pace the calculator shows is still your belt speed, not an equivalent road pace.
Is the treadmill easier than running outside?
At 0%, a little — no wind, no gradient, no uneven ground, and a climate-controlled room. What is not true is the common claim that the belt pulls your legs backwards for you. Your legs still have to swing through and your body mass still has to be supported on each stride; the belt only removes the need to push air aside and the variation in terrain.
Heat is the thing people underestimate. Without moving air to carry heat away, the same effort feels harder after twenty minutes indoors. If an easy run feels disproportionately hard on a treadmill, that is usually the room, not your fitness.
Why your watch and the belt disagree
Treadmill belts stretch and motors age, and few gym machines are recalibrated on any schedule, so the console reading drifts. A GPS watch indoors has no satellite fix and estimates distance from wrist motion, which it calibrates from your outdoor runs. Neither is a reference standard. If you need the number to be right — pacing a race effort, say — time yourself over a measured outdoor distance and use that to sanity-check the belt.
Turning treadmill pace into a race time
The finish times in the calculator assume you hold the pace the whole way, which is a reasonable estimate for short efforts and an optimistic one for a marathon. A 9:00 mile held exactly gives a 3:55:58 marathon, but almost nobody holds their treadmill pace for 26.2 miles on a road.
Finish time = distance ÷ pace unit × pace
Marathon at 8:57 /mile ≈ 3:54
For pace on the road rather than the belt, the swim pace calculator uses the same arithmetic for the pool, and more running tools are on the way.
Frequently asked questions
What pace is 6 mph on a treadmill?
6 mph is a 10:00 mile, or 6:13 per kilometre. The arithmetic is 60 ÷ speed: at 6 mph, 60 ÷ 6 = 10 minutes per mile. The same trick works in metric, so 12 km/h is 60 ÷ 12 = 5:00 per kilometre.
Why do runners set the treadmill to 1% incline?
Running outdoors costs more energy than a flat belt because you push through the air. Jones and Doust (1996) found that a 1% grade made treadmill running cost about the same as running outdoors at the same speed. Their runners were moving at 2.92–4.96 m/s (about 9:10 to 5:25 per mile), so the 1% rule is best supported in that range and is an extrapolation outside it.
Is running on a treadmill easier than running outside?
At 0% incline, slightly: there is no air resistance and no wind, hills or uneven ground. The belt does not pull your legs through, which is a common myth. Set 1% and the energy cost is close to flat outdoor running for most training speeds.
Why doesn't my treadmill pace match my watch?
Treadmill belts drift out of calibration, and the display is only as accurate as the last service. A GPS watch indoors has no satellite signal and estimates from wrist movement instead. If the two disagree over a long run, trust neither blindly: time a known outdoor distance to calibrate your sense of pace.
How do I convert km/h to minutes per kilometre?
Divide 60 by the speed. 10 km/h is 60 ÷ 10 = 6:00 per km; 14 km/h is 60 ÷ 14 = 4:17 per km. To get minutes per mile from km/h, work out the pace per km first and multiply by 1.609.
Sources
The formula on this page comes from the published work below. We check the numbers against the worked examples in these sources with automated tests, and re-read the page against them when we review it.
- Jones AM, Doust JH. A 1% treadmill grade most accurately reflects the energetic cost of outdoor running. J Sports Sci. 1996;14(4):321–327. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8887211/
- Miller JR, Van Hooren B, Bishop C, Buckley JD, Willy RW, Fuller JT. A systematic review and meta-analysis of crossover studies comparing physiological, perceptual and performance measures between treadmill and overground running. Sports Med. 2019;49(5):763–782. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30847825/
- World Athletics. Technical information and competition rules — standard road race distances, including the marathon at 42.195 km. worldathletics.org/about-iaaf/documents/technical-information
General fitness information, not medical advice. Results are estimates; check with a doctor or qualified coach before major changes to diet or training. Formula and copy last reviewed 31 October 2026.