Activity calories · 2024 Compendium METs

Calories burned running

Quick answer

A 70 kg (154 lb) person burns about 326 kcal in 30 minutes of running (6.0 to 6.3 mph (10 min/mile)), and about 651 kcal in an hour. That is 9.3 METs.

30 minutes: 326kcal; 70 kg (154 lb)
1 hour: 651kcal; 70 kg (154 lb)
1 hour: 558kcal; 60 kg (132 lb)
1 hour: 744kcal; 80 kg (176 lb)

Running burns more calories per minute than almost any other everyday activity, and the Compendium rates it by speed: the faster the pace, the higher the MET value. Jogging at a self-selected pace is listed separately. Because a faster runner covers more ground in the same time, the table also shows what each pace costs over an hour.

Calculate calories burned running

Starts at 70 kg (154 lb) for 30 minutes of running at 9.3 METs; enter your own weight and time.

Calories burned running by weight and time

Kilocalories for running at 9.3 METs (6.0 to 6.3 mph (10 min/mile)), by body weight and minutes. Read across from your weight; the pace table below shows the other rows.

Calories burned running at 9.3 METs, by body weight and duration
Body weight	15 min	30 min	45 min	1 hour	1.5 hours	2 hours
50 kg (110 lb)	116	233	349	465	698	930
60 kg (132 lb)	140	279	419	558	837	1,116
70 kg (154 lb)	163	326	488	651	977	1,302
80 kg (176 lb)	186	372	558	744	1,116	1,488
90 kg (198 lb)	209	419	628	837	1,256	1,674
100 kg (220 lb)	233	465	698	930	1,395	1,860
110 kg (243 lb)	256	512	767	1,023	1,535	2,046

Running: calories by pace or effort

The Compendium rates running on 11 lines, from 6.5 METs (4.0 to 4.2 mph (13 min/mile)) up to 12.5 METs (8.6 mph (7 min/mile)). Each row below is one of those codes with the calories it works out to.

Calories burned running by pace or effort
Pace or effort	Compendium code	METs	30 min, 60 kg (132 lb)	30 min, 70 kg (154 lb)	30 min, 80 kg (176 lb)	1 hour, 70 kg (154 lb)
4.0 to 4.2 mph (13 min/mile)	12028	6.5	195	228	260	455
Jogging, self-selected pace	12020	7.5	225	263	300	525
4.3 to 4.8 mph	12029	7.8	234	273	312	546
5.0 to 5.2 mph (12 min/mile)	12030	8.5	255	298	340	595
5.5 to 5.8 mph	12045	9	270	315	360	630
6.0 to 6.3 mph (10 min/mile)	12050	9.3	279	326	372	651
6.7 mph (9 min/mile)	12060	10.5	315	368	420	735
7.0 mph (8.5 min/mile)	12070	11	330	385	440	770
7.5 mph (8 min/mile)	12080	11.8	354	413	472	826
8.0 mph (7.5 min/mile)	12090	12	360	420	480	840
8.6 mph (7 min/mile)	12100	12.5	375	438	500	875

The Compendium’s own wording for each code: 12028, “Running, 4 to 4.2 mph (13 min/mile)”; 12020, “Jogging, general, self-selected pace”; 12029, “Running 4.3 to 4.8 mph”; 12030, “Running, 5.0 to 5.2 mph (12 min/mile)”; 12045, “Running, 5.5 -5.8 mph”; 12050, “Running, 6-6.3 mph (10 min/mile)”; 12060, “Running, 6.7 mph (9 min/mile)”; 12070, “Running, 7 mph (8.5 min/mile)”; 12080, “Running, 7.5 mph (8 min/mile)”; 12090, “Running, 8 mph (7.5 min/mile)”; 12100, “Running, 8.6 mph (7 min/mile)”.

