Pace to speed converter: min/km, min/mile, km/h, mph
This converter instantly switches from a pace (minutes per kilometer or per mile) to a speed (km/h or mph), and back. Handy when your plan is in miles and your watch in kilometers, or when the treadmill shows km/h.
How to use it
- Choose what you know: a pace or a speed.
- Enter the value, for example 5:00 per km or 10 km/h.
- Read the other three units at the same time.
The method
Pace and speed say the same thing the other way around. Speed is a distance per hour; pace is a time per distance. To go from one to the other, divide 60 by the value: 12 km/h gives 5 minutes per km, and 5 minutes per km gives 12 km/h.
For miles, the calculation uses the international mile, set at exactly 1,609.344 meters since the 1959 agreement between the United States and the Commonwealth countries, which defined the yard as 0.9144 meters. It's the mile used in every road race in the US and the UK. No approximation here: the result is exact.
An example
5:00 per km equals 12 km/h, 8:03 per mile and 7.46 mph. The other way around, a treadmill set to 10 km/h means 6:00 per km, 9:39 per mile and 6.21 mph. A US plan that asks for 9:00 per mile has you running at 5:36 per km, or 10.7 km/h.
Limitations
The conversion is exact, but the pace shown by your watch isn't always: GPS loses accuracy under trees, between buildings or on a track. On a treadmill, the speed shown can also be off if the machine isn't calibrated. And a pace on a hill or in strong wind can't be compared with a pace on flat ground.
Frequently asked questions
How many km/h is 5 min per km?
12 km/h. Divide 60 by 5 to get the speed back.
How do you convert min/mile to min/km?
Divide your pace per mile by 1.609. 8:00 per mile is about 4:58 per km.
How many kilometers are in a mile?
A mile is exactly 1.609344 km since 1959. So a half marathon is about 13.1 miles and a marathon about 26.2 miles.
What's the difference between pace and speed?
Speed is a distance per hour (km/h, mph), pace is a time per distance (min/km, min/mile). Runners tend to use pace, which makes it easier to stick to a rhythm.
Sources
- National Bureau of Standards (1959). Refinement of Values for the Yard and the Pound. Federal Register, 24(128), 5348.
What if ELYO worked it out for you?
ELYO reads your workouts straight from your watch, in the unit you use. It works out your paces and zones from your real data, with no conversion to do.