A 170 lb runner covering 5 miles in 50 minutes burns about 688 calories in total, of which 620 are due to the run itself - roughly 124 per mile.
Activity
Result
Calories burned (total)688 kcal
Calories burned by the run itself620 kcal
Net per mile124 kcal
Total per hour826 kcal
Intensity (METs)10.2
What this is based on
0.2 ml·kg⁻¹·m⁻¹ (running) - ACSM's Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription - metabolic equations (2026-09-10)
5 kcal/l O₂ - ACSM's Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription - metabolic equations (2026-09-10)
The equation behind the number
For running, the American College of Sports Medicine’s equation estimates
oxygen use as 3.5 + 0.2 × speed + 0.9 × speed × incline (milliliters per
kilogram per minute, speed in meters per minute). Every liter of oxygen is
counted as 5 kilocalories. Walking uses 0.1 and 1.8 instead, because walking is
cheaper on the flat and dearer uphill.
Total and net
The 3.5 in the equation is resting metabolism - what you would burn sitting
down for the same time. The calculator shows the total, which includes it, and
the net, which does not. On a one-hour run the difference is about a snack, and
it is always in the direction that flatters, so both are printed.
Where the equation stops being reliable
The running equation was fitted on treadmill running above about 5 mph. Below
that, the page tells you so; if you were walking, switch the activity. It also
ignores wind, terrain and running economy, so two runners of the same weight
can differ - treat the result as a well-founded estimate, not a measurement.
Worked example
A 170 lb runner covering 5 miles in 50 minutes
Body weight
170 lb
Distance
5 mi
Time
50:00
Calories burned (total)
688 kcal
Calories burned by the run itself
620 kcal
Net per mile
124 kcal
Calculated by Endurina with the same engine that runs the tool above.
For runners in the US
US treadmills show speed in mph and incline in percent, and their calorie readouts use their own undisclosed formulas, which is why two machines rarely agree. The inputs here map straight onto a treadmill console: miles, minutes and the incline percentage. Many runners set 1 % to mimic outdoor running, and the incline field shows what that does to the energy cost.
Questions
How many calories do I burn running a mile?
About one kilocalorie per kilogram of body weight per kilometer, net - roughly 0.73 calories per pound per mile. For a 170 lb runner that is about 124 calories per mile, and it barely changes with speed.
Does running faster burn more calories per mile?
Hardly. Per minute, yes; per mile, the net cost of running on the flat is close to constant. Running faster burns the same calories in less time.
Why are there two numbers?
Total includes what your body burns at rest anyway. Net is what the run added. For weight management, net is the honest number; most apps show total and call it "burned".