What changes the number for running

Pace is the biggest lever. The hardest listed way of running (8.6 mph (7 min/mile)) is rated at 12.5 METs, 1.9 times the 6.5 METs of the gentlest (4.0 to 4.2 mph (13 min/mile)). For a 70 kg (154 lb) person that is 875 kcal an hour against 455 kcal.

Body weight is the second: the same 9.3 METs of running for 30 minutes comes to 233 kcal at 50 kg (110 lb) and 512 kcal at 110 kg (243 lb). To reach 100 kcal at 70 kg (154 lb) takes about 9 minutes at the starting pace.

Laid out in half-hour terms for 70 kg (154 lb): 4.0 to 4.2 mph (13 min/mile) is 228 kcal; jogging, self-selected pace is 263 kcal; 4.3 to 4.8 mph is 273 kcal; 5.0 to 5.2 mph (12 min/mile) is 298 kcal; 5.5 to 5.8 mph is 315 kcal; 6.0 to 6.3 mph (10 min/mile) is 326 kcal; 6.7 mph (9 min/mile) is 368 kcal; 7.0 mph (8.5 min/mile) is 385 kcal; 7.5 mph (8 min/mile) is 413 kcal; 8.0 mph (7.5 min/mile) is 420 kcal; 8.6 mph (7 min/mile) is 438 kcal.

How the calories are worked out

The formula is calories = MET × body weight in kg × hours. A MET compares an activity with sitting quietly, which is 1 MET and is taken as roughly 1 kcal per kilogram per hour. That equivalence is an approximation, which is why every figure is rounded and called about.

For running at 9.3 METs, a 70 kg (154 lb) person for 30 minutes: 9.3 × 70 × 0.5 = 326 kcal. This is a gross figure: it includes the energy your body would spend at rest in the same time.

The MET values are those of the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities (Herrmann SD, Willis EA, Ainsworth BE, et al., J Sport Health Sci 2024), read from its activity list on 2026-10-23 and copied with their codes. They are averages for adults; see how we calculate.

Frequently asked questions

How many calories does a 70 kg person burn running in 30 minutes?

About 326 kcal at 9.3 METs (6.0 to 6.3 mph (10 min/mile)). The whole range for running on this page runs from 228 kcal (4.0 to 4.2 mph (13 min/mile)) to 438 kcal (8.6 mph (7 min/mile)) in the same half hour.

How many calories does running burn in an hour?

At 9.3 METs, about 558 kcal for a 60 kg (132 lb) person, 651 kcal at 70 kg (154 lb) and 744 kcal at 80 kg (176 lb). Heavier people burn more because they move more mass.

How long does running take to burn 100 calories?

For a 70 kg (154 lb) person, about 9 minutes at 9.3 METs (6.0 to 6.3 mph (10 min/mile)). At the gentlest listed pace (4.0 to 4.2 mph (13 min/mile), 6.5 METs) it takes 13 minutes, and at the hardest (8.6 mph (7 min/mile), 12.5 METs) about 7.

Does the number for running include the calories I would burn anyway?

Yes. Of the 9.3 METs, 1 is the resting cost, about 11% of the total here, so the activity itself adds about 291 of the 326 kcal in 30 minutes at 70 kg (154 lb).

Why would my watch show a different number for running?

A watch uses its own model, often with heart rate, age and sex, while this page uses the Compendium’s average. For running that average already spans 11 entries from 6.5 to 12.5 METs, a 1.9-fold range, so a gap between the two is normal.

Which line in the table should I choose for running?

Pick the row that best describes how you did it: this page starts from “6.0 to 6.3 mph (10 min/mile)”, about 47% of the way up the 6.5 to 12.5 MET range. The rows are separate Compendium entries (12028, 12020, 12029, 12030, 12045, 12050, 12060, 12070, 12080, 12090, 12100).

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These are estimates for healthy adults from average MET values. How much you actually burn varies with your fitness, body composition, technique, terrain and conditions, so use the figures as a guide, not a measurement. This is not medical advice.