Calories burnt running a 5k

A 5K run is a great place to start with if you are new to running, especially as it’s such an easily attainable distance for all fitness levels. Training for and completing your first 5K is also a great way to start a weight loss journey and challenge your fitness levels.

Watching the number of calories you consume and burn is going to play a big part in your fitness goals. Before you go and grab that chocolate bar as a reward for your 3.1 mile run, you’ll probably want to find out just how many calories you can offset by running a 5K – especially if your goal is to lose weight! 

On average a 5K run will burn between 300 and 400 calories (around 100 calories per mile), but if you are looking to work out the rate that you personally burn calories when running a 5K, you will need to take a few factors into consideration. 

Calculating your calorie burn

The number of calories a person burns by running a 5K will depend mainly on two factors; your current body weight and your running speed. As a general rule, the faster you run the more calories you will burn over a set distance (in this case 3.1 miles), similarly someone with a larger body mass will generally burn more calories whilst running than someone with a smaller build. 

You can use a calorie burn calculator to get an accurate number for the amount of calories you burn whilst running, based on your body weight, running time and distance. If you are looking to increase your calorie burn over the 5K distance, running on a varied terrain or steeper incline will give you a more intense workout, additionally working on your speed and running faster will up your calorie burn.