Your running plan says 9:30 per mile. The treadmill console only speaks in miles per hour, and in steps of a tenth at that. Somewhere between the two is a bit of mental math most people would rather not do mid-stride.
So this treadmill pace converter does it for you: turn any mph into minutes per mile (or minutes per kilometer), or go the other way and find the exact speed to punch in for the pace you’re training for. The charts below the result show where your speed sits on the pace curve and how long common race distances would take at that effort.
Treadmill Pace Converter
Enter your treadmill speed in mph or km/h, or a target pace per mile or kilometer, and the calculator returns your pace, your speed in both units, the nearest treadmill setting and your finish time for 5K, 10K, half marathon and marathon.
How to convert mph to minutes per mile
Speed and pace are two ways of describing the same thing. Speed tells you how far you go in an hour; pace tells you how long one mile takes. Because an hour has 60 minutes, converting a treadmill speed to pace is a single division:
The answer comes out in decimal minutes. To turn the decimal part into seconds, multiply it by 60. For example, 60 ÷ 6.5 = 9.23 minutes, and 0.23 × 60 ≈ 14 seconds, so 6.5 mph is a 9:14 mile.
For metric pace, use kilometers per hour instead (1 mph = 1.609344 km/h):
How to convert pace to treadmill speed
To find the speed to set for a target pace, flip the formula. First turn the pace into decimal minutes (seconds ÷ 60), then divide 60 by it:
A 9:30 pace is 9.5 minutes, so 60 ÷ 9.5 = 6.32 mph. Most treadmills only go up in 0.1 mph steps, so you would set 6.3 mph, which works out to a 9:31 mile. The calculator shows this nearest setting automatically.
Treadmill pace chart: mph to minutes per mile
Use this chart to look up pace quickly at common treadmill speeds. Finish times assume you hold the same speed for the whole distance.
| mph | km/h | Min per mile | Min per km | 5K time | 10K time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.0 | 4.8 | 20:00 | 12:26 | 1:02:08 | 2:04:16 |
| 3.5 | 5.6 | 17:09 | 10:39 | 53:16 | 1:46:31 |
| 4.0 | 6.4 | 15:00 | 9:19 | 46:36 | 1:33:12 |
| 4.5 | 7.2 | 13:20 | 8:17 | 41:25 | 1:22:51 |
| 5.0 | 8.0 | 12:00 | 7:27 | 37:17 | 1:14:34 |
| 5.5 | 8.9 | 10:55 | 6:47 | 33:54 | 1:07:47 |
| 6.0 | 9.7 | 10:00 | 6:13 | 31:04 | 1:02:08 |
| 6.5 | 10.5 | 9:14 | 5:44 | 28:41 | 57:21 |
| 7.0 | 11.3 | 8:34 | 5:20 | 26:38 | 53:16 |
| 7.5 | 12.1 | 8:00 | 4:58 | 24:51 | 49:43 |
| 8.0 | 12.9 | 7:30 | 4:40 | 23:18 | 46:36 |
| 8.5 | 13.7 | 7:04 | 4:23 | 21:56 | 43:52 |
| 9.0 | 14.5 | 6:40 | 4:09 | 20:43 | 41:25 |
| 9.5 | 15.3 | 6:19 | 3:55 | 19:37 | 39:15 |
| 10.0 | 16.1 | 6:00 | 3:44 | 18:38 | 37:17 |
| 10.5 | 16.9 | 5:43 | 3:33 | 17:45 | 35:30 |
| 11.0 | 17.7 | 5:27 | 3:23 | 16:57 | 33:54 |
| 11.5 | 18.5 | 5:13 | 3:15 | 16:13 | 32:25 |
| 12.0 | 19.3 | 5:00 | 3:06 | 15:32 | 31:04 |
Treadmill speed zones
The chart below shows roughly where walking ends and running begins on a treadmill. The exact point depends on your height, fitness and stride, so treat these zones as a general guide rather than fixed rules.
Treadmill pace conversion examples
Example 1: 6 mph to minutes per mile
- Pace = 60 ÷ 6.0 = 10:00 per mile
- Speed in km/h = 6.0 × 1.609344 = 9.66 km/h, so pace per km = 60 ÷ 9.66 = 6:13 per km
- 5K time = 3.107 miles × 10:00 = 31:04
Example 2: 7.5 mph to minutes per mile
- Pace = 60 ÷ 7.5 = 8:00 per mile (4:58 per km)
Example 3: 9:30 per mile to treadmill speed
- 9:30 = 9.5 minutes, so speed = 60 ÷ 9.5 = 6.32 mph
- Nearest treadmill setting: 6.3 mph (a 9:31 mile)
Example 4: 10 km/h to pace
- Pace per km = 60 ÷ 10 = 6:00 per km
- 10 km/h = 6.21 mph, so pace per mile = 60 ÷ 6.21 = 9:39 per mile
Treadmill pace vs outdoor pace
Running on a treadmill usually feels a little easier than running the same pace outside. There’s no wind resistance, the belt helps move your feet, and the surface is perfectly even. A frequently cited study by Jones and Doust (1996) found that setting the treadmill to a 1% incline gave the closest match to the energy cost of running outdoors at moderate speeds.
Treadmill speed displays can also be slightly off, especially on older or poorly maintained machines. If a treadmill pace feels much harder or easier than it should, trust your effort and compare with a run on a measured route or track.
Tips for training by treadmill pace
- Warm up first. Start with 5 to 10 minutes of walking or easy jogging before moving to your target speed.
- Round sensibly. Treadmills jump in 0.1 mph steps, and each step changes pace by only a few seconds per mile at running speeds.
- Use intervals. Alternate between a faster target pace and an easy recovery speed to build speed without overdoing it.
- Add 1% incline if you want treadmill runs to feel closer to outdoor effort.
- Check both units. Many gym treadmills can switch between mph and km/h; make sure you know which one is showing.
Finish times assume a steady pace for the whole distance and are meant for planning. Real race times depend on fitness, course, weather and pacing.
Frequently asked questions
How do you convert mph to minutes per mile?
Divide 60 by the speed in mph. For example, 60 ÷ 6 = 10, so 6 mph is a 10-minute mile. Multiply any decimal by 60 to get the seconds.
What pace is 5 mph on a treadmill?
5 mph is a 12:00 minute mile, or about 7:27 per kilometer. At that speed a 5K takes about 37 minutes 17 seconds.
What treadmill speed is a 10-minute mile?
A 10-minute mile is exactly 6.0 mph (about 9.7 km/h).
What speed should I run a 5K in 30 minutes?
A 30-minute 5K needs an average pace of about 9:39 per mile, which is roughly 6.2 mph (10 km/h) on a treadmill.
Is treadmill pace the same as running outside?
Not quite. Treadmill running is usually a little easier because there’s no wind resistance and the belt assists your stride. Many runners set a 1% incline to make the effort closer to outdoor running.
How do I convert km/h to minutes per kilometer?
Divide 60 by the speed in km/h. For example, 60 ÷ 12 = 5, so 12 km/h is a 5:00 pace per kilometer.
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