km to Miles for Runners — Race Distances and Pace Conversion Guide
5K, 10K, half marathon, marathon in both km and miles. Pace conversion from min/km to min/mile. The runner's complete distance reference.
If you run in a country that uses kilometers but you follow a training plan from the US (which uses miles), you'll be converting distances constantly. Same problem if your treadmill shows miles per hour but you train with a pace in min/km. Getting this wrong means you're either training too easy or overdoing it.
The basic conversion
1 kilometer = 0.621 miles. 1 mile = 1.609 kilometers.
For quick mental math: multiply kilometers by 0.6 to get a close mile estimate. 10 km × 0.6 = 6 miles (actual: 6.21). Close enough for training purposes.
Race distances in both units
- 5 km = 3.1 miles
- 10 km = 6.2 miles
- 15 km = 9.3 miles
- Half marathon (21.1 km) = 13.1 miles
- Marathon (42.2 km) = 26.2 miles
- 50 km ultramarathon = 31.1 miles
- 100 km = 62.1 miles
Converting pace between units
Pace is where the confusion really sets in. If you run at 6:00 min/km and want to know your pace in min/mile, multiply by 1.609.
6:00 min/km × 1.609 = 9:39 min/mile. So a 6-minute kilometer pace is roughly a 9:40-minute mile.
Going the other direction: 9:00 min/mile divided by 1.609 = 5:36 min/km.
Speed vs pace: the other confusion
Treadmills often show speed (km/h or mph) rather than pace (min/km or min/mile). To convert speed in km/h to pace: 60 divided by speed = minutes per km. 10 km/h → 60/10 = 6:00 min/km. 12 km/h → 60/12 = 5:00 min/km.
For mph to min/mile: 60 divided by speed in mph. 6 mph → 60/6 = 10:00 min/mile. 8 mph → 60/8 = 7:30 min/mile.
Useful in race planning too
If your goal is to run a 10 km race in 50 minutes, your required pace is 5:00 min/km or 8:03 min/mile. If you're following a US training plan that calls for "long run at 9:30/mile," that translates to roughly 5:54 min/km. Convert precisely with the Unit Converter.